Good drive from Taupo, finally arriving at our chosen camp - Waitete Caravan Park at Ngongataha. This is a great little camp right beside a little trout stream, and the most immaculate one could wish for. The ablution blocks are spotless as is the whole camp, and they supply free kayaks and dinghys for those who wish to explore the Waitete Trout stream. They were also extremely cheap @ $22 per night (for 2). We were parked right by the stream with the shade of a tree which was nice for the hot days. Not so good when we had a night of rain & the drops from the tree sounded like a hailstorm right over our bed at the back of the van. Stu decided to sleep on one of the settees at the front of the van in order to get some sleep, but I was quite comfy where I was - raindrops are a change from the sound of snoring!
There was a lovely walk along the river which came out onto a lovely beach on the edge of Lake Rotorua so we spent some time there & I took photos. We spent one morning cycling the mountain bike tracks the other side of Rotorua which we have visited before. I managed not to fall off this time! It's great fun though we don't do the hardest trails. One afternoon was spent visiting the H Springs round the other side of Lake Rotorua. It is the most beautiful clear water stream I have ever experienced. I managed to spot a small trout but was not quick enough to photograph. Patches of the stream are a beautiful pale aqua colour - why I am not sure. There is a lovely walkway right round one side of the stream, over a bridge, & back the other side. Lots of lovely ferns & bush, and at the end a lovely big stand of redwood trees. Some had just been pruned, & I was lucky enough to find a small piece of the timber which I thought would be a nice memento, then discovered it was the shape of a face - even better! The spring head is fascinating, and there were 3 young lads, (tourists) trying to swim down into the large hole from which the water erupts. It was only 10 deg in the water, so they were very keen. The force of the water would not allow them to go down very far, but they were having a lot of fun trying. Naturally the camera came into action again. They don't call me Paparazzi Jan for nothing. Next day was spent cycling a track round the town side of the lake, which was great. It passed a bird nesting site just offwhore with hundreds of seagulls and their chicks. The adults didn't make us feel very welcome I'm afraid. Very protective. Lots of little thermal areas round the edge of the lake as well which was very interesting. All in all we really enjoyed Rotorua more than we have before probably because we had more time to explore. Visited the Blue Lake & walked right round, then visited the Buried Village which was really interesting & a lovely spot, with a walk to a lovely little waterfall. Drove out as far as Lake Tarawera.
Good drive from Taupo, finally arriving at our chosen camp - Waitete Caravan Park at Ngongataha. This is a great little camp right beside a little trout stream, and the most immaculate one could wish for. The ablution blocks are spotless as is the whole camp, and they supply free kayaks and dinghys for those who wish to explore the Waitete Trout stream. They were also extremely cheap @ $22 per night (for 2). We were parked right by the stream with the shade of a tree which was nice for the hot days. Not so good when we had a night of rain & the drops from the tree sounded like a hailstorm right over our bed at the back of the van. Stu decided to sleep on one of the settees at the front of the van in order to get some sleep, but I was quite comfy where I was - raindrops are a change from the sound of snoring! 
There was a lovely walk along the river which came out onto a lovely beach on the edge of Lake Rotorua so we spent some time there & I took photos. We spent one morning cycling the mountain bike tracks the other side of Rotorua which we have visited before. I managed not to fall off this time! It's great fun though we don't do the hardest trails. One afternoon was spent visiting the H Springs round the other side of Lake Rotorua. It is the most beautiful clear water stream I have ever experienced. I managed to spot a small trout but was not quick enough to photograph. Patches of the stream are a beautiful pale aqua colour - why I am not sure. There is a lovely walkway right round one side of the stream, over a bridge, & back the other side. Lots of lovely ferns & bush, and at the end a lovely big stand of redwood trees. Some had just been pruned, & I was lucky enough to find a small piece of the timber which I thought would be a nice memento, then discovered it was the shape of a face - even better! The spring head is fascinating, and there were 3 young lads, (tourists) trying to swim down into the large hole from which the water erupts. It was only 10 deg in the water, so they were very keen. The force of the water would not allow them to go down very far, but they were having a lot of fun trying. Naturally the camera came into action again. They don't call me Paparazzi Jan for nothing. Next day was spent cycling a track round the town side of the lake, which was great. It passed a bird nesting site just offwhore with hundreds of seagulls and their chicks. The adults didn't make us feel very welcome I'm afraid. Very protective. Lots of little thermal areas round the edge of the lake as well which was very interesting. All in all we really enjoyed Rotorua more than we have before probably because we had more time to explore. Visited the Blue Lake & walked right round, then visited the Buried Village which was really interesting & a lovely spot, with a walk to a lovely little waterfall. Drove out as far as Lake Tarawera. 
