Rotorua Area

From there we drove a big leg for us down through Auckland in the rain and to the Coromandel peninsula, where we camped in the Kaurango valley in quite a remote spot... It was pretty scenic but we were up early complaining about the van and the uneven cushions and the collapsing bed. We got it fixed at a local garage – they were really helpful – and then we went to hospital to get Jenni's poorly shoulder looked at. This was probably caused by falling through the bed at 3am!! The bed was just collapsing every few hours and was getting stupid.

The hospital was pretty effective and also free. Jenni got a sling and told to take some tablets as she strained her deltoids. Nothing serious though.

We took a drive to Kiwi country and made it to Maketu in the Bay of Plenty. Stayed at a really nicely located camp site right on the water's edge. The facilities were pretty skanky though which was a shame, as the location was great. We only had a day there before heading to Rotorua.

Rotorua was a bit stinky upon arrival, but based around lakes and mountains and volcanoes it was very pretty. The i-site was easy to find and helped us find somewhere to stay – the Malone's Motel – Korean run, spa bath in every room and nicely set out. Pretty good value. We made use of the bath on both days we stayed, saw the Okere falls and the whitewater rafts going along there. We took a drive to the Green and Blue lakes (they weren't so coloured that we wanted to photo them) and to Lake Terawera which was also very pretty.

Lake Rotorua in town is basically the top of a volcano, the crater being the lake, and reminded me of the film with Tommy Lee Jones – Volcano – where the lake water started bubbling and erupting! The hotels can all have spa baths as there's basically a free supply of hot water under the ground.

We met up with relatives from the UK – Helen, Alison and her husband, Dave, and their son. It was a nice bit of lunch and a good chance to catch up with them, so someone from home has seen us in the flesh! We just relaxed in the afternoon and made full use of the spa bath...

We weren't going far, so mini golf then supply shopping before heading out for Waikite valley, another thermal area. We got to the associated camp site with the hot springs and got our spot. I napped as I was bushed, but later on went to the pools. They were well up near 40 degrees, lovely and hot. I spent about an hour going from pool to pool, relaxing and watching the clouds go by and the countryside. So very relaxing. And hot, I was glowing for a couple of hours afterwards!