At the tender age of seven, I was boarding at St Edward’s College. Barring the seasonal holidays we went home once a month, and just for a couple of days, at that.
You can just imagine the awe of the Te Awara tribe when they first came across this region- Paul Zammit Cutajar
Harsh, one may think, but that was the way it was in those days and nobody thought otherwise. Thrown into the deep end, we were subjected to a ‘swim or sink’ college life and the majority of us learnt to ‘swim’ rather quickly.
Chemistry was one of my favourite lessons, for all the wrong reasons, I might add. Under the watchful guidance of Mr Carey, we would experiment, or rather, over-experiment with Bunsen burners, mercury, magnesium and other such chemicals.
Boys will be boys and pranks were top of the list. Our favourite was the ‘stink bomb’, which would, more often than not, find its way out of the lab.
Smelling somewhere between horribly putrefied eggs and a rather potent and deadly flatus, this hydrogen-sulphide concoction would end up in classrooms, study halls and other places, much to the delight of us boys.
Driving into Rotorua, I got a distant whiff of that potent odour that had eluded me for so many years.
Nowhere near as strong as our own mixture, it comes in whiffs and wafts depending on the wind direction or closeness to the geothermal-activity sites. After a while, you’d sort of get used to it to the extent that you hardly notice it.
In reality, it is a small price to pay. Nicknamed ‘Sulphur City’ by visiting travellers – I prefer the more spiritual name of ‘Second Lake’ given by the first Maori settlers – Rotorua presents awe-inspiring geothermal locations that are almost unbelievable in their activity, colour and terrain.
You can just imagine the awe of the Te Awara tribe when they first came across this region.
Like most ancient cultures, the Maori people have traditions about unions between gods and mortals.
Smouldering mountains, spouting geysers, thermal hot springs and bubbling mud not only offered a mystical and spiritual setting, but also provided heat in the cold season, cooking in the 90˚C-plus pools and therapeutic remedies for ailing discomforts.
It would be pleasing to the gods.
In the limited time of three days I visited four sites: Whaka Thermal Village, Te Puia, Wai-O-Tapu and Waimangu Volcanic Valley. All are extremely interesting in what they have to offer and are well worth visiting.
Walking through Waimangu Volcanic Valley is like being in a Jurassic lost world, without the dinosaurs.
Thick vegetation and smouldering hills surround volcanic crater lakes on which steam swirls and dances, almost to the rhythm of the geothermal activity. It’s a good four-kilometre walk ending at the lake, or you can use the shuttle bus.
Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Water) is the most colourful of the thermal parks. From the famous Champagne pool with its fizzing bubbles, to the Artist’s Palette, the vibrant colours are unbelievably stunning.
Like the Greek god Medusa, these pools are irresistibly attractive but deadly. Falling into one of the pools would possibly be fatal. Keeping to the walk paths is imperative.
Te Puia boasts the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere. Pohutu (Constant Splashing) is considered a gift from the gods. It erupts two or three times every hour and can reach a height of 15 metres.
Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Village hosts the Te Awara people and is an ideal place to learn about the local culture.
Walking through Waimangu Volcanic Valley is like being in a Jurassic lost world, without the dinosaurs- Paul Zammit Cutajar
“Put the vegetables in the muslin cloth, then after five or six swishes in the water our vegetables are done,” says one of the experienced tour guides. “The same applies to shellfish; after exactly 10 seconds our shellfish are done. Anymore than that and you could bounce the shellfish on the concrete”.
After each satisfying day I looked forward to soaking in my spa in my room at the Tuscany Villas Motel.
Rotorua has emerged as a major tourist destination in New Zealand.
Besides the geothermal parks, there are other enticing activities for visitors including zorbing (rolling downhill in a transparent orb), white water rafting, mountain biking, hiking or simply lazing in a hot spring at the Polynesia Spa.
Getting there
Emirates operates three daily flights to Auckland from Dubai via Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
The Malta/Dubai flight via Cyprus, except for the Sydney flight, is operated by the state-of-the-art A380 double-decker. The upgraded ICE entertainment system installed offers over 600 channels of entertainment.