The drive from Napier to Rotorua was one of the least stressful we’ve had on our trip. Fewer mountains meant fewer twists and turns. We arrived in Rotorua in the early afternoon and set about exploring the city.
Rotorua is in the center of the North Island, and it appears to be on every tourist’s itinerary. It’s easy to see why. Rotorua has natural geothermal hot springs and geysers. You can go see them, as you would if you were visiting Yellowstone. You can go to spas and enjoy a soak. This is a center of Maori culture; there are several places were you can go to see a performance of native dances, and learn about how these people used to live and still carry on today. It’s also quite lovely here. New Zealand has beautiful lakeside towns the way I-75 through Georgia has Waffle Houses.
We walked a few blocks over to the tourist information center. That’s where we got some help figuring out which Maori cultural program to see. It was booked up for tomorrow, so we’ll do that Wednesday. We also bought tickets for the Polynesian spa; that’s where we’ll soak in some of the geothermal baths. That’s part of tomorrow’s agenda.
We strolled around the rest of the central tourist area, checking out the restaurants and shops. Our hotel is right next to a covered pedestrian mall that’s lined with restaurants on each side. We made reservations at one for our dinner tonight. As we were leaving, Roslyn overheard a man and two women talking. One of them said something about a shul. So Roslyn asked where they were from. And that’s how we spent a half-hour getting to know Murray and Lorna Rosenberg from Philadelphia and their friend from near Toronto. It took five or ten minutes, but Roslyn and Lorna finally found someone they both knew. Jews finding Jews, on Tutenekai Street in Rotorua.
After saying goodbye, Roslyn and I walked to end of the mall for a spot of what has been our usual lunch: ice cream. The mango sorbet was quite good. We can do this because most days, we get a full breakfast included with our hotel stay. So we eat big in the morning, and then just have a snack in the afternoon to get us to dinner. Thanks to Annette for that pro tip.
And more thanks to Annette for suggesting we have dinner at Atticus Finch. The fried squid, ginger-sesame fried chicken, and fish dishes were all delicious. The portions are small and meant to be shared, and it was just enough food. We assumed the restaurant owner was a big fan of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” but our waitress said, no, she just liked the name.
We took an after-dinner walk, and then came back to our hotel. Our room was described in the hotel literature is a “cutie.” If the seasoned travelers among you think that must mean it’s a small room, you are quite right. But it’s big enough. And it has really soft bathrobes. I’m going to climb into one now.