Rotorua Overview
By Roz Andrews
Don’t let the sulfurous smell of rotten eggs that hangs in the air of Rotorua deter you from exploring this amazing area of volcanic activity on New Zealand’s North Island.
Visit the New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute and see pools of hot mud bubbling violently, geysers shooting up into the air at regular intervals, springs of boiling water jumping up from the ground and demonstrations of how the Maoris used to cook their food in hand-woven flax baskets which they placed in underground pools of boiling water.
You can sample the health benefits of the local water for yourself at the Polynesian Pools spa near the center of Rotorua. There, you can bathe in hot mineral baths, reputed to relieve muscular pain. Only the toughest and bravest visitors venture into the hottest pool with water at a temperature of 41 degrees Celsius.
As its name suggests, Hell’s Gate, about 10 miles from Roturua, feels like hell on earth. The playwright, George Bernard Shaw described it as a ‘damnable place.’ The ground feels hot underfoot and before long you will see all kinds of strange natural phenomena, including craters filled with boiling and sulfurous water; rock formations of white pumice and yellow sulfur crystals; and Kakahi Falls, a spectacular natural waterfall of hot water cascading down at an average temperature of 38 degrees Celsius with steam rolling off it.
Apart from the hellish landscape, there is much more to enjoy in Rotorua, including beautiful lakeside views and orchid gardens. Go!
