(This is part of a trip report to NZ/AU using 125,000 AA miles flying business class on Qantas to NZ and returning on Hawaiian Airlines, with a stop in Honolulu.)

One of the outstanding things about beautiful New Zealand is that it’s so green, green, GREEN! And after the sheep show we saw (previous post) it was special to see sheep dotting those green fields. We never got tired of the views. We drove to Rotorua, which is in the central part of the North Island, and if you ever want to visit NZ, take notes because Rotorua is a must see! Our first stop was Wai-O-Tapu, a “thermal wonderland” as it’s called. This is the Lady Knox Geyser…

 

 

This is a mud hole, basically boiling mud!

We were fortunate to have outstandingly beautiful weather! There were “innumerable colors of every tint and hue in pools, lakes, craters, steam vents, and mineral terraces,” as written in the brochure and here’s some photos to prove it’s true!

 

 

 

 

 

Next came a relaxing afternoon at Waikite Valley thermal pool, a facility with ten pools, filled with hot mineral water from Te Manaroa Spring, as seen below. It’s much bigger than it looks.

This is along the walk to the spring…

 

 

The pools were VERY relaxing, with virtually NO people!

They fill the pools with fresh water from the spring daily and there is no sulphur smell at all…

This was my favorite pool…

And that evening, we ate at Eat Street, a pedestrian only area with a variety of restaurants, and of course, NZ ice cream (which rivals Italian gelato)!

Next up, Wellington…