It’s been a fun, active and exhausting day. We began with a short drive to The Redwoods. In the late 19th and early 20th century, someone had the bright idea of planting California Redwoods here in Rotorua. Maybe they’d yield a good timber crop. They didn’t. But they’ve thrived in this climate,and grown to heights of up to 230 feet.
They’re tiny next to their California cousins, but that’s because they’re so much younger. Give ‘em a few centuries more and see how they’ve grown. Other varieties of trees and other native flora abound there, and there are dozens of hiking and mountain biking trails there.
We did two of the trails, and after three hours of hiking, we were ready for a break. And we had the perfect one all lined up.
There it is; photographic evidence of your obedient servant and intrepid explorer testing out the therapeutic waters of the Polynesian Spa. These geothermal mineral baths have been here for well over a hundred years. Several offer a nice view of Lake Rotorua. They range in temperature from about 96 to about 104.
We spent almost two hours at the baths, taking breaks in between dips. At the end, I felt wonderfully like a piece of overcooked linguine—limp and loose. We came back to the hotel and chilled until the dinner hour. I may or may not have taken a nice nap.