I have a very sensitive nose, so I would not have expected to like a town that smells like rotten eggs. But I did. Hello Rotorua! 

The sulphur smell caused by its geothermal activity was one of the reasons why I went to Rotorua.  Well, not exactly the smell (obviously?) but the things associated with it. Remember the Emerald Lakes in the Tongariro National Park? I wanted to see more unreal things, like colorful lakes, smoke emerging to the surface from the very heart of the planet, or boiling mud. Ehem, yes, I have very strange interests!

But I did have another interest: Maori culture. The Maori revered this place and today Rotorua is one of the towns with a higher percentage of Maori population (35%). I had learnt a bit of their history and culture in the museums of Christchurch and Wellington, and I wished to see a bit more.

If you do not mind the smell, we can have a walk around Rotorua to explore both things: geothermal activity and Maori culture.

Geothermal activity along the lake

As many places in New Zealand, Rotorua has several walking trails. In this case, I had been recommended to follow a trail along the lake, which starts behind the Polynesian Spa, to the left.

At first sight, the lake Rotorua looked like a normal lake. I walked between the trees for a while and when I emerged again, the water was white. And there were bubbles. The fun had started! 

Soon I was mesmerized: there was smoke, and bubbles, and small ponds with boiling water and mud. And the sound! It was not only about the sights, I could hear the gases and steams finding their way to the surface through narrow vents and pools. No wonder the Maoris revered this place. If I had not known it is caused by geothermal activity, I would have believed in magic.

I thought that no animal could live in sulphur water, so I was surprised to find a lot of birds. I soon learnt that that part of the lake is called Sulphur Bay and is a waterbird reserve, an important one in New Zealand. The acidic water is low in oxygen so there is not much food, so they need to feed elsewhere. I wonder, do they feel the sulphur smell?

Unreal things aside, I also enjoyed the clouds and the views of the lake.

The walking track ended and I went back to civilization: a nice avenue along the lake with a park for children and many people sitting, talking or taking pictures. Then I realized that during the whole walk I had not seen anyone!

Ohinemutu, the Maori village

Following the lakeshore in the same direction, I arrived to Ohinemutu, a Maori village. In a handicraft shop I spoke to the owner, who asked me where I was from.

• ‘Barcelona’, I answered.
• ‘Hola!’, she said in Spanish.
• ‘Kia ora! this is the only thing I can say in Maori’. 
• ‘You don’t need to know more’. 
• ‘Don’t you speak Maori?’. 
• ‘Just a bit’. 

I felt a bit sad, for once that I met a Maori… and she did not speak the language.

(There are people who still speak it, I found some in couchsurfing but at the end I never found the time to contact them. From what I could read in their profiles, they keep the language and some ancient traditions. This is the only regret I have from my visit in New Zealand, that I did not try harder to meet Maoris and learn how it is to be a Maori in today’s society. I wanted to see and do a lot of things and of course at the end I could not do everything). 

Walking around the village I saw the Tama-te-kapua Meeting House. It is not open to visitors so I could only see the exterior, beautifully decorated with carvings.

The most amazing surprise I had was the Anglican Church: there were Maori carvings! I was told that when the colonizers arrived, the Maoris wished that their gods give support to Christianity. So the fusion of both cultures can be seen in the church, in its many carvings and details.

Kuirau Park, more geothermal wonders!

After the Ohinemutu village I went to the Kuirau Park, another thermal area. As the lake, from far it looked like a normal park with its trees dressed in autumn colors.

It was only when I entered that I saw the water steam, dead trees on white and ochre soil, boiling mud, and my favorite sight… colorful lakes! 

There was also a free feet spa in the park, but I did not stop. I was too busy chasing unreal wonders of nature!

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