Roam Relax Repeat

February 20, 2020

Feb 17

Woke up to the sound of light rain on our rooftop – oh no! Although I haven’t set up my tarp to this point, the rear tailgate raises up and forms a pretty good umbrella and provides a dry area to work in our outdoor kithchen. Was able to make our coffee and we ate breakfast in the van. Converting the van from sleep mode to daily use mode is pretty quick and easy. The first few days we just left the bed made up but if it’s cool in the evening or if rain is coming down then it’s nice to have some space to hang out in the van – so we’ve decided to pack away the bed gear during the day so we have the option to move inside if necessary.

Today we visited Hells Gate, a geothermal spa and volcanic landscape full of bubbling pools and steam vents. They have set up a good walking tour of the area and we were impressed with the volatility of the terrain – it seems the earths crust is quite thin here and the underground water becomes superheated and bubbles violently to the surface. There are lots of naturally occurring chemicals like sulfur and acids that make for some nasty looking and smelling pools – something Dr. Evil would enjoy. There was also the largest hot water waterfall in the southern hemisphere that could be viewed from the walk. The Maori warriors used to use it as a shower after battle as the water is supposed to have some healing characteristics…we couldn’t try it as it was off limits for tourists. It really wasn’t that big, but it was hot so that makes it pretty special.

At the end of the walk we had the opportunity to carve a small square of pine – there were five different designs you could try so we each had a shot at carving. I could see these carvings turning up in someone’s stocking at Christmas this year!

Our second stop of the day was at the Redwood forest that was planted in 1901, there are a number of trails through the forest for both walking, mountain biking and equestrian. We chose to walk and enjoyed a 7.5 km hike through the forest – the redwoods have grown to some amazing heights in 120 years – some well over 250’.

After a brief shopping interlude, we headed back to camp. Tonight, we will go check out a local spot where there maybe some glow worms.

Feb 18

Based on a tip we received from a campsite neighbour while at Ohope beach, we headed south of Rotorua for 15 km to Rainbow Mountain. It is situated in the middle of the geothermal activity and offers both hiking and mountain biking tracks on and around the mountain. The vertical elevation change is about 350 meters for the hike. The trail itself was well maintained as it is a shared tail for hikers and bikers. We enjoyed the hike, lots of viewpoints including a turquoise pond and lots of steam vents. On the summit was a small building that looked like a fire tower – but as there was a communication tower here it may have had something to do with that. We enjoyed a beautiful 360 degree view and although the air was hazy it was still an impressive vista. While we were at the top, a mountain biker appeared – he said it was a tough grind up and was looking forward to the descent on a trail specifically for mountain biking.

After the hike we headed a few kilometers further south to a confluence of two streams, one hot (really hot) and the other cold. From a small sandy beach you can wade into the streams and find a spot where the water has mixed and the temperature is just right! The area is appropriately called Hot and Cold. The only thing to be aware of is to keep your head above water to avoid an infection as there is potentially bacteria in the hot water which can make you sick. We obeyed the rule and so far we are fine!

It was then time to head back to town for provisions…I believe we were running low on cider and something to eat. Once back at the campsite we donned our sneakers and headed off for a 5 km run around Blue Lake, really nice for trail running.

After happy hour and supper, we headed back out on the Blue Lake trail to a secret spot to view glow worms. I thought glow worms were only seen in caves but these ones were on the walls of a small ravine just off the trail. Once in the ravine we just switched off our headlamps and the walls of the ravine came alive with the light of thousands of glow worms! Quite amazing, you’d think you were looking at a starry night.