Sometimes it’s easy to miss the little things that make a place what it is. We get caught up in the excitement and don’t take a minute to stop and enjoy everything that’s right there in front of us.
In the geothermal region north of Lake Taupo, Rotorua is by far the most well known and popular destination. We had spent the previous night in the Mangakino Recreation Reserve on Lake Maraetai; a beautiful little campground looking out over one of the many lakes fed by the Waikato River. It was now time to leave and continue our travels around the north island. Rather than proceed directly to Rotorua though, we had something a little better in mind, and decided to explore some of the often-overlooked hidden gems that lay in the 72 km between the lake and the town.
Our first stop was not far away, and following the river upstream we soon arrived at Whakamaru dam. The dam sits between a lake and the river, separating the two with a huge drop that divides the calm still water from above with the energetic fast flowing water below. It’s an impressive concept. That’s it though... just the concept, because in reality Whakamaru dam is... well we won’t be rushing back there in a hurry, let’s just leave it at that.
“The lake is quite nice. The water is perfectly still and you can see the reflection of surrounding trees and mountains. On the other hand, that is a view you can get in many other places around New Zealand.”
Luckily it wasn’t far out of the way. We didn’t stay long and heading towards Rotorua again, we took our second detour to the east shore of Lake Ohakuri. Its home to a secluded little spot known as Paradise Creek Hot Pool. It’s a small spot at the edge of a lake where hot water is brought in from a pipe.
When we arrived we had mixed feelings at first. The lake looks nice but not very inviting on a day that’s only fairly warm. You have to walk through some cold water before getting to the hot area, as there is a drop around the edge where the pipe feeds the lake. We dipped our toes in and the water felt warm but not hot - not too surprising given that we were still about 15 meters or so from the pipe. As we got to our ankles though the water turned cold, which is not something you would expect from a ‘hot pool’ but of course we eventually got to the pipe where the water was pleasantly warm as promised.
In the warm part, the water from the pipe falls into the lake and almost bounces up off the floor to different areas. You have to find a ‘sweet spot’ where there is just enough hot water flowing - too far or in the wrong place and the water is cold... too close and the water burns. It’s very different from the usual hot pools but the contrast between hot and cold parts is actually really nice, you just have to put a little effort into getting it right. For this reason we can see why there is so much conflict of opinion on Paradise Creek. On one hand it’s a little out of the way, and requires a little bit of patience to find a nice spot, but on the other, it doesn’t get busy; we had the whole place to ourselves, only seeing other people briefly while they passed in a boat.
The price you pay for the privacy is a long gravel road and having to find it yourself if using google maps - it won’t take you to the right place, and requires going another two hundred meters, then finding the sharp little turn that will take you directly to the edge of the lake where there is enough room to park just a few cars. (Not many people know about this)
Top tip: It’s a good idea to have your towels and dry clothes nearby as you’ll have to walk through the cold water again to leave.
Our last stop before arriving in Rotorua was Te Kopia Mud Pools. This is another free location that can be accessed via a quick 200 m walk from the side of the road. The pools are quite big but not suitable for swimming or bathing in... in fact the pools are so hot that the mud is boiling and can only be observed from the viewing platforms. The DOC has done a good job of making it impossible to get too near the pools, not that you’d want to get close to them anyway. If you want to see mud pools without having to pay for the experience then these should give you a taster, and because they are so quick and easy to get to, we recommend checking them out.
By this point we were starting to get used to the smell of sulphur, and finally made course for Rotorua. There are no free campsites for non self-contained vehicles in Rotorua so we paid for the night, opting to stay at a hostel instead of a campground so we could do some laundry and recharge all our devices. We chose to get our heads down in the Funky Green Voyager hostel and it was absolutely great.
Before the day wasn’t over yet - it was still light outside when we arrived at the hostel so we went straight out to squeeze another activity into the day. We had just enough time to visit the very well known Kuirau Park. This amazing collection of hot lakes and mud pools is a must-see in Rotorua. In 2003 there was an eruption in the park resulting in boiling mud being thrown 14 meters into the air and covering much of the ground. It’s since been cleared up and once again the park is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon.
Legend says that the park got it’s name from a young beautiful girl named Kuiarau. A long time ago when the water was cold she would bathe here. One day, the mythical creature Taniwha dragged her to his lair below the lake. This upset the gods who subsequently made the lakes boil to destroy Taniwha forever.
It’s likely you have seen photo’s of a giant steaming lake with a wooden bridge crossing over it, allowing visitors to walk through the clouds of steam. This is where the photo’s where taken. It’s an amazing sight and you won’t find anything similar anywhere else. The bridge is just a couple of feet above the almost-boiling water and looks incredible. It took us a little while to actually find the lake as we didn’t have a map but once we found it, we didn’t want to leave. (It’s in the north-east corner by the way, you’re welcome). We’re not sure if it was pure luck or the fact that it was late in the afternoon but once again, there were only a few people around when we arrived. The photo’s we got from the lake are great and we feel lucky to have them.
A little safety point: the water in all of the lakes at the park is incredibly hot and in some areas, literally boiling. Although the steam may make the water look inviting to some, don’t join those who have been badly injured or worse and stay out of the water. There have been many fatalities as a result of people jumping or slipping into the water so be extremely cautious near the lakes and mud pools.
Eventually driven by hunger we had to leave the park and return to the hostel, but not before taking as many photo’s as we possibly could. This is one of those places that will stay in your memory forever, it’s truly spectacular and definitely one of the best and unique things we have done in New Zealand so far.
There are two things we have learnt from our trip to Rotorua: firstly, the smell isn’t as bad as they say, and you’ll get used to it after a day. Secondly, we’re really glad we didn’t head straight for the town when we left Mangakino. It’s proved to us that it is always worth looking a little closer at the map, because you never know what you might find.
Up next: Another day in Rotorua
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