Rotorua, NZ

“Surely, of all the wonders of the world, the horizon is the greatest.”

Freya Stark

“Konnichi wa!” my car greets me every time I start the engine, depending on the time of day. My Nissan Tiida, produced specifically for the Japanese market, has a stereo system and lots of buttons, but all in Japanese. I have no idea what the words on the screen mean, and at random times, my car says something to me in Japanese. It’s a great one-way conversation we have going on. I hope I never have car troubles and need to figure out how to translate the manual.

I love the flexibility of having a car in this country. I make random stops on my trips to look at pretty views, use the bathroom whenever I need, and most importantly, leave my stuff in a mess all over the car. I’m not necessarily proud of that last one though, given my car at home was always tidy and spotless. 

Driving alone for miles on end does get lonely, so when an opportunity arises where I can give someone a ride, I jump on it. Such an opportunity presented itself during my departure from Waitomo on the way to Rotorua. One of my roommates was excited to go visit Hobbiton the next day and planned on riding the inter-city bus to get to Matamata, an expedition that had a very rigid time schedule and involved several hours. I offered him a ride, eager to chat with someone while driving for once. I’ve heard that people supposedly hitch hike around New Zealand, but I have yet to see a hitchhiker on the side of the road.

After Matamata, I headed to Rotorua, a city known for its adrenaline activities, the inventors of “zorbing” (more on that later), and geothermal activity. I arrived to town earlier than I expected so I headed to the Polynesian Spa, which contains a series of sulphuric hot pools, to relax for a few hours. The atmosphere around me was calming, but I spent very little time in the water. The temperatures were about 40 Celsius (104 F), and the temperature outside was in the 20s (70s F) and sunny. You really couldn’t sit in the pool for more than a few minutes without feeling like you were being boiled from the heat. Towards the end it began drizzling rain, which was cool and refreshing.

I stopped by my hostel, checked in, and then strolled down to the city centre to scavenge for food. I hadn’t eaten much that day, but I still wanted to be somewhat healthy, so I settled for a restaurant that had an appetizing salad. But sadly, this did not fill me, and I felt awkward ordering another large plate of food, and plus it was pricey, so I left. On my way back to my hostel, I saw a Mediterranean restaurant, where I enjoyed a second salad. My tummy was satisfied with my two dinners. 

Rafting

The next morning, I showed up to the Kaituna River for white river rafting. I had tried river rafting before back home in Colorado but the water levels were low with small rapids. New Zealand doesn’t have these kind of problems; there is loads of water in the air as well as in any stream, lake, waterfall, you name it. 

Supposedly, we were part of history at this rafting company – it was their busiest day ever. Busy with people who have friends and family though; I was the only one going solo. They moved me around multiple times so that parties could stay together until a raft was found with my name on it.

I joined four British guys, and two Russians. It didn’t take long from us entering the water to getting drenched. The river was full of life, ready to transport our raft. We flowed through several drops, in preparation for the larger 7 meter (22 foot) waterfall drop we would be experiencing later. 

Before that point though, we stopped by a tall rock from which you can dive into the water. It was about 5 meters (16 feet) tall and gave me a thrill jumping into the water from there. The strong current quickly carried me down the stream and I barely grabbed ahold of the raft to be pulled back in. I lost a bootie in the process as well and had some minor scratches.

A while later, we approached the waterfall. After the safety spiel, we chanted “Flip, flip, flip” before going down the waterfall, for reverse psychology. It worked, and we did NOT flip the raft over but came very close to it. My heart furiously thumped right before we went over the edge, and then I had my eyes tightly shut to prevent losing my contacts when we fully submerged underwater. It was awesome!

There were several times later in the duration of that trip where we got to exit the raft and swim downstream and ride the waves. This involved lots of spinning in the whirlpools, followed by furious swimming so that you would not be lost to the current. I’m a fairly strong swimmer, but that current was mightier than I. I seemed to be needed to be saved more often than not. I need to work on swimming against a current apparently. Overall, the rafting was a fun adrenaline inducing adventure, and not too expensive!

Waimangu Volcanic Valley

A great resource of tourist information in New Zealand is the i-SITEs in most major towns. These centers offer numerous brochures, friendly staff to answer any questions you may have, free wifi and toilets, and systems to book activities in town. The Rotorua i-SITE was great, and even had shower facilities. I needed to decide what to do next, so I stopped by and asked for advice. The staff recommended that I check out the Waimangu volcanic valley, so I bought my tickets there so I wouldn’t have to wait in line at the park.

A 30 minute drive out of town, and I made it to the volcanic valley. The walk was expected to take about two hours one way, and I could catch a shuttle at one end to take me back to the base.

