Volcanic Landmine

Day 197- A day of driving to Rotorua would take us the morning and had us there for about 1pm. Rotorua is said to be the Vegas of New Zealand, according to Kiwi's. However, not knowing that most Kiwi's have never been to Las Vegas before, you can imagine the disappointment when Mike and his 4 good buddies (including his brother Phil) entered a car 12 years ago on their quest to find this city of sin. Haha I can just see them rolling into town wondering if they had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Turns out it is nothing like Vegas. Instead of lights and nightlife they were met with the strong smell of rotten eggs and coffee shops that close by 5pm. Rotorua is actually a volcanic land mine. Volcanic acitivity around the city is the main attraction for visitors along with unique adventure sports that draw in adrenaline junkies daily. Perhaps it is the adventure based activities of the town that has earned it its Vegas comparison amongst the New Zealand locals. 

Our first stop was the popular exploding geyser at Te Puia. Although when we arrived at the ticket counter we were faced with a problem. The admission to the park was 55 dollars. WHAT? Well that is too much money. What would we see for that fee? Bubbling mud, steam vents and the exploding geyser. We couldn't bring ourselves to do it. I knew there must be another way, so I went online and found a cheaper option. All we needed to do was to park at a nearby hotel, climb over a fence, crawl through the forest and in no time, we'd have our own private viewing of the geyser.

                          

Guess what else? Along the way, we heard some noise in the bushes and discovered steam vents and bubbling mud... and how much did we pay? Nada!

Next stop was Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. This was something we knew we didn't want to cheap out on so we paid the $35 dollars each and enjoyed the steamy walk. Sulphur filled the air and at times it was difficult to breathe through the thick hot steam but the views made it more than worth it. 

The colors that surrounded this wonderland were wonderful to say the least. The green lake below had my attention.

Mike dipped his toe in a running stream and as expected it was hot hot hot! 

Below is a seafoam green lake, I didn't know that water could be so many different colors.

And, of course, the 'piece de resistance'. When a person googles Rotorua, a picture of what you see below is typically what shows up. It was also the reason why we knew we'd pay the admission fee to enter the park. This 100 degree natural hot spring displays a stunning contrast of blue water and red and white rock. This was one of the original pictures that made me want to come to New Zealand. It truly is a magical place. 

              

After we'd completed our first day of exploring, we drove into the forest. But before we could make our way to our campsite, we had to give Jazz a little TLC. She wasn't feeling well and she told us so by creating a rucus under the wheel. We called the 24 hour road side assistance and they had us in the shop and back on the road within the hour. Nice work Lucky. 

                    

Now that she was feeling better we headed to our free spot, only 30 minutes out of town. It was the closest place we've been to a Canadian campsite and it felt good to be home.

Day 198- Rotorua is known for their adventure sports and there is no lack of options to choose from.  One of the biggest draws in the town is mountain biking. Trails spread across the city in every direction. They even have a ski hill lift that takes people to the top of a mountain where they're released into the wild, onto class 3 to 6 bike trails. I don't have any experience mountain biking but we weren't going to miss out on an opportunity to mountain bike in one of the sports world famous locations. 

We rented our bikes from Mountain Bike Rotorua for $40 bucks each. That gave us two good quality mountain bikes, two helmets and 4 hours of free time to ride. We used all 4 hours!

The trails were unreal and we peddled our butts off to get to the top of a mountain to see a great view. It almost killed me but it was worth it...I think. Whoa, check out Mikes gargantuan muscles!!!! 

                         

Oh wait...those would be my huge guns. Haha the guy who took this photo must have snapped it just as I was air pumping our victory for making it to the top of the lookout. So I said to Mike, "do you have any tape?" He responded, "No why?", to which I responded "because I am beyond ripped"... bahahahaha. 

Below we're riding through a very dry, lifeless forest.

What an awesome way to spend a day in the forest. By the end of the 4 hours I was exhausted and found it very difficult to finish our last run to the bottom of the mountain. We had crushed around 25km over the 4 hours and I managed to fall 3 times throughout the day with only a few bruises to proove it... and this photo. Mike heard me crash and I yelled "OW", he got off his bike and ran back while asking if I was ok.  I was but my leg was pinched between the bike and the handlebars. Before Mike helped me up he apologized while he took this photo. How rude. I should have punched him with my giant pipes. 

                      

Here is some sweet footage of our adventure. Careful, it's 3 min long!

                            

The toilets at the bottom of the hill had showers, so after a hot strenuous day, we got to clean off. It helped me feel a little better but I was still so sore. We drove around town to find a park to cook dinner and relax in the shade. I was also worried we'd get pulled over by the cops because my guns weren't registered...bahahahahaha

This lovely tree looked like a piece of art.

We ended the night with a shot of coffee at a cool local cafe called Abracadabra that looked like a magical wonderland. We blogged/played Clash of Clans and then we slept..... ohhhh did we ever sleep. 

Day 199- We were still hurting from our bike adventures but we weren't done exploring Rotorua. A local told us that a visit wouldn't be complete without going to the Redwood Forest. We charged up our fitbits and hit the trail for a quick 30 minute walk on a 3.4 km pathway through the forest. A mix of different trees covered the space and they grew taller and taller the deeper we went. 

                      

It didn't take long before we got completely lost and made some secret discoveries. A hand made sign that said Fairy's Grotto pointed into the forest. Weary of getting caught in a fairy trap, we built up our courage and followed the sign into a childs dreamland! So cool and super hidden. 

We continued on what looked like an old bike path but it kept taking us uphill, deeper into the forest. 

I have to admit, I probably wasn't the best company. I was still hurting from our bike ride and every corner we turned took us more uphill. I was angry. I was trying my best not to complain because I knew how exhausting that can be, especially in a situation that is out of anyones control. But I didn't do too well... Mike did a good job of ignoring it and kept his spirits up. Maybe a little too UP!

At least the view was pretty sweet. 

I thought this pathway would make for a pretty aisle in a wedding. A decorated path with natural wild flowers on either side. 

By the time we found our way back to our car, our 'walk' had turned into a 3 hour hike over 11 kms. At least we reached our step goal on our fitbits!

We returned to the showers at the bottom of the mountain bike trails and I washed away all my anger from the day. Our campsite for the night would provide another stunning view and the perfect setting to watch the full moon rise. 

Day 200- WOW crazy to see it in writing. 200 days of being on the road and sometimes it feels like we just left. Where has the time gone?

Our day began with a visit to Kerosene Creek. Kerosene creek epitomizes every travellers dream discovery. Except for the fact that it has already been discovered and a sign leads the way, this spot is nature at its best. A supremely hot stream in the middle of the forest, untouched by commercialism, free to anyone who wishes to experience it.

It only took me 7 months of effort but I am finally learning how to use my camera. 

Below is my attempt to set the camera's 10 second timer and run down the rocky edge to join Mike for a photo in the steaming hot water. Oh well... 

Mike and I made a point of heading to the springs early so we could enjoy it with fewer people. We must have picked a good time because we were the only ones there and got to enjoy it all by ourselves, at least for a little while. Just as we were beginning to overheat, a big tour bus arrived so we left the streem to them and went back to Jazz for some lunch. 

While we dried off in the parking area, a red car peeled out and shot up a ton of dust and rocks right in our faces. Then as the youngsters tried to drive off, they lost control and ran right into the tour bus, smashing the headlight and crushing the bumper. We knew they weren't going to stick around as they put on their reverse lights and skidded away once more. Luckily, us and two other guys stood by and caught their license plate. Time for ol' officer Keith of the Pinto Police task force to call it in! No criminals get away when we're on the clock. I tried to get a photo but the dust covered the cars getaway. 

Rotorua was full of excitement and we felt thoroughly pleased with our visit. It was time to head on our way, we had much more to see and time was ticking.