Day 85: Bird carcass in the swimming pool

09/22/2016

Oh how lovely, today we have another activity that we can aim for. With bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky, we visit the Rotorua Lawa landscape (In this statement, there is a false claim, but which one?).

In the early morning hours, we turned away from the rainy landscape around Lake Taupo, only to roll into another area, which is obviously also preferred in the divine watering plan. There, I quickly realize that the stinky hot springs of Taupo are a (yes, this statement is deliberately chosen) piece of crap compared to the boiling and steam-spouting pools here.

First of all, we go to a geyser (if that's how you spell it), which, we were told, is supposed to spout at exactly 10:15 every day. We are still thinking about the fact that this guy is such a punctual fellow, as such reliability is rarely expected from Mother Nature. I have never seen anything like this before and hypothesize that there is a dragon living underground who is annoyed with whacks until he's had enough and spits fire around ten past ten. Gudi informs me that the geyser only releases hot water. So, that idea goes down the drain. It quickly becomes apparent, once again, that we have ended up in a tourist attraction. Perhaps it's because we booked the tour at a travel agency. In any case, the true attraction once again is the oversized and utopian cameras hanging around the necks of the Chinese tourists. By the way, an animator (yes, really, his main task seems to be to get people to applaud - I decline) also throws a solution into the mini volcano, causing the two underground hot water chambers to mix and rise to the surface due to their expansion. While this is happening, I have the opportunity to observe the Chinese tourists using their mini UFOs. They not only hold one in their hand but even launch it and let it circle around the quite nice water fountain. They call it a drone.

The various hot water pools that we later see for ourselves in order to escape the crowd are not very suitable for bathing. The most exciting thing about them is that they all have different colors because they are infused with various minerals from the earth. The only thing they have in common is that they all bubble and smell pretty bad. By the way, I notice that birds keep falling into the pools, as they are stunned and pass out from the scents. Maybe that explains the foul smell.

In the city of Rotorua itself, there are also a few hot springs, along with some small Maori houses. These don't stink as much, probably because there are no birds swimming in them. In a park, we even take the opportunity to soak our feet, which is a relief and necessity for my, therefore doubly plagued, legs given the external wetness and my sweaty feet.

Dazed and drenched with all the vapors, we actually go to sleep before sunset today.