Steam and sulfur

Our further journey took us along countless kiwi plantations along the Bay of Plenty to the East Cape. But before that, we made a detour inland to Rotorua. Our first night we spent here on a freedom campsite north of the city, which was by far the shabbiest so far. However, here we also met the two Offenburgers again, from whom we should finally learn the names (Marco and Simon ;)) and with whom we could have dinner in good company.

On the following day, we set off in the rain to explore the thermal springs and other attractions of the city. However, we quickly realized that the entire city smelled more or less strongly of sulfur. It also became clear very quickly that if you want to see something here, you have to dig deep into your pocket. So we decided not to visit the Pohutu geyser from the government-operated facility, but from the Whakarewarewa thermal village.

Here we also received an exciting and funny guided tour through the Maori village built on the thermal springs. For example, you should quickly get away if the steam suddenly stops here, because something is most likely wrong. It was also pretty cool to nibble on an ear of corn that was cooked in exactly one of these thermal springs. Another crazy attraction was that the mud is actually boiling here. In addition, cultural performances took place here twice a day, where we could see our first Haka live.

While it was quite impressive that there are actually people living here who use the hot steam for cooking (see earth pit with lid) as well as for bathing, the geyser itself was somewhat meager. At least from a distance, we couldn't see anything too spectacular here. After two more nights, a disappointing city stroll, and a short but beautiful hike through a redwood forest, we made our way back to the coast. Even though the city of Rotorua was not necessarily beautiful or worth seeing in itself, and the smell became quite annoying after a while, the stay in such a geothermally active region was really exciting.