Our report on the waterfall had the wrong date - this should have read the 22nd, but our later report may explain why. We arrived at Rotorua and found the Princes Gate Hotel where we had a two bedroom apartment booked. We were just settling in when Sallie asked if Peter could turn her Radiator off, as along with the sun, her room was like a Sauna! Not possible as the hotel heating system was supplied by the natural hot springs in the town, which we think was nearly as old as the hotel itself which was built in the early 1900's. We were duly moved to another suite and settled in.
The following morning we set off to see some of the sites in Rotorua itself starting off at a Maori themed park where we marvled at the Geysers (pictured) The whole of Rotorua stinks of rotten eggs as there are so many steam holes, boiling mud ponds & warm thermally heated baths & pools. Phew! It's overpowering to begin with.
We spent quite a long time looking at the mud pools etc. so decided to go back to the hotel and chill before going out for the evening to a Maori themed dinner and entertainment event.
This is when it all went pear shaped when out of the blue Sallie collapsed.
We rushed her off to Rotorua Hospital and the following day she was transferred to Waitako Hospital in Hamilton to the Coronary Care Unit where she stayed until the docs had stabilised her enough to fly home. It was apparently a number of things that caused it, mainly a conflict of medications and her newly fitted pacemaker. Anyway, she is much better now. The staff at both hospitals were so professional and reassuring, in fact everyone we came into contact with were really friendly and helpful.
While we were in Hamilton & between hospital visiting hours we spent time in the nearby Hamilton Gardens which are magnificent, with areas given over to various styles of gardens from Japanese, Italian, Indian & including a Maori growing plot. We took loads of photos.
We had stayed over at a nearby motel and two of Sallie's daughters flew over from Brisbane and joined us. Happily on Saturday the 27th, Sallie was much, much better and the Hospital allowed her to be discharged.
We then drove from Hamilton to Auckland and stayed at a hotel near the airport for the flight home this morning.