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!!

rotorua (part one)

Thanks to some very special friends (Murray and Gaye) I have just spent a lovely week hanging out on the shores of Lake Rotoiti. It is the most idyllic spot. Beth, Mikey and Holly came down for the weekend and then I spent the rest of the week on my own. It was so nice to have space - to think, pray, walk, craft, explore.... I let Auckland and all the stresses of life fall away and embraced the tranquility of my surroundings.

This is where we stayed. Our villa is straight above the trampoline.

 The view from the breakfast table.

Chess. We didn't get round to a game but lovely to look at!

Regular visitors!

Enjoying the facilities!

The local maze - advertised as the "largest, most complex about." Huh? About what?

The coolest people in the maze....

 An iced moccachino.....

 ....with Holly. Amazing!! (The drink and Holly)

Lake Rotorua. Beautiful!! (The view and Mikey)

Swan

Swans

 More swans

Californian Redwoods. They were planted in 1919 and are so massive. It's funny to be in the midst of something so American with New Zealand bush and pungas poking through!

It was a fun weekend with the family.... exploring all the cheap and free activities Rotorua has to offer (and there are a few), drinking "halvsies" (you can imagine what they are), enjoying the first swim of the season (it was so hot), Edward/Twilight/vampire style running through the redwoods (thanks Mikey), laughing our heads off (me anyway!). So I waved them off on Sunday afternoon and settled back for the rest of the week. Highlights follow in my next blog post....

french bay

My "new" thing this week was actually revisiting a place that was quite significant in my childhood. I packed Bunny into the car and headed out west to French Bay. I haven't been there since I was a teenager. Why French Bay? I was one when we emigrated to New Zealand leaving behind our grandparents. When we got here I met my Dad's Auntie Emmy. I immediately bonded with her and she became my grandmother figure. She had a bach at French Bay.

We celebrated quite a few family Christmases there with our New Zealand (second) cousins. They were pretty happy occasions with hours spent playing in the bush and at the beach.... only marred by the traumatic experience of traipsing through the bush to use the stinky, cobwebby, insect infested long drop. It was located quite a long way from the house. Great for night visits! I would put off using the toilet until the last minute and would make Karen, my older sister, go with me even when she didn't want to!

My sister Karen had her 21st at the French Bay Yacht Club in 1977. A very classy affair! Although the only photo of me is with my tongue out. As you can see not so classy! Meredith (my younger sister) looks much cuter, resting her chin on her hand! The funny thing is that the yacht club looks exactly the same as it did in 1977!

I loved swimming at French Bay. It was safe and easily accessible for young children. It was here that Meredith first demonstrated her aversion to sand (which she has to this day). She would try to make it from the sea to the towel Mum was sitting on, with a minimum of sand stuck to her feet. An impossible task!! I remember her jumping around, curling up her sand-covered toes in distaste as Mum tried to brush the sand off her. There also used to be a shop right opposite the beach where Dad would buy us Jellytips after a day of swimming and sand. I still associate Jellytips with summer, swimming and fun!

So Bunny and I set off exploring, walking along the beach and up the road. It was a really lovely, still, crisp winter's day.....

French Bay is still very pretty, peaceful place for children and families. It's largely unchanged from my childhood, although much smaller than it seemed in my memories and sadly there is now no shop.