Monday 04 March

Lake Okareka, close to Rotorua
The threatened rain didn't happen last night and we would probably have been more comfortable sleeping in our car, but never mind, we had a quick pack-up this morning and got to Rotorua in time to do everything we wanted and go on to the DoC site by mid afternoon. Everything in Rotorua is expensive, an entry free is required for almost everything and it is in the region of $30-40 a person. We decided to pick one item and went to the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve in order to see Te Puia, and especially the 15 m high geyser called Pohutu. It was impressive, as were the boiling mud pools. However steam and hot water bubbling up through the pavement in Ohinemutu probably had a bigger impact for me. We actually went to see St Faith's Anglican Church with all it's beautiful carving and woodwork. Ohinemutu is still occupied as a Maori village and the people living there use the naturally occurring hot water and steam for all their cooking and domestic needs.
Now we are on a DoC site at Lake Okareka, which is surprisingly crowded. There was no-one here when we arrived, but as usual there was a steady stream of arrivals during the course of the afternoon and evening. Even here there is an occasional whiff of Sulphur, but even on Rotorua itself it is not as strong as I expected.
Tomorrow we are off to Coromandel, aware that we still have a lot to see in NZ and the time is rushing by.