Pacific Coast Highway opens up vast stretches of empty beaches and Maori history .
Eventually we opt for the coast via Rotorua , a hotspot of geothermal activity and home to the largest geyser in the Southern Hemisphere .
Driving into town the first thing we notice is wisps of steam curling out of cracks in the pavement and a pervasive smell that hangs in the air , which has earned Rotorua the nickname “ Sulphur City ”. The entire town lies on an ancient caldera , or volcanic crater , and its active geothermal fields pull hundreds of thousands of tourists to the region each year , offering everything from “ Zorbing ” ( rolling down a hill in a gigantic rubber ball – yes , it ’ s a thing ) to soaking in the countless hot spring spas .
“ If there ’ s a way to get money out of you , we ’ ve thought of it ,” chuckles the proprietor as we check into our motor home on the banks of the lake . Despite this , Rotorua is a pleasant enough place to spend a couple of days , and even the most jaded globetrotter will find it hard
THE ENTIRE TOWN LIES ON AN ANCIENT CALDERA , OR VOLCANIC CRATER , AND ITS ACTIVE GEOTHERMAL FIELDS PULL THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS TO THE REGION EACH YEAR
not to be awed by the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley , epicentre of the region ’ s geothermal activity .
Home to over 500 pools and hot springs , the crown jewel is Pōhutu geyser , which means “ big splash ” in Maori . Pōhutu erupts up to twice an hour and is rivalled only by Old Faithful in America ’ s Yellowstone Park . We arrive just as Pōhutu is warming up , spurting jets of steam and water out the side , building steadily into an inverse waterfall that shoots billowing plumes 30 metres into the air .
The rest of the valley is a maze of
Pōhutu is the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere and errupts up to twice an hour .
bubbling mud , geysers and brightly hued mineral pools shrouded in steam . The earth is alive in Rotorua , its warm breath visible at every turn .
SHEEP , COFFEE AND TOILET DETOUR From Rotorua we meander in a loop , briefly touching the Bay of Plenty , where Captain Cook first landed in 1769 , then cut inland through the rolling hills of King Country , passing through towns like Te Kuiti , the self-proclaimed sheep-shearing capital of the world .
Every year thousands of the fluffy beasts are set loose on the streets during the Running of the Sheep , part of the Great NZ Muster festival that celebrates all things ovine . The festival isn ’ t on for another month so we have to settle for the 10-metre-high statue of a man shearing a sheep in the middle of town .
There ’ s no shortage of these quirky stops and you could happily detour for days on end , whether it ’ s sipping excellent coffee at the Origin Coffee Station
34 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE