Waitomo

Remember how I said Rotorua was smelly? Well it's because of the geo-thermal activity in the area and it smells like sulfur = rotten eggs! Eeew!

We headed to the source, Te Puia (the name says it all!) where we watched Pohutu and the Prince of Wales geysers errupt and spray hot steam about 20 m into the air! There were also boiling mud pools and hot rock chairs that were the original "heated seats!" We learned how to make traditional Maori dancing skirts with leaves and saw our first Kiwi bird (in captivity of course).

Bubbling mud pools. Used for skin treatments in spas.

The Kiwi is so funny because it has a long beak with nostrils on the end and no wings... but a really fat little body! haha It lays eggs up to 2/3 it's body size! Can you imagine?

Beautiful sunset in Waitomo.

We stayed in Kiwi Paka YHA hostel in Waitomo which was much like a ski lodge but spent the day touring Mangapohue Natural Bridge Scenic Reserve (giant limestone arch) and PiriPiri Caves Scenic Reserve where I saw a large cave and climbed down into it. Finally, we hiked a short distance to Marokopa Falls to see the 3rd largest waterfall in NZ (36 km).

It's got nothing on Niagra.