Rotorua to Wellington

Our coach tour continued from Rotorua to Wellington today, a 7 hour drive, stopping at several scenic locations along the way.
The Waiotapu geothermal area with magnificent views of bubbling and steaming mudpools.
Huka Falls flows from Lake Taupo into the Waikato, New Zealand's longest river.
Wellington is the capital city and second most populous urban area of New Zealand. It is located at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range.

Government Gardens in Rotorua

Originally known as Paepaekumana, the Government Gardens are situated on the lake's edge in downtown Rotorua. This site is of legendary and historical importance to local Maori people, for here many significant battles have taken place.

Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley

Even though it was pouring rain today, we visited the Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley in Rotorua, viewing gushing waters, steaming vents, boiling mud pools and geysers. We also watched carving and weaving demonstrations at the Te Puia New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute.

Rotorua Hangi

The hangi, or earth oven, is the best known traditional form of cooking for the indigenous Maori of New Zealand. It involves digging a pit in the ground, heating stones in the pit with a large fire, placing baskets of food on top of the stones, and covering everything with earth for several hours before uncovering.

Auckland to Rotorua

We drove from Auckland to Rotorua today, stopping at Otorohanga for lunch. We also stopped at Waitomo, meaning "water entering a hole in the ground", home to an awesome underground world of limestone caves and formations and the spectacular Glowworm Grotto. Too dark in the caves to take pictures.

Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty area of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a place of Maori culture, hot springs and boiling mud pools. It has one of the world's most lively fields of geothermal activity and sits squarely on the Pacific Rim of Fire.

Auckland Skyline and Sky Tower at Night

Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands was where the first European settlers arrived in New Zealand, and where they forged the first relationships with the local Maori people.

Motu Kōkako, also known as Piercy Island or "The Hole In The Rock”, is located off the north coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is at the very northern tip of Rakaumangamanga in the Bay of Islands.