Had some oatmeal for breakfast (a staple during our stay there--quick, cheap, hot) in our hotel room and headed out for a little walk around town. So Rotorua is very well known for its geothermal activity--geysers, bubbling ponds of water and bacteria, mud bubbling up and splattering all around, hot mineral pools known for their skin healing properties. The area was very touristy and built-up, not really our cup of tea but we wanted to experience the natural attractions!
A short walk from our hotel and we were in Kuirau Park, a free park that showcases the geothermal wonders of the region. We followed the steam and found bubbling, boiling water, sulphur smells, burping mud holes, steam coming up from holes in the ground. The closest thing I could compare would be the town of Centralia, how there are places where the ground has caved in from the underground coal fire and the trees have turned black.
I love how the earth cannot be contained by human structures! The awesome views so far remind me of a more primitive time on earth, the primordial soups, colored bacteria, the earth heaving and shuddering and everything in a constant state of flux.
The park was gorgeous, lovely trees and flowers (lots of roses in this country!) cultivated in between the geothermal activity. There was even a cool couple of hot mineral pools (VERY hot!) we stuck our feet into. Mineral water makes my legs and feet all tingly, and when I pulled them out, the water evaporated into my skin before it had the chance to run down my legs. Weird! Definitely something to that whole notion of healing waters.
Just south of town, we hiked on the Whakarewarewa trail overlooking the Pohutu geyser. *SCRMW Thanks to this little find, we were able to check out the geyser for free rather than pay mucho dinero and hang out with other tourists to see it! A nice little hike and not to difficult for me in my illness-recovery stage. Also a great view of Lake Rotorua. Pretty cool!
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