Outside of Auckland, North Island
Rotorua
Rotorua’s gorgeous Polynesian Spa is second to none, and ridiculously cheap for the luxury it affords. The scenery, the heated pools, one as hot as 41C for you to sit in, almost all out in the open air on the lake, is all a dream come true.
There are also private rooms for you and a guest, where you can bathe, have massages and other spa treatments, and generally relax and get away from it all, at very reasonable prices. Some even have their own private showers, but the public showers are impressively clean, as is the whole facility, and it is open from 7 in the morning til 11 at night.
The terraced pools and the central pool are covered over—beware of sunburn if you are in any of the other open-air pools. The terraced pools give you a great view of the lake, as does the lowest and hottest pool, which is right next to a colony of rather raucous nesting birds.
There is one indoor pool which is quite deep and reminiscent of the spa at Bath, England. It is actually small swimming pool size, but you won’t want to be too active due to the hear about about 35C.
One reminder—never ever put your whole face or ears or nose into a hot spring pool, you can pick up microbial creatures that thrive in the hot temperatures.
If you get hungry, you can pop out of the pool to get get exellent food here at the spa cafe. Everything to eat or drink at the spa is heathful, and you can also get the most amazing beauty products and soap, both made from the mud, and from natural New Zealand botanicals.
There are also the blue swimming baths for the more athletic right in the garden complex.
The Museum of Rotorua is a wonderful step back in time, both regarding New Zealand, and history of the spa that has helped the town become the prosperous tourist one it is today. It is often compared to Las Vegas, but its essential Englishness combined with Maori pride, makes it completely unique and very unspoiled despite the many tourist attractions.
Also in the gardens is a lovely huge lawn for bowls, all in a peaceful garden setting, with everything pretty much a short walk from one another and from the tourist center, spa, museum, lake path you can walk, and the welcome center for one of the hangi, Maori feasts and celebrations, which we will be talking about later.
The town is laid out in an easy enough grid pattern, so it is simple enough to walk everywhere. I stayed at a great clean backpackers, the Microtel, with a terrific kitchen, and loaded up on food from the local supermarket.
But no vacation would be complete without a couple of good dinners, and Rotorua’s dining experiences are one with a difference, for you haven’t experienced New Zealand until you’ve been to a hangi.
As I said, if you want to book a hangi, go to the tourist center to make the arrangements. They are in the know about all the ones on offer, and will recommend the best one/s. a minivan will pick you up at your hotel, and bring you to either the interpretive center first, so you can meet the other guests and your hosts, and see films or hear stories about Maori culture and how New Zealand first came to be settled, or you will head out to the site of the hangi to begin your cultural experience with the warrior’s welcome….

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