Rotorua (again!) 1st March - 3rd March 2007 and a little bit of Auckland

After we finally left a very nice Napier we decided to stay in Rotorua again for a few nights to break up a 9 nine hour journey. We staying in Cactus Jacks Backpackers which as you can imagine was themed like a mexian desert with a hot tub, which could be used up until 10pm. The weather was great when we got there so we settled for the night (after going to an eat all you can buffet which is very welcoming after our diet of noodles and apples) and waited for our busy day the next day.

We headed to Wai-o-tapu and watched the Lady Knox Geyser shoot water into the air after fizzing over for quite some time, picture a mound of earth with a thermal pool under it and aboout 200 hundred tourists waiting for something great to happen and it spits some water out (we paid alot for the privilege). We then moved into the park to check out all the thermal pools, this was great but smelly and very, very warm. The pools varied from bubbling mud pools to the champagne pool, this is definitely the best with its orange rock border and a bright blue waters, I also took a liking to the Devils bath which was just bright green water, you will be able to see if you check out the pictures!

Later that night we went to Tamaki Maori village and it was brilliant, we saw traditional Maori welcomes and tribes with the black tattoos on their faces, we also got to see how they lived in the forrests and all of their history. We were then treated to a show or traditonal Maori dancing and song including the Haka ( the one you see them do before a game of rugby!). After an eventful night we had a buffet Hangi which means 'cooked in the ground' it was and it was great food, plus being backpackers we ate as much as we could.

After a few nights stay we headed up to Auckland again were we stayed with Jo and Mike for two nights which took us from the 3rd to the 5th of March when we head on the next leg of our journey but not before seeking out some more beautiful beaches which are so well hidden no one is ever on them.