Rotorua to Onakune

The next day we woke and drove to Kairau Park, which was recommended in Marian’s Lets Go as a great place to go or free to see Geothermal activity. We were thrilled to see bubbling mud puddles, soak our feet in some naturally heated water, and occasionally smell the odd sulfur smell. We had been warmed so many times about Rotorua’s horrible smell, that we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered the smell wasn’t as bad as advertised. We then stopped by another Starbucks to continue calling people and telling them the good news about our engagement. Needless to say, everyone was thrilled! However, not altogether surprised….I wonder why…







On our way out of town, we stopped at a fantastic hot pool. Earlier in the trip we met some Americans on the West Coast of the South Island, who told us how to get to these particular hot pools. It was really super duper cool, because the pool is a result of a hot stream meeting with a cold stream and forming a natural hot tub, in a very natural setting. Pretty unbelievable. The setting looked like where you might find a pond in the Washington, but the water was hot tub warm! It was easy to tell the difference between the foreigners at this particular hot pool – the kiwis were naked, the foreigners were wearing bathing suits. Here are a few pictures.





We then headed down to Ohakune, where Marian promised John that we would always book ahead at even campsites so we wouldn’t be stuck out in the cold without any facilities. We arrived safe and sound at a top ten holiday park, and got to bed pretty quick for the big day the next day.