A Rotorua Dawn

Red-Billed Gulls

Waking

On Sulphur Flat

Lake Rotorua June 2010 Ajr

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

Autumn

A Shuffle of Leaves

Autumn

A Rotorua Street

May 2009. Ajr

StreetscapeNZ - 37

Town Centre

Rotorua April 2009. Ajr

From the Food Files

Rotorua. May 2009. Ajr

Pre-dinner nibbles at Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort's

Mokoia Restaurant, Rotorua

www.waioraresort.co.nz

Perfect Pools

Image courtesy Polynesian Spa, Rotorua. 2009.

Lakeside Rotorua

@

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

Billboard of the Week

Rotorua May 2009 Ajr

As seen on the rear of a backpacker bus this afternoon in Rotorua

A Small Piece of Luxury

This is what's called taking understatement to the extreme.

A tiny photo of the very gorgeous

Treetops Lodge & Estate

Nestled into a native bush reserve on the outskirts of Rotorua.

The perfect perfect hideaway.

http://www.treetops.co.nz/

A New Twist on Maori Food

Food by Charles Royal. Photo supplied.

Maori chef, Charles Royal is big on giving Maori food a contemporary twist and you can pick his brains if you indulge yourself in a Wild Food & Wine Retreat at Rotorua’s luxurious Treetops Lodge and Wilderness Estate – a divine retreat set in an 800-year-old virgin forest. Book Charles in advance and he’ll take you on a Maori indigenous food trail around the estate and you’ll sample kawakawa tea and damper bread with flaxseed and pikopiko pesto. Charles has created his own brand of wild herbs - Kinaki – and they’re put to good use in the Treetops kitchens. Check out www.maorifood.com for more information on Charles and the Kinaki range

Tamatekapua - Another View

Here's another view of the Ohinemutu Maori Village meeting house, Tamatekapua I mention below.

Maori Carving at its Best

Carving, Ohinemutu, Rotorua. 2007. Ajr

Thinking of Rotorua yesterday (when I wrote, below, about Treetops Lodge), I was prompted to think of another of my favourite Rotorua places - Ohinemutu Maori Village. It's home to the historic Tamatekapua meeting house (above), the very beautiful St Faith's Church and a whole lot of stunning Maori carving, as illustrated in the exquiste and gigantic 'totem' here. What makes this place even more fascinating, is that the village sits right on the edge of Lake Rotorua amid a flurry of natural, steaming, hissing thermal vents. You can wander through the tight little network of narrow streets and see steaming rising from lawns, pavements and roadsides.

Going Bush

Treetops Lodge & Wilderness Estate, Rotorua. Photos supplied by Navigate Oceania Collection.

The last time I stayed at Treetops Lodge near Rotorua it was mid-winter 2005 and I had the entire lodge to myself. I was half way through writing the 4th edition of Frommers New Zealand and when I drove down the long, bush-lined driveway, it felt like I was driving into the depths of a Lord of the Rings set. That’s the beauty of Treetops – it feels like it’s a million miles from anywhere, yet it’s just 30 minutes from central Rotorua. Mind you, once you’re tucked up in one of the luxurious bush-clad suites, there’s almost NO inclination to go anywhere. I know I was hoping everyone would forget I was there! It’s one of my favourite New Zealand lodges. www.treetops.co.nz www.navigateoceania.com

Meet the People - 19

Dressed for the social side of Trenz 2007. Photo supplied.

Another in the series Meet the People - Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders Doing Interesting Things - Justine Southwick never imagined that she would ever live in Rotorua but now that she is, she’s loving it. And as the Media Advisor for Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing she gets plenty of chance to explore the area – in between organising itineraries for visiting international and domestic media, hosting and generally spreading the good word about Rotorua. When she’s not doing all that, she’s maintaining the Media pages of Rotorua Tourism’s terrific website – http://www.rotoruanz.com/ . In her down time she loves exploring the Redwood Memorial Grove, where magnificent 60-metre (200-foot) high Californian Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), planted in 1901, add a magic quality to part of the Whakarewarewa Forest; and with so many lakes at her disposal, swimming and boating are also on the agenda. “I’ve travelled extensively overseas and I think Rotorua combines the best of what you get overseas without the negatives. It doesn’t have the centuries-old European history of England but it has a fascinating past nonetheless. It’s easy to get around and it isn’t vastly over-crowded like Asia. There’s so much to do here too – no matter what you’re into. The locals are friendly and we don’t have snakes and poisonous spiders like they do in Australia. It’s a pretty hard place to beat!” www.rotoruaNZ.com

Te Puia Carvings

Te Puia carvings, Rotorua 2007. Ajr

These are four carvings I photographed at Te Puia in Rotorua last year. One of New Zealand’s major attractions, Te Puia opened its revamped facility last year. One of its most striking features is the magnificent sculpture Te Heketanga a Rangi, which forms the entrance to the complex. It features twelve beams reaching skyward, each decorated with an intricate carving. These represent the realm of the Supreme Being from which all things spiritual and physical originated. www.tepuia.com

Mysterious Mists

Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, Rotorua. 2007. Ajr

There is always something misty and mysterious about Rotorua’s Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland early in the morning. I captured these magical shafts of light slipping through manuka trees last year when I visited during my Frommers NZ travels.

Steaming Successes

Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, 2007. Ajr

I was just putting these photographs of some of Rotorua’s prettiest geothermal attractions together when, in the synchronititous nature of things, I received a press release from Destination Tourism Rotorua Marketing telling me about the launch of their stand-alone Spanish language website – the fourth in their foreign language sites after the launch of their Chinese, Japanese and Korean sites in 2007. They’re planning a French site for later this year. In the meantime, one of their major tourist attractions – and one of my all-time favourites - Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, is still busy doing its thing. The russet-edged Champagne Pool (bottom right) is probably one of the most photographed volcanic attractions in the world but I like the brilliant yellow of the sulphur circles and the hissing, steaming fuss that the Lady Knox Geyser makes. If you’re a keen photographer, early morning is the best time to get there, just as the sun is coming through the trees. You can get some crazy ethereal lighting effects as the light hits the steam. www.rotoruanz.com www.geyserland.co.nz