Rotorua: Jet boating, hill rolling, feast eating, sulphur bathing...

On today’s edition of ‘Impulsively Purchased Adrenaline Activities’, we have jet boating, and orbing. The former involved a shooting at about 80kmph down the Aratiatia rapids on the Waikato River (the longest river in New Zealand), through its narrowest sections, weaving between rocky outcrops and perilously sharp tree stumps, while the latter involved being rolled down a steep hill in an inflatable ball filled with water (we went in together so there was also a little bit of avoiding Joe’s flailing limbs). We booked and did our jet boating in Taupo (where incidentally they filmed the famous barrel scene from the second Hobbit film) before heading to Rotorua to orb. We also went on a Maori cultural experience evening (but this deserves it’s own post, so watch this space!).

Our time in Rotorua came to an end with a trip to Hell’s Gate, imaginatively named by playwright George Bernard Shaw, it is home to a number of scalding-ly hot and skin peeling-ly acidic thermal pools, a hot mud volcano (that does occasional erupt!) and natural hot rivers and waterfalls. Areas like this were used by the local Maori tribes in the treatment of wounds and other aliments, with the naturally warm pools even used by warriors to wash away the blood of enemies vanquished in battle. The modern facility also has an on site spa, utilising the restorative benefits of the mud and sulphurous waters. We decided it would be rude not to participate, so we stripped off, slapped on a whole load of mud and sat back as it worked it’s magic. We finished off with dip in the icy plunge pool before heading to soak in the sulphur bath. We still smell a little… funky days after the event, but the waters did amazing things to our skin and we are still both soft like babies!

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The North Island has so far proven to be significantly expensive, as most of the activities on offer are paid experiences, unlike in the South where much of the attraction lies in the natural beauty of the landscape (which is certainly kinder on the wallet!). Not that the North Island isn’t beautiful, it is after all real life Middle Earth, and after our trip to Rivendell, we decided to carry on the LotR sightseeing by taking a trip to the Hobbiton Movie Set, where we were able to explore The Shire in all its perspective forcing glory and even indulge a little Sackville Cider.

With around a week left of our road trip, we are seriously wondering how much more we can physically do here!