New zealand.... the fun will never stop as experiences gained are never ending!From tuapo an hour  east to the famous rotorua, famous as sul[phur city the distinct smell met by the city famous for mauri culture. Leaving taupo on wednesday it felt strange leaving after spending a week there, but in a week that went extremely fast and gave me 2 of the most amazing memories to take from the north island, the tongaririo crossing and of course the skydive. Wednesday was spent walking around rotaurua itself, a nice lake where i saw my fist black swan, a area of gardens where in spring would be beautiful with blossoming flowers, the house like museum and numerous shops,.Then onto yesterday where the rich smell of sulphur was at a climax, visiting wai-o-tapu thermal wonderland. Along the way visiting the southern hemispheres largest bubbling mud pool and a famous lady knox geyser. Hundreds of people gather every morning at 10.15 to catch a glimpse of the geyser, the geyser discovered when some mauri men decided to use the hot pool to wash there clothes, wetting the cloths and then scrubbing them with soap, when re-entering the soap ridden cloths into the hot pool, within minutes they went one way and the cloths went the other as the hot pool erupted and ever since the geyser has continued to erupt. The soap causing the cold surface water to increase in temperature allowing for the deep hotter water to surface. Now they use a environmental friendly chemical to put in the geyser to cause it to erupt at 10.15 every morning. it will still erupt naturally however never the same everyday. The geyser can reach heights of 20meteres. It was very worth going to see.Frome there to the thermal wonderland, something incredible to see and smell! Ever type of geothermal features including craters with internal chasms, hot and cold pools,steaming hissing fumeroles, mud pools, a fith of a hectare of bubbling hissing water with ochre-coloured petrified edge known as the champagne pool, lakes, steam vents,mineral terraces and all the colours you can image.The area covers 18 sq km, it is the largest area of surface thermal activity of an hydrothermal system in the taupo volcanic zone. The public only see a very small portion of this area. Beneath the ground is a system of streams which are heated by magma left  over from earlier eruptions. The water is so hot temperatures of up to 300 degrees have been recorded, The colour seen are all natural due to different mineral elements.They have created a 75 minute walk with 25 main points to see, i could have spent all day exploring and walking around, the horrible smell is worth enduring to see these amazing colours and geothermal sights. An alumis green pool one of the main highlights simply because of the colour!An incredible mix, of hot and cold pools, areas of steam you walk through the feeling of being on another planet, after driving through rolling hills and farm land to then walking through this complete contrast of physical environments. It has been another breathtaking area to walk round and once again more geography to tick of the list. The geographers paradise continues.KIA ORA!Tonight i had another new experience visiting the Tamaki Mauri village,  where you journey back to experience the traditions of mauri culture with cultural songs, tribal dances, the stories of the myths and legends and spiritual stories of the mauri people. Along with a concert and a tradition hangi, a banquet of food cooked traditionally on hot rocks in an earth oven. Something i feel i needed to see and experience whilst being in new zealand but rotorua particularly where mauri villages still exist and are lived in today. A very well spent evening seeing the village and how the natural processes of carving, weaving and those incredible tattoo's are made and done. The faucal expressions of the famous haka and other tribal dances. Kiaora used for a lot of means including hello and when said to you you say it back and the word AYE used as yes...us scots could get on fine AYE!When getting asked where are you from and there reply once you say it... the bar is over there.....they must of had a few scots through the village! Very interesting and worth while visiting! Along with being driven back on the bus where the 4 busses drove round and round the round about singing she will be "coming round the mountain" the bus drivers very amusing as they made each nation sing a song one the way home...luckily there were 2 other scots on the bus so i never had to get up and stand at the front! A very fun and interesting evening!Another new zealand experience gained....KIA-ORA-the words of the warmest welcome!