Rotorua: Stories Behind the Scenery
by Sue Hall and Mike Hollman
Hachette NZ, $19.99
The striking photos of geothermal activity, wildlife, Maori culture, adventure tourism and scenery in this 64-page booklet certainly make you want to go to Rotorua - even if like me you've visited often before.
There's also plenty of background information about the main attractions to be found in the tourist town fondly known as Rotovegas, from the steaming Pohutu geyser at Whakarewarewa to the plump kereru found in the surrounding bush, and from the superb carvings at Te Puia to the performing sheep at the Agrodome.
But from a traveller's perspective there's a disappointing lack of specific detail about how to find these wonders which rather limit the book's appeal.
In essence it tells you why you would want to go but not how to make the most of a visit.
