Who farted???

Well there are lots of thermal springs in and around Rotorua, in fact it is the most active geothermal area in the world. All if this power literally bubbling away under our feet. Somewhat disconcerting! 

The Wai-o-Tapu springs looks like an alien landscape and the various names like The Devil's Painpot etc does not help! Various pools of varying shades of neon or sludge, at boiling temperatures. But the worst part of it was the sulphur smell. I felt so sick!!!!

Rotorua is effectively a spa town, and you can't get away from the smell anywhere. I am sure it can't be good for house prices! Plus how do they know that it is safe enough to live there?!

We did a typical tourist Maori experience. I pushed Adam to the front when they asked for volunteers to be "Chief", but then he got his own back by making me go on stage to dance with the Maori ladies! Ah well at least I can destroy all photographic evidence of that little episode!

Actually the whole evening was really well done, with a Hangi feast (food buried in a hole surrounded by hot rocks) and we went down the valley later on in the evening to watch one of the geysers blow. Apparently the geyser had stopped spouting a few months back and they all got worried about what might happen next, but it was back to its normal patterns! They had made a stone amphitheatre and all of the stones were heated from below. To start with it was rather lovely, but after a few minutes your bottom was burning!!!

I got quite grumpy that we had to stay in Rotorua that evening because I was so fed up with the smell! But I wasn't on my own!!! Luckily we left early the next morning!