My New Zealand Jobs

Rotorua

Rotorua…think of it as Yellowstone if they built a city there. It has the requisite lake, and of course, thermal activity. There is even a free thermal park in the middle of town, complete with that lovely sulfur smell. Unlike Yellowstone, however, the thermal areas are split up, so you have to pay to see different geysers and hot springs.

The most popular and colorful is Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, which is about 27 kilometers south of Rotorua. I took a shuttle down there, and it made three stops. The first was at a large boiling mud pool. The second was at the Lady Knox geyser, which goes off at 10:15am every day, with a little help that is. The third stop was at the main park. The highlights for me were the Champagne Pool, Devil’s Bath, and the green lake. The Devil’s Bath is very, very green, in a cool way. The Champagne Pool is huge, and gets it’s name from the champagne-like bubbles on the surface.

Another area was contained in Whaka, otherwise known as The New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. There I got to learn a little about Maori (the native New Zealanders) culture and got to see more thermal activity.

I liked Rotorua, which has a nice lake and a number of cafes. Also, the YHA hostel there had a really tropical feel to it. My plans to spend an evening drinking coffee and reading a book were dashed though when I realized 95% of the town shuts down at 5:30pm. Oh well.