We had a lovely leisurely morning and took advantage of the midday checkout at our camp site. After having a short walk around Taupo we drove to Huka falls which is where you can see a river being squeezed through a small creek causing huge rapids. Also near Huka falls we visited the Huka Honey Hive where we saw honey being made and we even got to taste some :)
Our next place to visit was Rotorua and after a short drive we started to explore this thermally active area which absolutely stank of Sulphur. We heard about a thermal park you could visit so the next day we headed there to explore. Within this park there were fenced off areas which had been cornered off because the land had sunk and caused a boiling mud pool or steaming lake. It was quite incredible to see but also very scary! You also saw steam coming out of man holes and you could hear water bubbling away beneath the storm drains. We also took a look around a Maori village and were able to look at their intricate wood carvings and pretty church.
In the evening we enjoyed a Maori culture show at Mitai village where we saw traditional warriors enter by waka (boat) and lead us up to a stage where they then performed dances as well as the famous haka. We then enjoyed a feast of New Zealand lamb which had been cooked underground along with yummy sweet potatoes or kumara as they are called over here. After dinner we were taken on a bush walk around the village learning about how the Maori use the forest and were then able to see glow worms around a cold water spring.
After a thoroughly good evening we woke early to explore Wai-o-Tapu which is a thermal wonderland. Here we watched the Lady Knox Geyser erupt and then went for a walk around the park where we again saw boiling mud pools and steaming lakes as well as sunken craters, sulphur caves and bright green lakes.
We had a great time in Rotorua but now we are heading to the Waitomo caves.