Rotorua - Sulphur City & world-class MTB tracks
Since Francois found out in a magazine that Rotorua is a famous MTB destination there was no way we don't go there.
Rotorura is also famous for the volcanic activity, steaming hot springs, explosive geysers, bubbling mud pools and of course quite frankly disgusting "eggy" smell everywhere in the town due to sulphur gases.
MTB on tracks (both humble and hardcore) in the Redwoods Whakarewarewa forest
We got to the wood full of red californians (redwood) 15-min by car from the city centre.
We find this very friendly bike rental shop where we had a good time discussing about bikes and related mechanics.
The forest around offers a great variety of single tracks, for all levels, as well as enduro/free-ride trails to get more winds in the ears.
Weronika got her first serious introduction to technical cross-country MTB and seems to learn pretty quickly. Lots of marvellous single tracks in the forest as well as fun peaks and troals free-ride down-hill formats.
After three sessions of three hours each every second day, Weronika started to slalom faster and faster and be more and more audacious on natural drops as well as passing steep technical passages.
We have a mitigated weather, from very sunny to windy and grey sky up to heavy rain and colder temperatures. Nature is like in a ferry tale: tons of mushrooms growing near trees along tracks, dense and very green vegetation.
Anecdote:
At the end of the last session, we were desperately looking for some 2$ change in order to use the public showers on the Waipa Mill car park, which is the start of several MTB trails. While looking around, it did not seem that any riders would come as the day light was progressively disappearing until we ended up being in a complet and quiet darkness. Surprisingly, 2 riders show up and kindly gave us the very welcome coins to take a hot shower before being back on the roads to head back to Auckland. These two guys had the latest Scott Genius (new frame geometry and telescopic seatpost with the hydraulic cable hidden installed inside the frame) with crazy powerful lights on the handlebar and their helmet and were just going for an after-work night ride in the pitch black forest. Quite cool, isn'it?
Anecdote: we got a flat battery in our camper van! What a drama! So naturally Weronika sat at thewheel and Francois was pushing the van, with big effort he managed to push the car but not enough to get the engine start. Lucklily a passing by car stopped and the guy helped with pushing. That night we were a bit panicking that the van won't start in the morning so we drove around the town looking for a hill to park. Morning start from the hill wasn't even necessary, engine started straight.
So since that moment we started saving the battery by using less light.
Thermal pools in Rotorura (Hells Gate)
Imagine that the whole town and surroundings smell with rotten egg (caused by hydrogen sulphide H2S)!
Well, its quite disgusting however one benefit of it are the thermal pools!
Well, its quite disgusting however one benefit of it are the thermal pools!
We went for a Twilight experience after dark... hmmmm . And we chose the mud pool to boost up our natural beauty and we had a go for a mud fight ;) The pools were extremely hot in a range of 40-41'c which we struggle to stay for more than 1:30hr.
Rotorua museum
A bit of culture will
most likely not harm us after so many sports activities and
sightseeings. Between two MTB sessions, we take the opportunity to
visist Rotorua museum in order to understand more NZ maori culture
and history.
The Rotorua museum is a must-see for international visitors. There we discovered the Region's rich Maori culture and heritage, volatile volcanic landscape and dramatic history.
The museum is quite modern so it is enjoyable to walk around and learn a bit more about the Arawi iwi (tribe), the original inhabitants of the area.
The Rotorua museum is a must-see for international visitors. There we discovered the Region's rich Maori culture and heritage, volatile volcanic landscape and dramatic history.
The museum is quite modern so it is enjoyable to walk around and learn a bit more about the Arawi iwi (tribe), the original inhabitants of the area.
Good news, there are some guided tours. We are quite happy about it because it makes the visit more attractive as well as interactive, especially for Francois who would fall asleep after 15 minutes walking around.
Another good news, we are the only visitors and we are lucky to have a guide for only both of us.
We figure out that the
museum was initially designed for special mud pool treatments, then
was reconverted into a silver dining restaurant with a ballroom. However they son realised that silver gets black with the sulphr in the air and wáter so all the beautiful shining cutleries nad plates turned out darkish.
Later on the building was even used as a nightclub, before being donated to the councial which turned it into a museum.
Later on the building was even used as a nightclub, before being donated to the councial which turned it into a museum.
The building famous geothermal spa which offered therapeutic treatments to visitors from all over the world. The usual patients were ex soldiers after the WWII.
There were plenty of bath tubs for the patients, some with mud the others with water. The building was separated between man and woman sections.
We learned heaps about Maori culture, their arrival from mistical Hawaiki island (possibly Hawai) and volcanos history.
Worth to mention are the White and Pink terraces - The Terraces were formed by geothermally heated water containing large amounts of silicic acid and sodium chloride from two large geysers. In June 1886 Mount Tarawera erupted and the lava covered the beautiful terraces that later got sunk with the lake... sadly there is no trace of them any more.
I will only add that they looked like the Pamukkale in Turkey calcium terraces Weronika played as a 12 year old girls on family holidays.
Wai-o-Tapu - Sacred waters or Thermal Wonderland
The Wai-O-Taipu termal areais part of a Scenic Reserve and has the largest área of surface termal activity of any hydrothermal in the Taupo Volcanic Zone.
Thermal wonderland with literally collapsed craters and cold and hot mud pools. The steam was coming out of the ground in many areas from still active volcanic craters and sinter terrace formations. There is of course no fish in the pools as they would cook straight in temperature of up to 300'C (no fish there!). Beneath the ground is a system of streams which are heated by magma left over from earlier eruptions.
The most unique was Champagne Pool and Artist Palette that had many natural colours due to many elements:
-green- sulphur and ferrous salts
-orange-antimony
-purple-manganese oxide
-white-silica
-yellow-sulphur
-red-brown-iron oxide
-black-sulphur and carbón
A totally tourist attracion is a geyser (named Lady Knox) that is shooting into the air at 10:15am every day. The crater is boosted by some products to cause the explosion, so it is chemical reaction. However it was still nice to see how the explosion looks like.
Craters can be up to 50 meters in diameter and up to 20 metres deep. Several contain hot water springs and most have extensive sulphur deposits formed by escaping vapours meeting with....our atmpsphere... (like you can see on the picture below)
Craters can be up to 50 meters in diameter and up to 20 metres deep. Several contain hot water springs and most have extensive sulphur deposits formed by escaping vapours meeting with....our atmpsphere... (like you can see on the picture below)
