Since Whitianga we've travelled to the norther tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, and then south of it to Rotorua via Te Aroha. At the top of the Penisula we stayed on an amazing DOC campsite at Fletcher Bay...the closest thing to proper camping yet! Managed to start a couple good campfires with the trusty flint, and had a great time. Plenty of swimming (and a skinny dipping incident in which James' boxer shorts were amusingly washed away!), outdoorsing and the first proper walk. We took on the trek to Stony Bay and back, a relatively easy walk but 5 hours in the blazing heat was probably enough to begin with. Some great views from the top of the Peninsula, out on to Great Barrier Island and across to Mercury Bay. The road to and from the campsite was a cliff hanging dirt track which James enjoyed, but the girls did not.
Heading southwards, initially to Te Aroha via Thames, we waved good bye to the Penisula which has been our first real taste of New Zealand and came inland. Te Aroha Holiday Park would not be a place I would recommend to people, but it was fine for a night's passing through. The town itself is small, but it did give us our first taste of volcanic action (other than hot water beach) before Rotorua in the form of a small, but impressive, geyser. James cooked up a good stew for tea on the campsite and the next morning we set off again to travel.
It is fair to say that you do smell Rotorua before you see it, wafts of rotten egg (sulphur) seem abundent just outside and well within the town...they actually vent the gases to the surface to stop them building up underneath. Campsite is OK, although the ground is very hard after all the sun (although right now it is raining!), has its own spa pool and a good bar. Have checked out the lakeside Government Gardens with bubbling mud pools (one of which releases laughing gas) and steam spurting out at every possible opportunity....the plan is to go to the Gates of Hell park tomorrow, which is the area's largest volcanic park and you can walk between the geysers and mud pools! Have also checked out a couple of backpacker bars and made plenty of friends (although all are in transit)...even a couple from the Westcountry.
