Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand

We spent the month of February 2012 touring New Zealand with our car.  Our circumnavigation of the South Island first took us down the east coast (Pacific Ocean side) and then up the west coast (Tasman Sea side).  But first, we made two stops in the North Island (Rotorua and Wellington) before catching the ferry to the South Island.  Our first stop was Rotorua, North Island.  We sure caught a whiff of Rotorua’s sulphur-rich airs!  Rotorua is NZ’s most dynamic thermal area – spurting geysers, steaming hot springs, and exploding mud pools.  We explored this thermal area via bike and also enjoyed the lakefront, Government Gardens complete with museum, rose garden, croquet lawns and bowling greens.  We stayed at our first holiday park – aren’t these cabins cute!