Auckland again – 3

That day I wanted to do something to get one specific picture. So I went on a day tour to Rotorua. I had some fond memories of this town because when I first went to New Zealand many years ago I was picked up by a very nice New Zealand lady and her daugther and they showed me around a bit. She still lives in Rotorua (the daughter lives in Wellington as far as I know) and since I went there on a bus tour I didn’t contact her as there was no time to meet again now.

The drive to Rotorua from Auckland is three hours. The driver was nice but it is exhausting when you have to listen for hours. It is interesting – no doubt but sooner or later I get to the point where I just can’t listen any more. We stopped in a small town at a bakery again and then we arrived at Te Puia with ten minutes left before our tour started. We were brought over to the thermal area after an introduction and a small visit to the Kiwis. You can’t take pics of them as they are night creatures so you walk in there in the dark. The thermal area was my main goal. During my first visit to New Zealand I was in a thermal area close by and I love the ‚No smoking‘-sign in front of all the smoke. So I wanted to take a similar one again. And I did. 😉 There was a mud pool as well, geysirs and the blue pool. With the white smoke it is difficult to see the water fountain of the geysirs.
A small train took us back to the main building where we went through three different areas where maori-people are learning at a traditional artwork school. After that we went outside again for a traditional welcome ceremony and some Maori-dances (including some HAKA of course 😉 ). That was the final part of the tour. We left through a gift shop.

Our driver made a drive around Rotorua and we stopped at the lake to take some pics. Of course I would have like to stop in other places to take pics as well but there was no time. We had another three hours to go back to Auckland. I think I kept falling asleep on the way back… long day for me but a nice one.