rotorua (part two)

When I think of Rotorua, these images spring to mind....

steam
(with a little bit of Holly added in!)

 boiling mud

 sulphur

...and that certain rotten, decaying, sulphuric smell. I'm not sorry that my blog can't capture that smell!!

But Rotorua is so much more than that. It is full of beauty - in the gardens, buildings, landscapes and on the water. It's the city of lakes. Here are some of the things that captivated me over the last week. You might have started to notice my passion for flags....

I like this one. It's slightly tatty.

The flower beds were plentiful and spectacular. A visual feast of colours....

 

 

Lovely vistas....

Friendly birds. This duck really wanted to be my best friend even though I had no food!

The beautiful natural Hamurana Springs. When I was a child we came here often. It had a restaurant, a booming kayak hire place and it was teeming with people - tourists everywhere. The restaurant is now an abandoned building and there is a air of neglect about the place. The spring, the walk and the river are still breathtakingly the same but I was the only one there.

My new favourite drink - the gingerbread steamer. I went back for it three times.... on three different days!!

I saved the best for last. My companion for the week - the lovely Lake Rotoiti. I have tried to capture her look at different times, with my first sojourn into night photography.....

and in the day....

It was such a lovely break away. I was able to completely relax and unwind. Over the week I felt like I reconnected with myself and God. As I headed back up to Auckland I didn't just feel like I'd had a holiday but that I'd had a complete rejig of my outlook on life. Thanks Rotorua!!