From Coromandel it was down to the sulphur smelling Rotorua to meet Maori face-to-face and to see geothermal activity first hand. 

We camped just outside of town late in the evening but close enough that we could get to the sites early in the morning.  There are two main tourist locations, Te Whakarewarewa and Te Puia.  Te Puia’s a multimillion-pound development and a bit of a tourist gimmick so we opted for the more cultural Te Whakarewarewa village which is owned, ran and inhabited by Maori people.

There are more than 500 springs in the reserve, varying from cold to boiling couldrons.  The most famous spring is Pohutu (big splash) which erupts up to 20 a day, spurting hot water up to 30 metres skyward. The locals villagers show you around and tell you the stories of their way of life and the significance of the steamy bubbling pools.  For lunch we ate tasty sweetcorn and lunch pulled straight from the hot mineral pool – the only genuine geothermal hangi in town.

They also had a cultural performance which included traditional dance, songs and the hakka (I think).  As we entered the park there was a Maori kid swimming and hunting for coins thrown in by tourists as they walked by.  Each coin fished he put into his mouth.  By the end of our tour he had collected an impressive $40 and looked like a well fed gerbil – not bad for a few hours work. 

In all, it was a great day out and great to see active geysers, mud pools and hot springs as well as mingling with the locals as they walked about the village.