New Zealand North Island

 New Zealand North Island

 

Air New Zealand 

The next segment of flights was also long as we flew from Singapore to Auckland, had a few hours break and then flew from Auckland to Rotorua.  The flight from Singapore to Auckland was 10 hours while the flight from Auckland to Rotorua was 1 hour. The flight and the service on Air New Zealand was very good. Once again, we chose the Premium Economy bulkhead seats which gave us the freedom to get up without restriction. I suggest doing that if you are not flying business class. 

Bulkhead Seats

Bulkhead Seats

New Zealand is comprised of two distinct islands with different climatic conditions, geography and weather. The North Island is hilly and temperate. The South Island is more mountainous and has a different geography and climate than the North island. It has the Southern Alps, fjords like Milford Sound, Doubtful St. The traditional Māori first landed on the North Island and then moved to the South Island. If you want to see the Māori traditional ceremonies, go to Rotorua. If you want breathtaking scenery go to the South Island, especially Queenstown. More on Queenstown later. 

ROTORUA

Rotorua is close to the center of the North island and is famous for its Geothermal pools, tall redwood forest, which is perfect for ziplining activity, and to witness Māori culture. Each one of these activities is described below. 

Rotorua Ultimate Canopy tour

 

This ziplining tour is worth every penny and is about 3 hrs. long. The guides are extremely well trained and knowledgeable in the flora and fauna in the forest. The tour begins by fitting you up with harnesses which are quite heavy. There are obviously weight restrictions on who can take the trip. You must be in good shape physically to take this tour as it involves a lot of walking and climbing.  The initial walk to the first jump off point is long and you get a lot of information about the flora and fauna. The jungle is thick and the paths are narrow. The one thing which is a blessing in New Zealand is that there are no reptiles of any kind. They are very strict about this, and they thoroughly check the "Australian" tourists. The only pests they have are the Bats and the Rats (brought in by the British many years ago). There is a big effort to get rid of the Rats. Checkout the YouTube link below: 

https://youtu.be/dNkfmQCtXz0

Redwood Night safari

That same evening, we were back in the Redwood forest climbing up to a string of walkways for a night light tour. This excursion is high up in the Redwood forest, but this time it was a spectacular light show set up. There were a lot of swing bridges between trees with a lot of lighting and special effects. Well worth it. 

Red Wood Night Safari  Photos

WAI -O -TAPU

Geothermal Wonderland

Geyser

Waiotapu (Maori for "sacred waters")  is an active geothermal area at the southern end of the Okatiana volcanic center, just north of the Reporoa caldera.  Due to dramatic geothermal conditions beneath the earth, the area has many hot Springs, which are famous for their  for their colorful appearance. If you are visiting New Zealand, you must visit the Wai-O-Tapu Scenic Reserve, which is located close to the town of Rotorua. This is the perfect place to witness the eruption of a geyser, be mesmerized by the many colorful pools and bubbling mud pools.  Follow the link for more information on the park : Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland

 

There are a lot of tour choices from Rotorua. To book them visit the webpage for Viator at the following website: Wai-o-tapu scenic thermal wonderland. 

 

 

At the entrance of the reserve you will find Visitor center. This houses the rest rooms, a gift shop, the café and an information center with the tour maps . The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful, so make full use of their guidance. I recommend using the restrooms before embarking on the tour as there are none in the park. Do not forget to carry a bottle of water to keep hydrated and use sun screen. The sun rays in the southern hemisphere can be harsh.  The tour is self guided and has three routes which vary from 1km to 3km. depending on how much time and territory you want to cover. I recommend taking the full tour as this a once in a lifetime experience.

The tour path is well marked with lots of directional and informational information. You follow a clockwise path to keep the traffic moving and organized. As you begin the tour your first two stops are by the features called Rainbow Crater and Thunder Crater. A description of the craters is given below. 

You can see the steam from the underground water system. This erodes the ground causing the craters. (station 2 Rainbow crater) 

The oxidized minerals are deposited on the sides of the craters. (Station 2 Rainbow crater)

At Station 4, you start coming across the "mud pools". The one interesting fact described in the sign is that the mud pools contained crude oil. Unfortunately not in  quantities enough to make it commercially viable. 

The mud pool is an acidic hot spring, with limited water. The acid and microorganism decompose the rock into clay and create the mud. This mud pool is aptly called the Devil's inkpot. 

 

As you walk towards Stations 5 and 6 you come across the area called 'Artists palette and Champagne Pool" 

The name Champagne Pool is derived from the constant efflux of carbon dioxide gas, similar to a glass of bubbling champagne. The vibrant colors come from a rich deposition of minerals and silicate. The silicate structures around the edge of the pool is teeming with microbial life. The informational signs posted give you details of the pool and the palette. The colors are vibrant and the whole view is awe inspiring.  

The overflowing water from the Champagne pool brings with it minerals that have originated deep below the surface. As the waters cool, it evaporates, exposing minerals that provide the showcase of colors. This area never looks the same two days in a row, changing depending on sunlight, water level and wind direction.

  viewed from one vantage point the pool looks all bright lemon color. 

  Viewed from a different position the red colors show up . 

 From this angle you are able to see the Yellow and Red colors. This is       entirely dependent on the mineral interaction, combination of location and       sun position. 

The embankment surrounding the pool has a long and violent history having been created by a huge eruption about 1800 years ago. 

This crater is by far the the most fascinating item on the tour. This pool as you can see from the photo has a singular consistent color. This color again changes according to the day. During my visit it was green. The water is calm and absolutely still, creating the illusion of  being a green glass top. 

The "Lady Knox Geyser" is a favorite attraction in the park.

 

Here is the video of the whole park: https://youtu.be/aiptU8Tga18

Te Pa Tu Māori Village tour

The visit to Rotorua is incomplete if you don’t experience the life and culture of the original people of New Zealand – The Māori. There are a couple of different tour venues and the one we took was called the Te Pa Tu . The show is in the evening, and it is about 20 minutes away from Rotorua. The show begins with the typical Māori “greeting” ceremony which looks very hostile but not without reason. Māori warriors approach the person/persons who have landed on their shores with threatening moves. Once they find out that the newcomers are not hostile, they exchange “fern” leaves and rub noses as part of their acceptance to land on shore. The video link below will show the opening ceremony, tribal games, the method of cooking “Hangi”, followed by their tribal dance ceremony and then a wonderful dinner

https://youtu.be/DiKGwFEEQkM

Spellbound Glowworm Caves

Another geologic feature of the Rotorua area is the underground caverns featuring areas of glow worms, stalactites and stalagmites. The one we went to is about two hours away from Rotorua. We hired a private tour guide who was an ethnic Māori married to a white New Zealand woman. He was very talkative

Glowworm Larvae

and an entertaining guide. Once he saw we were not "Whites" he opened about how he prides himself over the whites. Let’s just say we bonded very well. You walk down into a cavern where the guide leads you to a boat. Hardhats with lamps are provided as it gets very dark down there. It is absolutely pitch dark in the stream area, and one just hopes the boat driver knows where he is going as you hear a waterfall nearby! He does!

Glowworms in the cavern 

 

Inside the Glowworm cave 

The views are fantastic. In the first photo you see the hanging larvae and in the subsequent photos you see the view of the glowworms clinging to the roof and then the stalactites

Opening to the outside from the caves 

Stalactites 

Outside the glowworm Cave area 

The days in Rotorua were over, and it was now time to catch our flight to Queenstown. We took the puddle jumper from Rotorua to Christchurch followed by another flight into Queenstown. The scenery changes dramatically between the North and South islands. The South Island is more mountainous and rugged.