Mt Maunganui & Rotorua Hiking Mt Maunganui and exploring geothermal Rotorua

251 km driven 16.5 km walked 688 photos taken

Auckland Rotorua Coromandel Peninsula Mount Maunganui In the late morning I packed my backpack, made some coffee and began the drive to my first stop, Mount Maunganui. It's situated in the city of Tauranga in a region called Bay of Plenty. I made sure to fill up my tank before heading too far outside of Whitianga, where I had stayed for the night. The hospitable hotel owner told me that frequent road closures in the area may mean I could get stranded if I ran out of gas. I made it to Tauranga about 2.5 hours later. Before proceeding to Mount Maunganui I stopped by a local Burger Fuel restaurant. I had seen a few of these in Auckland. It was here that I had first spotted something called kumara chips on the menu, which I later learned are just sweet potato fries. After the quick meal I parked along the water and explored the waterfront. I got lucky with the weather and the sun was out in full force with only a few scattered clouds.

I stopped at a coffee shop called The Coffee Club for a much needed cappuccino before embarking on a hike to the summit of Mt Maunganui.

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Mount Maunganui I made it to the summit of Mount Maunganui after a 40 minute hike. It was absolutely gorgeous up there. Definitely worth the hike.

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One by one people came up to this edge to reap the reward of their strenuous trek on this hot day before turning back.

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Rotorua After wrapping up in Tauranga I drove an hour to Rotorua where I had a hotel booked for the night. It was almost evening by now so I checked in, took a shower and relaxed for a few moments before figuring out the dinner situation. Rotorua is a bit smaller than Tauranga with a population of roughly 70,000 residents. It's known for being the heartland of Maori culture as well as being known for its pristine gardens and geothermal activity. Millennium Hotel & Spa 1270 Hinemaru St, Rotorua USD $151 per night 1 night One of the more upscale and larger hotels in Rotorua but rooms felt dated.

Bistro 1284 I came across Bistro 1284 after a quick search for some of the best restaurants in Rotorua and it was just a short walk away. Fortunately, they had same night availability for one — one of the best parts about traveling solo, you can get reservations to any restaurant no problem.

Bistro 1284 1284 Eruera St, Rotorua USD $75 Fantastic meal (got the NZ roasted lamb rack), great ambiance and a cozy spot. After a good night's rest — and doing a bit of laundry in the hotel sink — I checked out of the hotel and walked around downtown Rotorua. Lake Rotorua was few steps from the hotel where I ventured briefly to take a gander at some of the lake's bubbling geothermal activity. It also has a very high sulphur content so anywhere near the lake or other geothermal activity smells like rotten eggs.

Government Gardens I continued down the Rotorua Walkway, eventually finding the exceptionally well-maintained Government Gardens public park and Rotorua Museum.

Skyline Rotorua After my stroll I drove to Skyline Rotorua to get a scenic view from high up on Mount Ngongotaha.

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Wai-o-tapu And now for the main reason I visited Rotorua: the Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland. I went on a short walk around some colorful natural volcanic and geothermal areas. Similar to Lake Rotorua, everything here was high in sulphur content, smelly and bubbling.

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Near the end of the track there was a ridiculously vibrant sulphur pond named "Devil's Bath" that's in a crater formed from a volcanic eruption.