Up about 7:45, showered, breakfast. Slept awesome, it was COLD, but the lady gave me two duvet's. I overheard her say, last evening, that was going to close the doors for the month of August, not enough business.
Left about 9:15, south on SH25 to Waihi, then SH2 to Tauranga and on to mount Maunganui about noon. Drove to the foot of the extinct volcano, and started hiking up and met two dairy farmers from Matamata, a short distance away. Hiked to the summiet with them, 232 metres, and it affords some great views of the cities and beaches and ocean. They offered to let me stay at their dairy farm when I'm on my way back north. Got their phone number.
Was going to go to the hot saltwater pools (onlyh $2.50), but they are shut down for annual maintenance.
Hit Burger King, then to an ice cream shop for an awesome sundae, then hedaed south to Rotorua via an unnumbered highway. Left about 3:00
Got to Rotorua about 4:15, and lots and lots of stream al over the place. Rotorua is a geothermal hotspot, and smells very sulfuric.
Checked into the Hot Rock backpackers, a motel-come-hostel. All rooms are heated by the geothermal water, and it has 3 hot-water pools, 1 outdoor, 2 indoor. The two indoor ones are the geothermal in origin (and stink), then outdoor one is just a regular hot pool. Not a particularly nice hostel, though.
Walked around Kuirau Paerk, a "geothermal park", with fenced off hot water pools, and steam vents everywhere, and bubbling mud spots. Then walked around downtown for a bit, then back to the hostel about 5:30 and cooked supper (beans).
Hit the hot outdoor pool about 7:15, outdoor pool is very, very warm, feels sooooo nice. It's not sulfuric water, though, which is kind of weird. The two small indoor pools are sulfuric, though.
Spent about two hours in the pools. Very relaxing! Got dehydrated, and drank a 600mL Sprite in about a minute afterwards.
Rotorua is the North Islands most popular destination.
To bed about 11:00, as music from the hostels bar blares.
Sheep golf course
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