Hells Gate Rotorua

Hells Gate?

I hope everything is great with you all. I'm currently sitting in the hammock enjoying the slightly cooler weather since it rained today on Waylailai Island. Then I thought I'd take the chance to write the next blogs to you (as I occasionally have internet access). But I've already learned from the Fijians: 'No Hurry - No Worry!' In short, everything here operates at a very slow pace, and if things are scheduled for a specific time, the guide will show up 30 minutes late out of principle. So, nothing I haven't already experienced, but it's always exciting to see.

So much for the island, now more about my visit to Hells Gate. It's a geothermal park where I got a free day at the spa and in the mud pools through my job. But before heading to the mud, I took a walk around the park to view the various pools.

The pools all have different compositions and varying temperatures. By composition, I mean different gases and sediments. The entire area was and still is partially owned by a clan, and I managed to reach the end of a guided tour where we were informed that the different pools were also used for cooking or therapeutic baths.

After my short walk, I also got to try traditional carving. And of course, it looks a lot easier with the professionals than it actually is. In the end, I managed to carve along the pre-drawn pencil lines, and the result at least has the correct shape, even if it was sometimes a bit deeper in some places. And because walking and carving is so tiring, I then made a stop at the spa and in the hot pools.

The mud for the mud pools is freshly harvested every day from one of the pools in the park and transported to the pools. Additionally, the mud and the temperature in the pools are measured every 15 minutes to prevent burns or chemical reactions. I definitely had fun in the mud. Furthermore, each visitor is allowed a maximum of 20 minutes per day in the mud, as it can otherwise be harmful to the skin and body. After the mud bath, I spent a little time in the hot pool and then headed downtown for the night.

In Rotorua, I then relaxed at a Starbucks and did a little blogging. For dinner, I had a super delicious, really large pretzel from the night market in Rotorua. Very, very tasty, but of course, it’s no comparison to home.

The next day, I met up with a few colleagues, we went for a walk, and experienced the cultural experience in Rotorua.

More about that in the next post.

Your Britta