Roturua and Taupo Regions, New Zealand North Island – April 2nd – 5th, 2017

After arriving in Roturua, an area well known for geothermal activity, we stopped at a visitor’s center for a little WiFi action. After spending the previous week struggling to find information that would get us off the main tourist path, we broke down and spent $12 on the pdf of a book we had failed to find in Auckland. Spoiler alert: This purchase ended up elevating our New Zealand trip from touristy, but still incredible, to off the beaten path, EPIC! The book, “New Zealand Frenzy,” is a witty adventure travel guide which aims to let you in on the secret spots and best hikes around NZ – perfecto! After exploring the city of Rotura for a few hours, we settled in at a free campsite (parking lot), and spent the rest of the evening planning.

Geothermal features around Rotura. Steam literally seeps through the sidewalks cracks (and we thought we had foundation problems) and bubbling mud and other features are fenced off at the local park. 

With a detailed plan in place, we had a busy day in store. First thing in the morning, we went on a trail run up a hill which overlooked the city of Rotorua and the Te Puia thermal area (running is faster than walking and, as I mentioned, we had a lot planned). Unlike Yellowstone, where the geothermal features are within the National Park, NZ has allowed companies to open zoo-like attractions for geysers, mud pools, and hot water lakes – Te Puia is one such attraction. Each park costs around $50 NZD (~$35 USD) and there are at least 3 of them in the Roturua area. One park even adds a bag of soap to a geyser hole at a scheduled time each morning to artificially make the “natural” geyser go off! Psst, secret… Yellowstone is way better. Regardless, our book purchase already more than paid for itself, since the morning overlook gave us a birds-eye view of the entire Te Puia attraction, including a geyser! 

Trail run to a view point over Te Puia and Rotura. 

Next, we made our way to watch rafters and kayaks take the plunge over the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall. Unfortunately, the cold cloudy weather seemed to be keeping the thrill seekers away so we didn’t see anybody go over the waterfall. Oh well, the short hike which included a cave and staircase cut into a rock wall was was nice regardless. Our next venture was a hike up Rainbow Mountain for stunning views over the area. The hike was made even more phenomenal because the surrounding cliffs were steaming and the clay-like soil was a crazy mix of colors, hence the name “Rainbow Mountain.”  Under Scott’s (the author’s) instructions, we subsequently drove out to some bubbling mud pools right outside yet another pay-to-enter attraction. We had a good time laughing at the burping, farting sounds emanating from the mud. From here, we parked in the tourist lot (suckers!) and walked the other direction to take a dip in a secret hot spring equipped with a hot water waterfall! In addition to the free price tag, we were the only people there! Thanks Scott!

Short hike to the highest commercially rafted waterfall.

Hike up Rainbow Mountain.

Bubbling mud ponds and our private natural hot spring waterfall pool.

Another blast from the past photo of my mom, sister, and me taken at the same bubbling mud pond 20+ years earlier. 

Thanks to the remnants of a Cyclone Debbie which had hit Australia a few days before, it poured rain for the next three plus days. We aren’t talking about a sprinkle here, the sky actually opened and a waterfall of rain fell on top of poor Freddy (the van) while we twiddled our thumbs inside, hoping the weather forecast was wrong. For once, the weatherman was accurate, and we were forced to change plans and abandon Tongariro National Park and the famed “Lord of the Rings” scenery. We didn’t even get the hint of a view while passing through some of the most beautiful scenery in NZ (twist our arm, I guess we’ll have to come back). Regardless, before leaving the area, we managed to visit a cheap geothermal park ($5) with a nice walk around massive steaming craters and two water features: Huka Falls, a waterfall made brilliant by the bright blue color of the water, and Aratiatia release, a scheduled dam release which was underwhelming at best. In my imaginative mind, the dam gates thrust open and a wall of water surged forward to flood the river. In reality, the gates eased open (really just a crack) allowing a small spray to gradually fill the river bed, yawn, booorring. In our misplaced excitement, we even arrived an hour early, scoped out the best viewing spot, and took before and after photos (which to be fair are actually quite impressive). If only it had been a step function instead of a low slope ramp… sorry nerded out there. Last but not least, while in Taupo, we also attempted to soak in a free hot spring river (emphasis on the word “attempted”). First, we ran around for 20-minutes in only our swimsuits in the freezing cold pouring rain trying to locate the spot. When we finally found it, we excitedly eased into the water only to discover that the cold rain had diluted the hot water making it a chilly, lukewarm temperature. Fail. 

Kuirau Park.

Aratiatia release (top; top-right is the before pic and top-middle is the after pic) and Huku falls (bottom).