There was heavy overnight rain and we woke to grey skies. We did some food shopping at Countdown for the next couple of days and used our discount voucher from the supermarket to top up with diesel - $NZ1.06/ltr less 10 cents discount which made it approx £0.46/ltr! How good' s that?

Weather took a turn for the worse with heavy rain showers as we headed along Fenton Street to Te Puia described as a thermal wonderland and the smell of sulphur was very much in the air. Had coffee and lunch in car park by which time the rain had slowed and we donned hats and coats and paid our entrance fees. Firstly we had the an introduction to Maori culture and treated to a performance of the hacka and other war dances with a lot of stuck out waggling tongues. They are very proud of their culture. It was then a tour of the site. It was amazing to see the boiling mud craters and geysers and every rock and pathway was nicely warmed by the underground activity and after a while we got used to the sulphur smell unless you had to cross a path where the steam was blowing.

We the headed into Rotorua and the main museum my Lake Rotorua but unfortunately this was just closing so we walked alongside the lake which is one of the most important habitats for birds. The water in part of the lake was fed from a sulphurous river and theirs was a distinct difference to the water couloir where these met. Saw lots of wading birds, black swans and nesting white shag.

It was then starting to rain again so we headed to our site for the night on the edge of Blue Lake.

Distance travelled - 24km