Sulphur city always on the boil

STEVE HART finds plenty of family fun on offer in the thermal parks, scenic and tourist attractions of Rotorua.

There is nothing like a winter break in Rotorua - once you have got over the smell of sulphur in the atmosphere. Despite the smell, the air there does seem cleaner, drier and fresher than Auckland's.

Rotorua has something for everyone, with gentle walks, interesting places to visit and the chance of enjoying some thrilling escapades.

This winter my family and I joined the 1.2 million people who visit the area every year for a short break.

We hit the road within an hour of making our reservation at the Lake Plaza hotel which is on the edge of Lake Rotorua.

Once out of Auckland it was a great drive - clear roads and views of open fields as far as the eye could see. Often, as we cruised along State Highway 5, we felt we were the only people on the road, beautiful long stretches of tarmac without another car in sight.

During the journey there were plenty of places to stop for a break, allow the children to let off a bit of steam and grab a bite to eat. We took snacks along with us and so enjoyed using the picnic areas.

As we approached Rotorua City we began to smell sulphur and were amazed to see clouds of gases rising from the ground along the streets. Coming from Britain, we had never seen anything like it and no amount of reading about it in books can prepare you for the experience.

Naturally, the locals take it all in their stride, and have used the geothermal wonders to create a thriving tourist industry.

As we made our way through the streets of Rotorua I wondered if we needed to have bothered booking a place to stay as there appeared to be so many guest houses.

But when we arrived at the hotel I felt we had made a good decision. We had a pleasant welcome and a choice of rooms.

Once unpacked we headed out for a lunchtime drive and quickly found ourselves at the Blue Lake. It's a glorious place.

We sat listening to the water ripple up against the shore while the children played at a nearby playground.

We had to wrap up warm against the cold, but the chill we experienced was nothing like a freezing British winter.

Then it was back in the car to the Green Lake, five minutes away, and then to the site of the buried village of Te Wairoa.

The village was lost in 1886 when Mt Tarawera erupted and covered it in ash and mud. We didn't have time to go inside and so, with two hungry children, headed back to the city.

Finding somewhere to eat was easy - we ended up at the Grand restaurant where we enjoyed a decent meal before returning to our hotel.

Breakfast at the Lake Plaza the next day was a grand affair. For a set price there was a choice of an all-you-can-eat hot or continental breakfast. We opted for continental and tucked into fresh fruit, fruit juices, cereal, toast, tea and coffee.

The day turned out to be a busy one.

First stop was the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland - site of the Lady Knox geyser which erupts at the same time every day.

A member of the staff there, Jim, gave a 10-minute talk about how the geyser was discovered by prisoners more than 100 years ago and timed his presentation perfectly so it ended moments before thousands of litres of hot water shot 15m into the air.

Before he began speaking he poured 1.5kg of biodegradable soap powder into the top of the geyser to set it off - which is how it is timed to "erupt" at 10.15 am every day of the year.

The crowd of about 100 people from all corners of the world was highly impressed by the sight - as were we.

After the excitement of watching the geyser we headed into the grounds for a two-hour stroll among bubbling mud pools, volcanic craters and other wondrous sites full of colour and intrigue.

After lunch we felt the children needed some action and so headed for Skyline Skyrides. There we took a slow gondola ride up the side of Mt Ngongotaha. The views from inside the gondola were breathtaking even though it was a bit of a grey day.

At the top we all had a go (or four) on the luges - small, single-seater carts that are driven down concrete tracks at what seem a tremendous speed.

I donned a crash helmet and had a go on what they called the scenic track - a slow track for first-timers. Boy, it was fast.

At the end, after the colour had returned to my ashen face, I grabbed a chairlift back to the top and, with confidence running high, decided to have a go on the second track - a much faster one.

It was only when I got to the end of the second track that I realised how slow the scenic track really was.

There was a range of attractions including a giant swing that seats three people which is winched to what I estimate to be 100m into the air before it is released - without warning - to the screams of delight of those enjoying the ride. It was good fun to watch ...

As evening closed in it was time again to make our way back to the hotel to freshen up and enjoy a meal out.

The only hiccup we had was returning to our hotel room to find other people's belongings in it. Due to a mix up, our suitcases had been moved to a different room, for which hotel staff were exceedingly apologetic.

All in all, Rotorua is well worth a visit - I know we'll be returning soon to see the things we missed. These include the Tribal Arts & Crafts Marketplace, the buried village of Te Wairoa, the Government Gardens and the Taupo Quad Adventures.

Links

Rotorua

Lake Plaza

Skyline Rides

Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland

Getting there

* Auckland and Wellington are the closest international airports to Rotorua. Travel options to Rotorua include air, coach, train and self-drive.

* Air - Rotorua has daily air service links with Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Rotorua airport is a 15-minute drive from the city.

* Coach - regular scheduled services operate from Auckland and Wellington and other North Island centres.

* Train - a daily train service operates between Auckland and Rotorua.

* Self-drive - Rotorua is about three hours drive from Auckland and about five hours drive from Wellington.