Stinky place

Rotorua was quite wet when we arrived.  There was a strange smell around the campsite, initially quite offputting.  Then we realised it was the sulphurous fumes from the steam coming out of the ground.  We enjoyed several jokes about bad wind, I imagine the locals don’t find those funny any more.  The place is full of bubbling mud pits, and vents of steam coming out of the ground.  It reminded us of some primeval swamp, or Jurassic Park.  The fish don’t seem to mind swimming in warm water, apparently it’s a good area for trout.  Within Rotorua we visited the museum, which is in an old bath house which operated as a spa hotel for years.  It is very grand, and is being restored gradually by a trust.  There was a sounds exhibition on with all sorts of instruments to play with such as a theremin, air pipes, Indonesian gamelan.  A party of littlies arrived as we were starting a guided tour, and the guide couldn’t compete with their hoots, toots and bangs.

In the afternoon we went to Rainbow Springs.  It’s a bit like Pensthorpe, with birds in aviaries, and a conservation programme to help the kiwi.  I was very taken by the kiwi.  ‘Kiwi Encounter’ takes you through a hatchery, nursery and then into the pen area where the lighting is reversed to make day into night, and 3 kiwis should be foraging. Because they’re quite territorial they each have a separate pen.  The old lady kiwi, I think she’s about 30, was asleep next to the wall,and just looked like a big fluffy hedgehog.  One of the youngsters,  who I want to call Billy though I’m not sure if that was his name, was dashing around sticking his beak into the ground, and feeding from a dish.  Initially the trust had tried to provide natural food of beetles and worms etc but couldn’t keep up, so now a supplemental feed is made for them.  It includes juliennes of ox heart (their description), rolled oats, vegetables and fruit and Billy appreciated his bowl full.  Kiwis have nostrils at the end of their beak, and have to constantly snuffle to clear them of soil.  Again this makes them seem a bit like hedgehogs.  It was delightful to watch him - he could run very fast, and was a real character.  I think they’ve become my favourite bird now.