We have enjoyed the last few days in Rotorua with my family and it has sure been busy!

The town is famous for its volcanic geothermal activity, it’s pretty sulphur smelly with hot pools bubbling and steaming all over the place! So unlike anywhere we’ve been! We visited many pools, geysers and crater lakes in the area, all bubbling hot, with some incredible rock formations and the girls have done some great learning about how they all work. 

We also couldn’t come to Rotorua and not see some of the Maori culture which the town is well known for. So we took a trip to the living Maori village of Whakarewarewa, not far from where we were staying. The families that still live in the village are descendants of the first tribe to set up in Rotorua and still bathe and cook in the many hot pools that the village sits on! It was fascinating and we enjoyed a tour around the village, with stories of the village ancestors and on to a wonderful cultural show of Maori dancing, singing and of course the haka! Den even got up on stage to perform, much to the girls delight!

Yesterday we took a day off culture and decided to visit the Redwood tree canopy walk. A series of rope bridges link together wooden platforms that are built high up in the canopy of the magnificent trees, giving you a birds eye view of the forest! We decided to buy the combined ticket to allow us to come back in the evening when all the lanterns suspended from the trees were lit up! Beautiful!

Yesterday we also had a bit of fun at the Rotorua skyline. We took the speedy gondola up the mountain admiring the beautiful views of Lake Rotorua as we went up. At the top we found the start of the luge ride, where (despite Daisys hesitation at first) we sped down the windy paths in little go carts! A lot of fun was had and the girls and Den had many many goes, thankfully there was also a winery and the top, so the ladies did a spot of wine tasting!

Today we have packed up again (getting quicker every time!!!) and drove the twisty road up the coromandels to our new home! We have booked a lovely lazy beach home….just what we need after some busy days in Rotorua!