Collected the hire car this morning and had a leisurely drive from Auckland to Rotorua through some beautiful countryside, lush green fields and rolling hills. The villages and towns are exactly what I imagined them to be, exactly the same as you see them on the TV. The houses however reminded me of the clapboard, colonial style of house we have seen in parts of the USA but smaller, less ostentatious and often single storey. (Get your Park Home here)
We made a short detour to Waihi Beach, 9km of golden sand popular with surfers and a safe swimming beach. Unfortunately the sky was overcast and there was a cold breeze so we didn't stay long. There were a few surfers but even they looked frozen and the waves weren't that big but what a beautiful beach, true picture postcard stuff, sand dunes lead you to a vast expanse of sand stretching as far as the eye can see.
The first thing you notice as you arrive in Rotorua is the smell of sulphur but thankfully your nose very quickly becomes accustomed to it. The whole area is littered with 'geothermal' attractions from geysers, hot springs and lakes to mud baths and spas. Well you have to dont you - sit in a hot, slimy mud bath for 20 minutes that is. Our experience at Hells Gate was something I never imagined I would like after all I'm the one who doesn't like the sand moving under my feet on the beach and I can get hysterical if my feet touch a slime covered rock. So to put myself through the trauma of immersing myself in a mud bath was my worst nightmare. Not content with just letting you sit in the mud bath they advise you to get the most benefit from the mud its best to slather it all over yourself and then let it dry before you have a cold shower to wash it off! I Did It and have the photos to prove it - not a pretty site so not to be published! - and I must admit to quite liking it and there's no doubt my skin feels good.
We went to a Sheep show! I know it sounds corny but I decided that we couldn't come to NZ without going to the sheep show. It was actually good harmless fun. They bought 19 different breeds onto the stage and I always thought a sheep was a sheep was a sheep. The kids got to milk a cow and feed the lambs, we were shown the dogs herding ducks around ths stage and how to shear a sheep. I'll never eat lamb again without thinking of that show and just imagine how many chops you'd get off this young man! His fleece is probably worth a fortune too! To exit the show we had to walk through the gift shop (good marketing ploy) and obviously there were a lot of knitted garments on sale. A navy blue cape caught my eye, a beautiful blend of wool and silk, dry clean only of course. I had almost persuaded Steve to buy it for me when he caught site of the price tag, a mere $425. Even though I told him it was half price in real money I'm afraid the cape stayed on its hanger. I keep telling myself that I would have been frightened to wear it but I can dream cant I?
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