Rotorua fun and Kiwis in sweaters

On our last days in Rotorua we did a couple of fun and touristy activities. First we took the gondola up the hill for a great view of the lake and surrounding area. But the best part for the kids and us was the ride down on the luge. These were go-carts we steered and rode down cement tracks to the bottom through forests. Lots of twists and turns, not unlike driving through New Zealand's South Island. The kids loved it and were able to take a couple more rides down while Catheleen and I enjoyed the view and weather from a café at the top.

The next day we stopped at another hill for zorbing, a ridiculous sport where you climb into a large inflatable ball and then roll down a hill. Both John and Elizabeth went for the wet ride, where they sloshed around in their ball like clothes in a washing machine. They weren't hurt by the ride itself, but they may have busted a gut from all the laughing and screaming on the way down the zig-zag course, all captured on a Go-Pro for our viewing pleasure. I think it would have been more of a hoot if they went together in the same ball, but they went for separate rides.

For one of our last activities in Rotorua we thought we would check out a redwood forest a few miles outside of town. I thought that we would be getting away from the sulphur smell so prevalent in the area, but it followed us here too, at least for part of the time. Anyway, the forest itself was a marvel. The government planted the redwoods in 1901 as part of an experiment to see what types of trees could be grown in the area to support a forestry industry. This particular grove was protected as a memorial to local veterans of the first and then second world wars. What a pleasure it was to walk through a redwood forest, with its majestic trees covering the area. The trees were surprisingly huge - for some reason these trees grow faster in this area than in California, where the trees originate from.

One observation about houses here. Having stayed at a large number of places in New Zealand now, I've found the often drafty, single-pane windows and house heating methods are a little quirky compared to what I'm used to. There is no central heating or cooling of houses, where you simply set the thermostat for the house to the desired temperature, and the heating or cooling is then distributed to all the rooms via vents. Rather there is typically a mix of wall mounted heat-pumps, space heaters, wood stoves and other odds and ends to keep the place comfortable if need be. It's like they are strangely insisting that they live in a balmy, sub-tropical climate, ignoring the fact that it can be distinctly chilly at times. I understand many Kiwis spend their winters indoors bundled up in sweaters, and on sunny winter days, is isn't uncommon for it to be warmer outdoors than indoors.

Here's John coming out of a zorb orb.

Hobbits and sulphur pools

On Tuesday we drove north west to Rotorua, and along the way we stopped at the Hobbiton Movie Set, where parts of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were filmed. When the director Peter Jackson was planning film locations in New Zealand, he did an aerial surveillance of this area and found this bucolic sheep and cattle farm, with its green rolling hills, including a critical pond and large tree. After a couple of years of construction, the area was transformed with dozens of hobbit holes and a tavern over a stone bridge.

The site was rebuilt in 2009 for The Hobbit movies, and later turned into a permanent exhibit and tourist attraction. We really enjoyed our tour on one fine sunny day, and we took a lot of pictures in front of all the hobbit holes. Some of the hobbit holes were smaller than others, which helped during filming to create the illusion that some of the characters were tall or short. The place was really well maintained. They must have an army of gardeners, with all the flower and vegetables gardens throughout. My favourite part of the tour was the end, when we stopped in at the Green Dragon tavern for a pint of beer, or in the kids' case, a mug of ginger beer. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of these movies, but I must admit it was pretty cool walking around this set. We almost expected Bilbo or Frodo Baggins to come out of a hobbit hole. The kids just loved the tour and are excited to watch all the movies again.

Our final stop for a few days was Rotorua, nicknamed Surfur City because of the hydrogen sulphide emissions, which give parts of the town a rotten eggs smell. Rotorua's tourist appeal comes from the town's nearby geysers, bubbling mud pools, and hot thermal springs. When we drove around town we noticed some steam rising from a park so we stopped in. We walked around to view all the bubbling pools, and found a spot with benches where we took off our shoes and dipped our legs in the warm water. John was concerned that his feet would smell like sulphur, but was happy to discover that this was not the case. So relaxing...

I understand not too long ago residents would make use of the boiling and bubbling pools to wash their clothing. Nowadays the pools are all cordoned off, which is a good thing with clumsy tourists like me wandering about. We visited the Wai-O-Tapu thermal area on Thursday, and we started off our tour with a visit to the Lady Knox geyser, which erupts every day at 10:15. I thought it was odd that the geyser kept such good time, but it turns out there's a good explanation for this. As we arrived almost late but just in time for the eruption, a guide stood up and told a story about how long ago convicts from a nearby prison used to do their laundry at this hot spot, and discovered that their laundry soap would set off the geyser. The guide then proceeded to pour some detergent into the geyser, and sure enough, five minutes later the geyser erupted in a 20 meter spurt of sulphur and soap scented steam and water. Not quite the same thing as watching a geyser erupt on its own, but interesting an fun nonetheless.

At this thermal area we walked the trails to see the sights. By the end of the two hour hike we were all feeling a little off from the heat and the continual sulphur fumes. On entry to the park we were warned to stay on the paths and not to smoke. I wondered why smoking was prohibited - it turns out some of the minerals we saw in the park, like yellow crystallised sulphur, are highly flammable. My favourite parts of the many stops along the walk were the Champagne Pool and Devil's Bath.

Champagne pool should belong on an alien planet, with its large pool of water with carbon dioxide gas bubbling to the surface. There were minerals around the edge coloured either yellow, orange or red. Huge amounts of steam would obscure the area on occasion, some of it red coloured mist from one part of the pool covered in iron oxide. The pool was accessible via a causeway crossing part of the pool. The place was just fascinating, but the steam and sulphur smell eventually drove us away.

Devil's Bath was our last stop and just as strange. The large pool below us, surrounded by white cliffs, was a bright yellow colour, as if it was filled with yellow paint with a green tinge. Sort of what toxic waste looks like in comic books I think. It was so bright it looked like it was glowing.

Here is Elizabeth and John making their way through the mist at the Champagne Pool, trying to minimize the smell as they escape the scene.  What are we - refugees?