We carried on north towards Rototua, but not without a stop on the outskirts of Taupo to see the Huka Falls. There is a small channel where all the rivers water has to pass through which makes up the falls. There is a phenominal amount of clear blue water passing through back into the main river below. We stood on the bridge over it watching the water gush through. You could even take a jet boat ride that takes you right near where the water hits at the bottom. Although this isn't the highest waterfall, the clear water (and its sheer volume) made this a stop we really enjoyed.

We continued our journey and were in Rotorua by early afternoon. With the rest of the day free, we decided to make the most of it and drive around the lake. Its a beautiful lake, with lots of little towns dotted around it. One town called Hamurana had been recommended to us as it was the home of the imaginatively named Hamurana Springs. We walked through a redwood forest to the spring and found a crystal clear stream leading up to it. Apparently, one million gallons flow out of there every hour, but it was so peaceful that was hard to believe. It was such an idyllic spot amongst the redwood trees, the walk alone was fantastic (not to mention watching the ducks surf the current downstream).

We finished our lap of the lake by heading into central Rotorua to see what the town is famous for - thermal hot spots. We went to Kirau Park where you can walk, for free, around various types of thermal activity. There are springs, mud pools and even a pool you can soak your feet in. It's a very odd place to wander around as there are steam clouds everywhere you walk with the strong smell of sulphur (Sarah declared it the most disgusting thing she had ever smelt) filling the air. Regardless of that, we really enjoyed having the opportunity to see all of the little pockets of thermal activity first hand.

All that was left to do after that was have a glass of wine and prepare ourselves for seeing thermal activity on a whole new scale.

We woke up particularly early to head to Wai-O-Tapu. This is one of many thermal parks in Rotorua, but this one is special as it is the home of the Lady Knox Geyser. The geyser is famous as it blows every day at 10:15am, so we had to be there well in time to make sure we got a good view. Well, we took this to the extreme and managed to be the first people there. We got a great viewing spot, but had a particularly long wait for the 'show'. Just over an hour later, the geyser blew over 10 metres in the air and the early start had been worth it. We had always wanted to see a geyser, and although there were a million other people crowding around, it had been a great experience.

We continued our morning by walking around the rest of Wai-O-Tapu. This is a series of walkways around (and over) various types of thermal activity. We saw craters left from old volcanoes, bubbling lakes, sulphur mounds and mud pools as well as inhaling a dangerous quantity of potentially harmful gases. We had a great time! It really was amazing to see all the colours that are created, as well as the scale of the thermals around the park. If it wanted to, it really could do some damage!

After finishing our walk we headed back into Rotorua for our afternoon activity and something we were both desperate to finally do - see kiwi!

We had heard good things about Rainbow Springs - a little animal sanctuary not far from our camp site - so we decided to pay it a visit. The tickets were valid for 24 hours so you can visit during the day to see the majority of the animals, and then head back after dark to try and spot some kiwi.

During the day, the park was great fun. We saw a number of the native wildlife including many of the animals we had seen previously in Zealandia (although in separate enclosures this time), and Tom even had an altercation with a duck! However, during our night visit, the park really came into its own.

We were ushered into an enclosure with four big pens. In absolute silence, you wander around, searching the undergrowth for signs of life. After a few minutes of searching, we saw a shadow flash across the back fence and we knew at least on kiwi had woken up. Eventually there were more and more sightings until one finally came out in the open so we could get a proper look. We were amazed at the speed the moved at. For a shy and secretive animal, they really dart around a lot and for that reason, we were completely captivated and spent well over an hour 'kiwi-spotting' in the rain.

We returned back to the camp site to warm up having thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We had been desperate to see a kiwi on this trip as a holiday to New Zealand can't be complete without it. We went to bed smiling, looking forward to heading to the north coast for some sun, sea, and relaxation!