Mum can relax in the Polynesian Spa while the kids head to the rides. Photo/supplied
Mum can relax in the Polynesian Spa while the kids head to the rides. Photo/supplied
Annemarie Quill takes the troops for a day out in Rotorua and ends the day with every family member, young and old, more than satisfied. The Polynesian Spa delivers beauty in the alkaline pool and therapy in the acidic mineral pool.
School holiday days out naturally centre on fun for the kids. That doesn't mean it has to be hard work for the adults. A day trip to Rotorua for me and my friend, fellow mum-of-three Cathy, came about when we were discussing school holidays. Both working mums, our idea of a fun day out consisted of flopping by a pool but our partners would have only lasted five minutes before looking for something to do and as for the kids, the pool was great but they were in search of something more adventurous.
Where could we go that was not too far to travel and would provide a day of fun for the dads and kids plus a day of relaxation for us mums?
The answer - Rotorua. For the dads and children, Skyline Rotorua would provide all the entertainment they needed for a whole afternoon. For us girls, the Polynesian Spa and Volcanic Hills wine tasting beckoned. We would then all regroup at the top of Mount Ngongotaha for a family meal at Skyline's latest addition, the new Stratosfare restaurant.
After waving off the men and six children as they excitedly boarded the gondolas for the ride to the top of Mount Ngongotaha, Cathy and I headed down town to the Polynesian Spa. One of New Zealand's oldest international spas, it was listed as one of the world's top 10 spas (natural/ thermal/medical) by the UK Conde Nast Traveller magazine in 2011. The spa used to be run as a government bathhouse and some old photos on the walls show old (and often bizarre) treatments performed at the turn of the century.
Since 1972, it has been owned and operated by a local family who have developed it to make sustainable use of the health-giving Rotorua geothermic waters.
The spa has two types of water The medicinal choice is acidic, which relieves tired muscles, aches and pains, arthritis and rheumatism. We are told these healing properties were first discovered by a Catholic priest who was near crippled with arthritis and had to be carried in to the spa. After soaking, he felt so good, he walked all the way back to Tauranga.
The alkaline water in the Rachel spring is soft and soothing on the skin and said to bring ageless beauty. So, we might be jogging back to Tauranga looking 10 years younger. The spa offers public, family and private bathing.
Annemarie Quill talks to Volcanic Hills co-owner Brent Park in the winery's tasting room. Photo/supplied
We entered Lake Spa Retreat where if you are having a treatment you can enjoy the separate outdoor mineral pools to relax in before the treatment.
The pools are of varying temperatures and the norm would be to move from the lowest temperature to the hottest. But given it was a scorching January day Cathy and I were most comfortable bathing in the 39C water.
Alongside one of the paths is a cold shower and soon to open is an adjacent cold plunge bath. Soaking and then plunging is apparently another healthy thing to do. For relaxing outside of the pool there are new thermally heated recliners - again, because of the outside temperature we didn't try them out but many overseas visitors were enjoying reading on them.
Next, our much awaited aix treatment.
The Aix Massage derives from the Latin word "aqua", meaning water. It combines traditional massage with jets of warm water and was introduced by the French in the early 1900s. The therapist wears wet weather gear and you strip to a pair of pants they give you. However, if you're worried about modesty, don't be - that's all taken care of because the therapist drapes towels over you.
The massage takes place on hydrotherapy beds surrounded by jets of water. After a full body exfoliation with thermal mud polish, the therapist turns on the jets (testing with you what temperature you'd like).
The therapist then massages the whole body for an hour using a blend of coconut oil. The pressure from the water isn't hard enough to bother you but adds another dimension to a normal massage - it almost seems as if the room has several therapists kneading your body, because when she is working on one part she positions the jets on another part so that the jets keep putting gentle pressure on previously sore muscles.
Not only is it a deep relaxing massage that lasts for an hour, it is a good treatment for skin dried out after summer, with the exfoliation removing dead cells and dry skin, and the coconut oil softening and hydrating the whole body.
After the massage we relaxed on loungers in a room overlooking the lake, enjoying herbal teas and reading magazines. We could have stayed there all night but a quick time check spurred us on to our next treat: wine tasting.
Volcanic Hills
Sean Beer from Mount Maunganui and Brent Park from Rotorua set up Volcanic Hills in 2009, a winery at the base of gondolas using grapes from Marlborough, Central Otago, Martinborough and Hawkes Bay. They then opened the tasting room at the top - an airy room perfect for mums to relax and taste wine while dad and the kids take on the luge. The view is magnificent, as are the wines. Brent talks through wine as technical or casual as you like. My favourite was the pinot gris.
So, what had the dads and kids been getting up to?
Skyline Rotorua
Jack enjoys the Sky Swing
You can buy all sorts of passes to enjoy the adventures of the Skyline. While we were being massaged, the kids had managed several trips down the luge, a ride on the Skyswing and a go on Skyline's newest thrill, the Zoom Zipline. While we supped wine they had a tour of the Jelly Belly shop, tasting jelly beans. The children met us full of stories of their thrills racing on the luge and swinging at up to 120km/h on the Skyswing, armed with with hilarious videos as evidence of both their bravado and terror. The Zoom Zipline is like a giant flying fox, whizzing riders through the sky above Rotorua at speeds of up to 80km/h, over the lake and through the Redwood Forest.
Masterchef sisters Kasey and Karena Bird created a mussels dish for the new Stratosfare restaurant at Skyline Rotorua
Stratosfare serves locally made and sourced ingredients and patrons are invited to choose their own cuts of fresh meat, grilled to personal preference and perfection. MasterChef sisters Karena and Kasey helped launch Stratosfare, which serves buffet as well as a la carte cuisine.
Unanimously hungry after our various adventures, we headed to Stratosfare. Skyline Rotorua has spent $2 million upgrading the restaurant to create an innovative experience that includes live chefs cooking made-to-order fresh, delicious cuisine.
At the recent launch, MasterChef winners, the Maketu sisters Karena and Kasey, created a dish incorporating Volcanic Hills wine with mussels from the tidal mussel tank. The new restaurant has a meat curing fridge to perfectly aged meat sourced from Mangatu farms.
At the Art of the Grill chef station you can choose your own cut of meat, cooked on the spot.
The interior design is stunning; David Trubridge's light architecture frames the ceiling, while Italian marble, schist stonework and native timber feature throughout.
Buffet restaurants are perfect for large groups - there is something to please the fussiest of eaters. This buffet offered choice on a scale I've never seen before - it took us a good 10 minutes just to walk along appraising the options.
All from locally made and sourced ingredients, choose from a huge selection of breads, oils, various antipasto, salads (the children whizzed past that almost as fast as the Zipline), seafood, a grill where you select cuts of meat and get them cooked to order, curries, and more elaborate dishes - I couldn't go past a delicious moussaka. The kids headed straight for the butter chicken and couldn't wait for the dessert end, which groaned with individual treats. Crepes, creme brulee and a cheese board ...
We left determined to return and try all those things we couldn't fit in our full tummies.
