Volcanoes, Geysers, and Gardens

We organised the Labour Day holiday weekend to spend it with the eldest on the Coromandel Peninsula. Unfortunately the beauty of the scenery was marred by heavy rain impeding the view, but not our enjoyment. We stayed in a little wooden cabin for 2 nights, above a stream with a resident long fin eel directly beneath us.

During our travels we came across a number of eccentric New Zealanders, and Stu on Highway 309 in the Coromandel has to rank amongst them. He has over 100 wild pigs which roam amidst his collection of rusting vehicles as well as onto the road. Stu wanders amongst them, talking to the multitude of tourists who stop to fondle the pigs and take photographs.

 The Coromandel was also our introduction to the amazing geological phenomena that permeate New Zealand when we were able to soak our feet in the hot underground spring on the appropriately named Hot Water Beach.

When the eldest returned to Auckland, we headed southwards to Rotorua for more geothermal experiences. We briefly stopped in Tirau where idiosyncratic thinking has resulted in the town paying homage to that popular New Zealand building material: corrugated iron.

 


In Rotorua we were looked after by Vivien, the owner of The Redwoods Bed and Breakfast accommodation ,who superbly planned every minute of our two days in the area. As a result we enjoyed not only walking amongst the giant Redwood trees as a respite for the hydrogen sulphide overload but also comparing the Blue and Green Lakes (Lakes Tikitapu and Rotokakahi), both formed from ancient volcanic activity and the colour of the first being due to the pumice rock on the lake bed. 

The Maori village of Ohinemutu in Rotorua was an experience in itself. St Faith's Church surprisingly relied on pillars and beams with Maori carved art to support its roof, whilst there was  a large window overlooking the lake with an etching of Christ to all intent walking on water. Outside however, the extent of the geothermal activity was evident with hydrogen sulphide steaming from roadside vents and in nearby parkland. The stench of rotten eggs pervades.

 
Of course the main natural attractions were contained within fee paying parks and, on Vivien's instruction, we visited Te Puia and Wai-O-Tapu. The first had impressive geyser displays and bubbling mud pools whilst the second presented an awesome display of colour stained rock and lakes, in both cases the result of the active nature of the earth's crust and the mix of chemicals and minerals erupting to the surface (apologies I am neither scientist nor geologist).

 

 
Heading on to Taupo and the Tongariro National Park we came face to face with active, snow-topped volcanoes including Mount Ngauruhoe, the setting for Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films.

We escaped this area of  Mother Earth's potential menaces, interesting and scenic though it was, for the more humdrum Hamilton with its magnificent themed gardens. We stopped at the famous Waitomo GlowWorm Caves on the way and whilst they deserve their rave reviews, I am surprised that not more foreign tourists include Hamilton's Gardens on their must-see lists as they rank amongst the best I have ever seen although unfortunately it rained throughout our visit.

Perhaps we needed to expunge that bad air and barren rock from our lungs and vision because we completed our circuit of the middle part of North Island by visiting another garden the next day too when we met the eldest at Auckland's Botanical Gardens. It is a vast area where the native species are well explained and, in our opinion, it was superior in both content and layout to the other botanical gardens we subsequently visited at both Christchurch and Wellington.