Geothermic Intrigue at Rotorua

We started the day off with a "duck" ride around the town and out into 2 of the many lakes around Rotorua. A "duck" as you may know is an amphibious truck built by GMC in the USA during WWII. It is capable of driving on a road or floating in water - propelled by the same motor and transmission. It was a fun tour and we were grateful that our "duck" ran out of fuel (Driver confessed that he didn't check the tank closely enough) while on land, not in the middle of one of the lakes.

The source of the smell in the area proved to be very interesting indeed. Seems it is a result of the geothermal activitiy in the area that Rotorua is built upon and when the wind condidtions are right, the place smells like rotten eggs. We came to appreciate the distinct aroma and flavor of the Rotorua region the more we got to know the geological history.

Next as we began our journey south to our next overnight stop we came across a
national park built around another of the "hot spots." That resulted in usspending an informative couple of hours walking through a geyser field.

We then headed off to Lake Taupo. This town reminded of Canandaigua 25 years ago. The town sits right at the shore of the lake and is filled with motels and restaurants which line the shore. We had a fine meal in one of these establishments that night.

After a good night's sleep in a great motel apartment (their fond of these in NZ and now so are we), we began the 6 hour trip south to Wellington, the Capital City of New Zealand.