After a week of R&R In aukland at Mel's house, I ocntinued on my journey to Rotorua, "the sulfur city". It is named so because the city lies on top of the most violent segment of the Taupo Volcanic Zone and the air smells of rotten eggs. in many parrts of this area the earth bubbles, boils, spits and oozes and the smell of hydrogen sulfide hangs in the air. The smell at first was unbearable and i cant say that i completely got use to it but by the end of my stay, it wasnt as strong as first arrival. on my first day, i went to the Waiotapu and Waimangu scenic parks. At Waiotapu, i saw LADY knox geyser, which erupts every day at 10:15am. I have never seen a geyser before and i was really excited about it until i found out that the park rangers pour stuff down the hole to make it erupt. it does erupt on its own but the timing is unpredictable and can be anywhere between 12 and 72 hours. afer the eruption, i was also disappointed with the height and how long it lasted; maybe about 1 min. the waiotapu park was interesting. all around were mud pools bubbling, and thermal lakes and rivers bubbling with tiny beads of carbon dioxide. Waimangu park consisted of about the same thing. When Mt. Tarawera erupted in 1886 it formed a volcanic valley. this is considered the worlds newest thermal activity areas with bubbling springs, an inferno crater and steaming cliffs. both parks were interesting but im not 100% happy i spent the money to go. great experience but wouldnt do it again. and i think if i was asked by another tourist i would not recommend it. On my second day, i took a skyline cable car ride, also not worth the money. the views were mediocre and the hiking trails were nothing great to look at. instead of taking the bus ride back to the center, i decided to walk the 5km. I went straight t the polynesian spa to relax. this is a naturally heated spa and is consdered the worlds best spas of its kind. there are mineral baths good for exfoliation and muscle ten sion. the pools range between 37-42 degrees C. I soaked for 90 mins and headed back to my hostel. I am headed to Taupo tomorrow to do an 11km 6 hour hike on the Tongariro crossing. Im hoping i will survive.
