Rainy Rotorua – muddy hell!

When we picked up Martha the van, (Arthur at night) in Auckland, we felt like old pros at this business. Yes, we know all about waste tanks and grey water, thanks. Of course, each van has its own quirks and Martha is no exception. “You’re very lucky, its triptronic” says the rep. Ahhh, we nod, blankly. Well it seems this one is an automatic that likes to think it’s a manual. OK, so what that means in practice is that it can roll back down hills despite being an automatic, and it never knows when to change gear. However, no probs. That first night we stopped in Auckland for one purpose: Rowan and Daddy were going to a rock concert, to see the legendary Tenacious D, no less. They were doing just one gig in Auckland to coincide with the release of their new film, The Pick of Destiny. Now for the uninitiated, Tenacious D are Jack Black (he of School of Rock, Hi Fidelity and King Kong acting fame) and his bro (well, friend) Kyle G. Fabulous semi spoof heavy metal with extremely rude lyrics. Naturally, Rowan and Rhys love em, but we decided Rhys was just a tad too young for tickets to stand in the mosh pit listening to hysterical obscenity. Rowan’s 9, though … well, I shall leave her to blog about it.

The next day we headed for the Coromandel Peninsula, south and east of Auckland, to rediscover the summer we had had over New Year, but which had been somewhat elusive of late. Alas, twas not to be. After one night of drizzle we decided the beach would have to wait. We headed south and inland, to Rotorua.

Now this part of the world is justly famous for its geothermal activity. Straddling two plates and with a massive reservoir just 2k down in VERY thin crust, there are signs of volcanic activity literally cropping up, and spouting off, everywhere. The first rainy afternoon we went for a 5 minute walk through the main park in the city, past the bowling green and kids playground towards a revolting rotten egg smell and very steamy air. We were amazed to find ourselves in the midst of boiling lakes and glooping, boiling mud, all with sulphurous fumes filling the air. We couldn’t believe our eyes. This is just a normal little park in the centre of town called Kuirau Park, but in 2003 it all kicked off, shooting boiling mud high into the air, covering trees and scorching the ground. Rowan and I were somewhat disconcerted to walk past a puddle in the path that started boiling at us.