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letting off steam
Published in the July-September 2010 issue.

Kris Madden holds her nose and explores the sulphuric delights of Rotorua and its truly magnificent environs.

The first thing that strikes you about Rotorua is that it’s a bit smelly. But the sulphurous, ‘eggy’ odour, once you get used to it, is part of the natural charm of this town and the regions that surround it.

It won’t take long before you realise why Rotorua is often referred to as ‘nature’s spa of the South Pacific’. Steam rises from somewhere deep underground and drifts through the town’s parks and gardens. Spurting geysers, steaming hot springs and exploding mud pools mark the landscape, a continual reminder that underneath lies a molten core trying hard to ooze its way towards the surface.



Your nose should lead you almost immediately to the Polynesian Spa on the shore of Lake Rotorua, where you will find 26 hot-spring pools of varying temperature, mineral content and pong, plus a range of mushy mud therapies.

Nowhere is this hotbed of activity more obvious than at Hells Gate, an active geothermal reserve and the only place in New Zealand where it is possible to bathe in healing mud baths – something the local Maori found out about more than 700 years ago. English playwright George Bernard Shaw visited the park in the early 1900s and decided this must be a gateway to the underworld. Though Shaw was reputedly an atheist, it is believed he changed his ways after this visit and the name has stuck ever since.

The baths themselves, however, are more like heaven than hell, and are highly prized for their curative properties: indeed, it is claimed that soaking in them will rid you of all manner of ailments from skin infections to muscular aches and pains and arthritis. Some say a good soak can even heighten virility. After spending time in the hot springs, you should look and feel forever young – and you’ll be ready to melt into oblivion with a massage at Wai Ora Spa, on the same site. To get an overview of the whole seething, bubbling scene, take a helicopter ride and feel the earth move as you land on the rim of an active volcano.



One of the most spectacular springs is Wai-O-Tapu (meaning Sacred Waters) at the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a short drive from town. Nearby Lady Knox Geyser blows every morning at 10.15am on the dot. A guide will explain exactly how this remarkably precise feat of nature occurs while you sit in the amphitheatre waiting for her to spout.

But perhaps one of Rotorua’s greatest secrets is the Orakei Korako Cave and Thermal Park in what’s known as Hidden Valley. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Rotorua but is well worth the effort – something you’ll realise when you catch the ferry across the lake and see the Emerald Terrace tumbling down and, above it, the steam from hundreds of hot springs wafting in the breeze.

For Maori, who see themselves as the guardians of this land, the region’s natural features hold a spiritual significance. A short distance from Rotorua, at Whakarewarewa, dubbed ‘The Thermal Village’, you can see the locals living in harmony with their witch’s-cauldron environment, using the forces of nature for day-to-day tasks such as cooking and communal bathing. Each of the 189 pools, geysers and fumaroles in the valley is named after ancestors or historical events, and each has its own story to tell.



There are plenty of opportunities for exploring the rich culture of the area’s indigenous people, whether it’s joining a powhiri (traditional Maori welcome), listening to waiata (songs); or chowing down at a hangi (Maori feast). At Te Puia, the history of the Maori culture is carved and woven into the meeting houses, canoes and weapons on display. Back in town, the Rotorua Museum of Art and History, housed in the 102-year-old Rotorua Bath House (which you can tour, top to bottom), exhibitions and film clips help bring the region’s eventful Maori and European history to life.

But there is more to this place than the pungent whiff of hellfire and ancient tribal cultures. The cobbled streets, beautifully laid-out gardens and striking English Tudor architecture of the town celebrates the city’s colonial past; while its contemporary lifestyle is reflected in an impressive array of cafés, restaurants, bars and clubs. You will be deliciously spoiled for choice at the dining strip in Rotorua’s city centre, the section of Tutanekai Street known as Eat Streat.

A refreshing cool change from all that heat can be found at the Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park, where you can meet many of the country’s bizarre native birds including the kea, kaka, kereru, kakariki, tui, weka, and pukeko. At Kiwi Encounter, next door, you can get up close and personal with the symbol of New Zealand and one of the strangest creatures on earth, the delightful and enigmatic kiwi. Nestled in the hills of Paradise Valley is another gem: the Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust, a conservation program that rehabilitates New Zealand’s rarest birds of prey. Here you can learn about the art of falconry and watch amazing flying displays as these birds are prepared for release into the wild.



Rotorua is not short on extreme activities, either. The volcanic peaks and lakes of UNESCO-World-Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park offer excellent hiking (that’s tramping in NZ) and mountain-biking tracks. Daredevils can try their hand at whitewater rafting, tandem skydiving, quad biking and jet-boating, or tackle the uniquely Kiwi adventures of bungy jumping, shweebing and zorbing. Rev-heads will be kept happy on the sprint car circuit, go-karting track or an exhilarating four-wheel-drive bush safari, which includes a drop so steep you can’t see the track ahead through the windscreen. A sense of adventure and a change of underwear is all that’s required.

One of the most famous attractions is the Hukafalls Jet, a hair-raising jet-boat ride up the Huka River, often featured in those famous NZ television commercials. Next door, at the Huka Prawn Park, home of Shawn the Prawn, you can fish all day for prawns and when you’ve caught some, the onsite chef will cook them up for you.

Trampers will find loads of stunning walks, from the hour-long Craters of the Moon walking track to the dramatic landscape and emerald lakes of the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing, one of the country’s best full-day walks. If you want to take your time, you can break the journey overnight in one of the serviced huts.

In the 1970s, master carver Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell came to his mother’s land at Lake Taupo by boat and saw the striking cliffs at Mine Bay as an opportunity to carve a 10-metre-plus-high likeness of Ngatoroirangi, a visionary Maori navigator. The carving took four summers to complete and can only be seen by boat. The lake is also famous for fly fishing, and fat, lazy brown trout of four kilos or more can be found lurking under the surface.

Mount Ruapehu is the place to go for some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the country with its huge snow filled basins, steep chutes, drop-offs and secret powder stashes. Whakapapa Ski Area on the north-western slopes is New Zealand’s largest. and has a nice safe beginner’s area as well as plenty of black diamond runs for hardcore powder-hounds. Turoa Ski Area on Ruapehu’s south-western slopes incorporates Australasia’s longest vertical descent and New Zealand’s highest lift. You can ski down the slopes of one of the world’s most active volcanoes from June right through to the end of October, staying at one of the numerous ski lodges nearby – one of the best of which is the fairytale Bayview Chateau Tongariro.

For a spot of pampering, the award-winning Treetops Lodge & Estate is hard to beat. A fun way to explore Treetops is by Geo-caching. Using a GPS unit, you can find and observe exotic fauna such as red stag, wild buffalos, deer and exotic native birds, set against the imposing backdrop of Mount Tarawera. •

Photography courtesy Destination Rotorua and Tourism New Zealand.


TRAVEL FACTS

getting there
  • Rotorua is a 25-minute flight or about a three-hour drive from Auckland. Air New Zealand has several daily air service links with Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and Queenstown as well as Australia. Phone 13 24 76 or visit www.airnewzealand.com.au
  • Qantas, phone 13 13 13 or visit 
www.qantas.com.au
  • Jetstar, phone 131 538 or visit 
www.jetstar.com
  • Pacific Blue, phone 1316 45 or visit 
www.flypacificblue.com

getting around
where to stay
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