Long weekend in Rotorua

Every fourth Monday of October, new zealanders celebrate Labour Day to commemorate the establishment of the standard eight-hour workday in 1840. As a consequence: long weekend for everyone!

My husband and I were somewhat confused to decide where to spend this three-day holiday due to the weather conditions: sunny but still cold. That's when Rotorua came into our minds, and it was the best choice we could have made!

It was a tiring but pleasant three-hour drive (230 km) from Auckland, and you can tell you are close to the city by its rotten-eggs smell. Yes, it sounds terrible, but it's not that bad. I believe you get used to it if you stay there longer (well, I must confess I didn't in two days long!). It is located in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, which is characterized by hydrogen sulphide (H²S) emissions, hence the nickname Sulphur City.

In order to enjoy Rotorua's main attractions, two or three days is more than enough. However, if you enjoy water sports and activities, such as fishing, waterskiing and rafting, I suggest you stay there for an extra day or two.

There are only three things I wouldn't miss if I were you: a visit to a geothermal area, featuring geysers, mud-pools and hot thermal springs; a walk around the city centre and the Government Gardens; and a relaxing thermal bathing at a mineral pool.

Schedule the whole day to visit a geothermal area. There are many options surrounding Rotorua, some of them also including Maori cultural experiences. In my opinion, it is a little bit too touristy, and I usually prefer to see things as they really are. Being in a Maori village like those in Rotorua gives me the feeling of being in non-place. As I don't want to be misjudged, a great definition of non-place can be found in Giovanna Franci's article from the University of Bologna, in which she describes Las Vegas as an example of the contemporary mass tourism imagination.*

Therefore, I reccomend Wai-o-Tapu, which in Maori means Sacred Waters. You should get there early to see the Lady Knox Geyser explosion (everyday at 10:15 am) – it's quite theatrical (with a little help from some soapy water), but still impressive as it reaches up to 30 metres high! Second stop should be the boiling mud pools, which look so much like giant melted chocolate pools. Lastly, head yourself to the park for a walk around the thermal area. The park's full circuit takes about one hour and a half to be completed, and although completely worth it, it can be quite tiresome! The park is covered with collapsed sulphur caves and craters, lots of cold and boiling pools of mud, along with some brightly mineral coloured lakes(one of them is bright yellow!)and a couple more geysers.

Rotorua's city centre (or CBD) is rather small (aproximately, 5 parallel streets perpendicular to and intersecting other 10 parallel streets), and on the shores of a lake of the same name. It shouldn't take you too long to walk around it, so I suggest you go straight to the Government Gardens. The gardens are lovely, especially if you go there during springtime as I did, and the Rotorua Arts Centre is also worth mentioning. The impressive building, which today houses the museum, was first designed to be a large and elaborate bath house. All the same, the most fascinating downtown sight is the Motutara, or Sulpher Bay, which is a fantastic free walkway starting just beyond the Government Gardens. This lakeside walk passes through several geothermal hot springs and mud pools – a very interesting and peculiar sight, I must say.

Lastly, it's time to relax! There are several options of bathing places downtown Rotorua where you can find geothermally heated pools. Polynesian Spa is one of them, with a lakeside location in the Government Gardens, you can choose between four different mineral pool areas. We opted for the adult pool area, but it was too crowded, so I suggest choosing one of the private pools. If you are on a budget, try to go there on weekdays, and you'll be able to enjoy it better.

* Franci, Giovanna; “The Myth of the Grand Tour and contemporary Mass Tourism Imagination: The Example of Las Vegas”

Art Connection: http://rachelsmagicalmysterytour.blogspot.com/2009/11/long-weekend-in-rotorua.html