Tairua to Rotorua
01.02.2011
24 °C
Hi to all our “followers” it is nearly midnight here on Tuesday 1 February.
It was a beautiful morning and Tairua was looking its best and we took photos of the Bay and the Harbour before we left.
We headed south from the Coromandel Peninsular and passed through the seaside town of Whangamata. It is a popular location for Kiwi holidaymakers and the town is supposed to have one of the best beaches in the region – it was lovely but nothing like the beaches up in Caithness and Sutherland!!
We then stopped at the old mining town of Waihi where there is still an operating open cast gold mine. The statue of the child in the tin bath was taken there.
We saw a few smaller landslips today but nothing like the ones further north. The route took us to the Bay of Plenty and the port town of Tauranga before heading along the scenic Pyes Pa Road to Rotorua.
We easily found our accommodation at the Fenton Court Motel – I am getting good at navigating while Iain has been driving. The Apartment is lovely and we have a private Jacuzzi at the back door – don’t think we would be able to have one in the back garden in Polmont :-)
Once we unpacked we decided to go to explore and went to the Skyline Roturua. We went on the Gondolas to see the panoramic views of Lake Rotorua, the City and surrounding areas. They are eight-seater Doppelmayr gondolas and they go to the top of Mount Ngongotaha (487 metres above sea level).
You will see from the photo that there are dinosaurs at the bottom of the Mount (and they are not called Janice and Iain)!
Iain decided to be “Jensen Button” and go back down on a Luge – a three-wheel cart using a braking and steering system and returning to the top of the Mount by chairlift. I took the easy route and came back down in the Gondola. I am afraid of heights but enjoyed the trip very much and the views from the top were stunning.
We are staying here for two nights so tomorrow we are planning to go to Te Puia – NZ’s premier Maori cultural centre and home of the world famous Pohutu geyser.
Posted by janiain 03:06 Archived in New Zealand
Thoroughly enjoying the trip and the wonderful photos.
01.02.2011 by alfred orr