Week 14

This week was all about work, so there isn't much to report from Monday to Wednesday.

We decided to take a day off on Thursday to go on a trip to Rotorua and relax.

We set off on Wednesday afternoon and treated ourselves to a hot shower at the local indoor pool.

Our campsite was right next to a beautiful park called Government Gardens.

Rotorua is primarily known for its many geothermal springs in and around the city. It is located by a large lake of the same name (the second largest lake on the North Island).

The entire area lies in the caldera of a volcano that erupted 140,000 years ago, and Lake Rotorua is a collapsed magma chamber.

Pillars of steam rise all over the city, and the accompanying smell of hydrogen sulfide hangs in the air. In short, it pretty much smells like rotten eggs everywhere.

Right next to our campsite was a steaming geothermal spring and a lake, so the smell was quite noticeable there as well. Fortunately, it hardly smelled at all inside our van with the door closed.

On Thursday, we went for a short hike in the nearby Waipa Forest to a viewpoint where we could see the Pohutu Geyser. The Pohutu Geyser is the largest geyser in the Southern Hemisphere and erupts up to 30m high. It is located in a large geothermal area that can be visited with a guided tour, but the entrance fee was a bit too expensive for us.

So we observed the geyser from a distance and hoped it would erupt. According to research, it erupts about 20 times a day, so our chances were pretty good. We eagerly awaited it and kept an eye on the smoke. After about 20 minutes, the smoke activity increased significantly, and the plume of smoke was quite large. However, from our viewpoint, we couldn't tell if it was just steam coming from the geyser or if water was being ejected. The spectacle was impressive in any case, and after the steam decreased again, we decided to continue our hike.

After refueling with coffee, cake, and fries, we wanted to visit Kuirau Park in Rotorua in the afternoon. There are many geothermal springs and lakes there, and you can even enjoy a foot bath in water from a spring (free of charge ;)). We really enjoyed the walk through the park and were genuinely impressed by the power of the earth that is so clearly displayed here. Seeing the hot and bubbling water coming directly from the ground was something we had never experienced before.

To conclude the day, we treated ourselves to sushi for dinner before reaching our new campsite with lake views.

Unfortunately, Friday was very rainy again, so it was another day off for relaxation, but this time it was only suitable for curling up, reading, and doing nothing.

On Saturday, the weather improved again, and we were able to work on the kiwi plantation for the last two days of the week.

Unfortunately, we were informed today that the work on our plantation is now finished. Since the boss wasn't present, we didn't receive much further information. We might be able to continue working on another plantation, but then not with an hourly wage but a rate per finished section. Whether we want to do that and if it actually works out is still uncertain.

We would have liked to work for another two weeks to earn a bit more. Let's see if that works out, or if we end up unemployed sooner than expected.