Waimangu & Rotorua

We managed to get on the road by 10.00 and were in Rotorua by 11.00.

We arrived at Waimangu which is a thermal park just a 20 minute drive south of Rotorua.

We bought our tickets which included a 45 minute boat ride on Lake Rotomahan and then had a coffee and bought a bar of chocolate for emergency rations as we would not get back for lunch until nearly 3.00.

The walk through the park, which is one of the most recent opened, - 1917 - was truly amazing with so much geothermal activity and lakes and streams with names like Emerald Pool which changes colour, depending on what plant life is growing there, from blue , brown and emerald. We saw Echo Crater and Frying Pan Lake and then went on to Inferno Crater which was bight blue before heading on down to Marble Terrace where the water cascades down and makes steps which look like marble.

We stopped at Hot Water Creek and springs and you can get very close to the water and it has lots of little areas of bubbling water and Jon just had to see how hot it was and really regretted it as it burnt his finger! Boys will be boys!

We continued on down the valley to Lake Rotomahana where we boarded our boat for a lovely trip around the lake and into Star Crater. The lake is 500 m at its deepest. We went round the lake and saw the geothermal activity in the rocks and the lovely colours. In parts it is so hot the ducks and other birds cannot go near the rocks. it was so lovely and so very hard to put into words not to mention the smell. By far the better of the two parks we have visited in Rotorua.

There is a bus to take you back up to the entrance and we needed it.

We went into Rotorua and had an amazing lunch in the Fat Dog. I had a delicious seafood chowder, Heather had a bacon and cheese panini and Jon had a roast beef sandwich which was huge with two slices of bread and lots of beef and gravy and a fascinating place with lots of animal jokes and stories written on the chairs, walls and plates.

We then went down to Lake Rotorua and checked out sea plane flights for Jon and Heather to do next time we visit.

We then went off to Kuirau Park to show Heather the thermal mud pools and lakes.

By the time we had driven home we were all very tired and by the time we had the fire lit we were fit for nothing and Totty did not get her afternoon walk as it was too dark.

We were so full from lunch we could only mange some chicken and salad for dinner.

There is a special D Day celebration on tomorrow which we are going to see, Heather's suggestion! I am looking forward to my bed tonight!