Rotorua landscape and geothermal phenomena

So now it's time to drive on the left, with my cool car. So my left arm is more strained than usual. I especially have a problem with the turn signal and windshield wipers. Surprisingly, it went pretty well. On the journey from Auckland to Rotorua, it quickly became very rural and you can see the spring spreading. On the journey from Auckland to Rotorua, I stopped in a strange village with only Chinese shops. And at a historic hot spring hotel to have tea.

Upon arriving in Rotorua, I noticed the foul smell of sulfur. At first, I thought the sewage treatment plants were overflowing. My hotel is located directly on a lake, which bubbles and stinks everywhere. There are a lot of birds and they make a huge noise. So I walked along this lake and looked at the birds and hot spots. I walked all the way to the Visitor Center and got information there and booked a tour of a Maori village. I then went to McDonald's, where there is free WIFI, and had something to eat. The hotel also had hot springs, and I warmed up with the warm water.

The next morning, I got up early to see the 1st show of the day at Agrodome. Various sheep were shown. The Merino sheep in particular was huge. You wonder how the sheep can walk with this wool on their body. Of course, they showed how the sheep are sheared. You don't really realize how much wool there is on a sheep until you see the pile next to the bald four-legged animal. You could also milk cows and received a certificate. Finally, you got an insight into herding sheep with the dog. They are really agile and obey every word.

I really wanted to see kiwis, so I went to Rainbow Springs Park. A tour was offered just for the kiwis, so I was informed about the animals' lives. The ranger explained why they search for the eggs and hatch them here at the largest station on the North Island. The young ones are released into the wild when they weigh 1 kg. This increases the survival rate to 70%. We were able to see three very young ones and two that are always at the station. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed.

Now I had to make my way to the Maori village. They live in the middle of the geothermal area. They also use it for cooking, bathing, and heating. Some of the children living there could be seen bathing. I also ate a corn cob that was cooked in the hot water, but you couldn't taste the sulfur. The Maori's showed their dances and sang their songs. Then you could look around the village a bit. It started raining and I sought shelter in the café.

I went back to Lake Rotorua. When I arrived there, it stopped raining. I walked along the lake for a while towards the city. I came to Eat Street and had a drink. There were several restaurants here, and I decided to have dinner here. But before that, I wanted to park the car at the hotel again. Later I went on foot to the street, but got stuck at the Pig & Whistle pub. It's a very old building and used to be the police station.