Sun 7 Feb - Rotorua the Place with the Bad Smell!

The next morning we packed up and drove the only 50 odd miles from Taupo, north to Rotorua. En route we passed New Zealand’s premier motor racing circuit where Mike could have spent a happy day watching the meeting that was just getting underway, however our schedule and Christine dictated otherwise! Rotorua welcomed us with the smell of bad eggs that wafted across the whole area and made the wearing of any deodorant, perfume or after shave completely superfluous. After depositing belongings in our ‘Top 10’ cabin we went on to explore the hot springs, geysers and mud pools that the area is famous for. At the Te Puia Maori site just outside of town we considered we were ripped off, paying the equivalent of £20 each to go and see a poor replica of the Yellowstone Park offering. What was most annoying was that later that evening we discovered springs by the lakeside equal to those we had paid for available for free!