A Quiet Visual Moment - With Water

Photo Courtesy Polynesian Spa, Rotorua

Relaxing at Rotorua's famous Polynesian Spa.

And I can think of no better place to do just that!

www.polynesianspa.co.nz

Soak, Steam, Spa

Images Courtesy Polynesian Spa, Rotorua

I never tire of Rotorua's Polynesian Spa - that luxurious, steaming retreat on the edge of Lake Rotorua where I have enjoyed numerous soothing soaks to ease weary muscles. The complex now has 27 pools, including 13 delicious private pools, several of which open directly onto the lakefront, so you can lie back and watch the natural geothermal steam rising off the opposite lake edge. The pools, especially the Priest Spa shown in the bottom image, are famous for their curative effects for ailments like arthritis and rheumatism - or just your plain old sore muscles from too much sightseeing or exercise. www.polynesianspa.co.nz

Perfect Pools

Image courtesy Polynesian Spa, Rotorua. 2009.

Lakeside Rotorua

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Polynesian Spa

www.polynesianspa.co.nz

A Therapuetic Indulgence

Images courtesy of Polynesian Spa, Rotorua When you're basking in the divine outdoor pools at Rotorua's Polynesian Spa looking out over the sulphur terraces, it's easy to forget that you're there for work, that you're soaking aches and pains in the name of business. And now that I'm back home in the freezing cold south, I'd give anything to be right back there, up to my neck in 40-degree thermal water soaking my sore typing arm. Recognised by Conde Naste Traveller, as one of the Top 10 Mineral and Thermal Spas in the World in 2004, 2007 and 2009, it's one of my most recommended travel highlights in New Zealand. The first time I visited a few years back, I allowed them to smear me in thermal mud and wrap me (naked but for the mud) in cling-wrap in the name of therapeutic remedies. I was then buried in towels and left alone to sweat - and to consider the fate of the average chicken. Frankly, it felt more like being trussed up for the baking dish. The spa itself though, is a lovely orchid-filled spot best ventured into after you've softened up all your muscles in the outside pools. www.polynesianspa.co.nz