Stinky Rotorua

 

From Bay of Islands we moved down to the centre of north island to Rotorua, an area famed for its Maori culture and thermal activity. It is also quite near to the Hobbiton movie set from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

 

Favourite activity No.1 - Hobbiton

 

As a complete Lord of the Rings nerd we had no choice but to head over to 'Hobbiton' and explore the standing movie set, which is located in a farm near Matamata about an hour and a half west of Rotorua.

 

We weren't disappointed. Mike rediscovered his true geek self and he popped in and out of hobbit holes, sat under the 'party tree' and had a home-made ale in the 'Green Dragon' pub. It was a really fun afternoon out and great to find out more about the set and location that helped make the movies.

 

Favourite activity No.2 - Walking around the thermal hot pools

Rotorua is known best for its thermal activity, bubbling lakes, geyesers and the smelly sulphur that accompanies it (hence the title 'stinky rotorua). There are lots of different attractions that you can go and see but they are expensive and as we had seen geysers up close in Bolivia we opted instead to do a free walk around the city where you can see examples of the thermal uprisings everywhere.

 

 

On our walk we also visited the government gardens and got to see and learn a lot about the Maori culture and Rotorua's history.

 

 

Favourite activity No. 3 - Walking in the Redwoods



Although not indigenous to New Zealand, Rotorua is also famed for its Redwood forest on the outskirts of the city.

 

We walked there for the afternoon and enjoyed tramping through the tranquil setting, having a picnic and marvelling at the size of the trees (Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world). Definitely worth a visit if you have time.