16/12/2017 - Heading to Rotorua

The two days at Mount Maunganui flew by. We would have gladly stayed longer, as we had such a beautiful view from our car. But our journey continued, and so on our way, we visited the 'Omanawa Falls'. The waterfall is located only about 30 minutes away from Tauranga and is one of the most beautiful in all of New Zealand. Unfortunately, visiting the hidden waterfall is prohibited due to a landslide. After researching on the internet and admiring many pictures of the waterfall, we decided to visit the place anyway. When the GPS indicated that we had arrived at our destination, we parked our car on the side of the road and made our way to the start of the former track. The first two iron gates, which were supposed to serve as a barrier, were quickly overcome, and so we could catch a first glimpse of the Omanawa Falls. The waterfall drops about 35 meters into the depths, and the catchment basin looks like a beautiful lake surrounded by tall, green mountains. It must be admitted that the view of the waterfall is truly grandiose. From above, we could already hear that other visitors had made it down. However, we decided not to take the unofficial path that day - which can be very dangerous depending on the weather. There have already been fatalities and many injuries because the risk of falling off the cliffs is very high. The government is currently trying to find a solution to put an end to the dangerous activity. However, the construction of a new hiking trail is very expensive and time-consuming, which is why the Omanawa Falls will continue to be illegally visited by many visitors in the future.
With mixed feelings, we drove back to the highway, only to make another stop shortly afterwards. A nature reserve has been established around McLaren Lake. We first visited McLaren Falls. The waterfalls are located right by the roadside and wind their way through large stones. After a short visit, we continued to McLaren Lake. The lake is very idyllic and also an absolute paradise for birds. We enjoyed the peace and took a leisurely walk along the shore of the lake. There are various bird species to be seen here. A father and his daughters were feeding some ducks, and from a distance, we could already see how more and more gathered around them. In the end, they had at least 50 ducks and other larger and smaller birds around them.
After the nice break at the lake, we headed to our destination for today - Rotorua. After relaxing for a short time at the campsite, we explored the surrounding area. Not far from here, about a five-minute walk away, is Lake Rotorua. After taking a few pictures, we made our way to a very special miniature golf course. From the outside, it looks inconspicuous, and the level of difficulty of the individual lanes is not much different from other courses. However, not all obstacles are fixed, some can hop around and are very fluffy. Because the miniature golf course is a huge open-air enclosure filled with big rabbits. So sometimes, we had to wait for a moment, as the rabbits regularly made themselves comfortable on the lanes. We find this idea more than adorable, and so miniature golf was even more fun.
One of us didn't have much luck - Tobi had a really bad day and had to endure a heavy defeat. ;)
After this animal adventure and a delicious ice cream, we returned to the campsite. After dinner, we took a small spontaneous evening walk to Lake Rotorua.