Rotorua to The Coromandel

Even though things coordinated by the travel agent for this North Island journey didn't get off to the best start in Auckland, she has definitely made up with for it with the accommodations she's put me in over the past few days.  Great rooms in great locations.  The room in Rotorua was no exception.  She got me into a suite in the corner on the top floor, overlooking the lake, a block from restaurants and shops and two blocks from the Government Gardens.  Nice view, eh?

If it wasn't for the faint but persistent smell of hydrogen sulphide hanging inside the hotel and over the city, I'd think about staying another day.  Yes, Rotorua is definitely a city that you can smell before you see it, thanks to all of the geothermal activity in and around the city.  According to Maori legend, Rotorua owes its thermal attractions to an early spiritual leader from the Te Arawa tribe, Ngatoroirangi.  In Maori mythology, when the great waka Te Awara arrived in Rotorua, Ngatoroirangi had to stand on the summit of Mt. Tongariro in order to claim the surrounding land for his tribe.  As he reached the top of the mountain, he almost died from the icy wind and the cold.  To save himself from the cold, he sent a prayer to his sisters in Hawaiki (where, according to Maori folklore, the Maori people originated from).  They responded, sending fire demons to his aid.  These demons cut across the ocean, surfacing at White Island, Rotorua and Taupo before reaching Ngatoroirangi and freeing him from the lethal cold, leaving a geothermal trail where they had travelled and giving these places the thermal activity that can still be seen today.  I didn't go exploring these places on this visit, but here's one example just from walking around the city:

I spent a good chunk of time today taking advantage of being in Roto-Vegas and finishing off my souvenir shopping, especially since I'm not anticipating many souvenir shops in the quiet beach towns of The Coromandel, my next and final destination of the trip.  I also took a stroll through the Government Gardens.  Bath house:

Prince's Gate:

Maori carvings:

While I was out walking around, I saw one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.   I was standing on a street corner, getting ready to cross at the crosswalk.  On the other side of the street and crosswalk was a seagull, standing on the curb facing me.  Once traffic cleared, I started to cross the street, and so did he.  Walking across, one little webbed foot in front of the other.  I figured at some point he'd flap his wings and start flying, but nope.  He kept on walking until he got to the island in the middle where I was now standing too.  He then paused, eyed me up, and took a few tentative steps past me.  Then the most amazing thing happened - he actually looked both ways, waited for an oncoming car to pass, and then continued on in the crosswalk until he had completely walked across the street.  Can't you just picture that?  I was cracking up!  How in the world did he learn that?

My wallet significantly lighter, it was finally time to leave Rotorua and its rotten egg smell behind.  So I set out for Pauanui and my beach vacation, about 2.5 hours away.  Along the way I drove through the western portion of the Bay of Plenty.  This area was incredibly beautiful, especially as I neared the coast.  Sooooo much lush green trees, palms and ferns, with rolling hills and then jagged peaks spiking up.  It reminded me very much of Hawaii, particularly Kauai.  Also the road was a very windy two lane road, so I have no pics (too busy trying to keep the car on the pavement!).

One of the towns I passed through on my way was Whangamata.  (Can you guess how that is pronounced?  Hint: the "wh" in Maori  is like an "f" or "ph" sound.  Try it...it's fun-guh-muh-TAH.  Bet you didn't guess that!).   Normally Whangamata is the surfing capital of NZ, but today they were having their annual Beach Hop.  This is a 5 day festival celebrating the 50s and 60s and ranks as one of the biggest celebrations of nostalgia in the world, with more than 70,000 people attending.  The streets are jam-packed with classic cars, restaurants are transformed into American-style diners, bars are filled with people wearing their favorite threads from the 50s and 60s and the sweet sound of music from that era is blaring everywhere.  It's just one non-stop party.  Since I was not aware of this little festival until I rolled through town, I unwittingly became a part of the classic car show cruising up and down the main drag as I drove through.  Some of these cars were pretty cool, then there was me in my red Hyundai.  I think I heard some boos (although to be fair, this car is tricked out - keyless entry, keyless start, backup camera with display in the review mirror - it's pretty slick).

I made it to Pauanui right after sunset.  After spending the past several days entertaining myself and carting my own ass from town to town, I'm definitely missing the group environment from the South Island trip right about now.  It's amazing how the mere presence of others can inspire you to do things you wouldn't otherwise do on your own.