Walking through this park, you see bubbling geysers, steamy lakes, and boiling streams. The geothermal activity in New Zealand never ceases to amaze me, especially because we have none of that back home in Colorado. The only other place where I saw phenomenon like this had been in Iceland. The two countries are actually very similar, I’ve been finding.

The dangerous waters were indeed beautiful to admire from a distance. Just don’t fall in! 

Redwoods

In the early 1900s, lots of redwood trees were planted on several acres of land in Rotorua. The planters had determined that the climate and soil was similar to that where the redwoods grow in California, and their timber was widely used for building purposes.

Today, about half of the land remains, covered by towering redwood trees. It is pretty amazing how fast these trees grow, standing at over 70 meters (200 feet) tall today. These trees are very young and small compared to the redwoods in California, but majestic nonetheless! 

In 2015, a series of bridges were constructed between the sturdiest Redwoods; I had the pleasure of taking a stroll on this walkway through the trees. The bridges are about 12-15 meters (47 feet) suspended above the ground, and they shake as you walk on them. Only 8 people maximum can be on a bridge at a time, and each tree has more plaques with information about redwoods.

I passed this loop twice because it was such a peaceful walk through the woods. I enjoyed the walk during the daytime, but there is also a night walk where lights are strung across the forest, which sounded lovely. 

Tauranga

On my way out of Rotorua, I stopped by a Zorbing park. What is Zorbing you may ask? It is an activity invented in Rotorua, New Zealand, which involves one or two people sitting in a large inflatable ball filled with some water, and rolling down a hill. I told myself I had to try it at least once, a bucket list kind of thing, since it was invented here and such. It wasn’t my favorite experience. As you are rolling down the hill, you are getting tossed around, with water splashing in your face. I’m glad I tried it, but I don’t really have the desire to do it again. Maybe I needed to do a steeper hill or something, to get a more exhilarating experience. I had opted for the longer hill that zigzagged down the hill. 

New Years Eve was quickly approaching and I needed to decide how to welcome the new year. At home, I typically celebrate with either my family or friends and get dressed up, stay up late, and drink heavily. But this year, not really knowing anyone in the area, I was not in the mood to be rowdy. I decided to take it easy, and booked an Airbnb for a couple nights in a city called Tauranga.

My original intent had been to drive all the way to Gisborne, which is the first city that sees the sunrise in the world. They go wild on New Years there, and there is a large 3 day music festival leading up to the new year. But given my tendencies to book everything last minute, there hadn’t been much lodging left, and I didn’t feel like driving so far away. So I decided I would go to Tauranga, known for a small mountain nearby; a popular spot for watching the sunrise.

A couple years ago, I saw a movie where the protagonist took a trip to the Grand Canyon and watched the sunrise on New Years Day. That concept really resonated with me, and I wanted to also watch the sunrise on the new year, in the first country to see the sun in the world. So on New Years Eve, I did not make plans to go out or stay up late. My Airbnb host was such a kind woman though, and she invited me out to a picnic on New Years Eve in Tauranga with her family. It appreciated being around a family, if not my own, on this holiday. We left around 9PM and relaxed at home. I fell asleep by 11 and briefly woke up at midnight to the sound of fireworks.

At 4:30 AM, I woke up and drove to Mount Maunganui. Many streets were blocked off from the night’s New Years Eve festivities so it took me a while to find parking. I finally parked around 5:10 and started jogging towards the mountain. I expected this walk to take 45 minutes, and I was running late for the 5:55 sunrise. I was so frustrated that I might miss the sunrise and when I arrived at the entrance to the walk, the sign indicated it would be a one hour and 5 minute walk to the top. There was no way I would miss the sunrise, so I pretty much sprinted up the mountain. Not an easy task either, the steep curves had me drenched in sweat by the time I reached the top around 5:40, 15 minutes early. I guess I did not need to run, and the sign was also a bit misleading.

I found a spot to settle in; there were lots of people on top of the mountain waiting for the sunrise. There were some clouds in the sky, but not near the horizon thankfully. At 5:55, the sun began to peek through. It made me emotional. I couldn’t believe I attained this point in my life, standing on top of a mountain in New Zealand, watching the sunrise on January 1st. 2018 was a monumental year for me and I fulfilled my dream of leaving my life behind to travel. There are certainly ups and downs to travel; it is not always glamorous and comfortable. But there are moments, like watching the sunrise, that remind me why I’m doing it. Life is short, and you have to make the most of it. I’m thankful for my supportive family and friends, and the opportunities I’ve had that have led me to this point in my life. Thank-you 2018, and cheers to what lies ahead in 2019!

-Anastasia