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Float Plane Over Rotorua

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Rotorua is a huge adventure city with lots of activities to kick up your adrenalin.  But in the end we only had a day and a half in this fun city.  We decided take a float plane over Rotorua, do the Redwood Tree Swing bridge walk and spend a few hours at Polynesia Spa.

Float Plane

Volcanic Air  set us up on a DHC-3 De Havilland Otter.  Our captain, Callum gave us really great commentary during our 35 minute flight.

Our take off point is just off of Lake Rotorua where we have less than 1′ depth at the departure point.  It is a very shallow lake that is a bright green from the algae bloom.

We pass by Nokia Island which is a protected island full of dozens of New Zealand birds.

More beautiful shots of Lake Rotorua.

The bottom left photo is a picture of Rotorua.

Volcano Fly Over

Callum flew us over the Mount Tarawere Volcano.  At first it just looked like a vast dry area, but as we got closer and flew over the crevice you could clearly see the volcano.

The colors around the volcano are spectacular.   The last time it erupted in 1886 and was the largest and most destructive event in New Zealand’s history.

There are lots of amazing bike tracks and hiking trails all over the mountainsides of Rotorua.

The top photo is Sulfur Bay which has a white layer spread across the top.  The lower left photo is of the frying pan and Inferno lake.  The Frying Pan is the worlds largest hot spring and Inferno Lake is crystal clear blue water.  The lower right is a beautiful new tree farm.

We return over Lake Rotorua and head back to “base.”  But just before we get there we fly over a large logging company.  Luckily, NZ forces them to plant new trees to make up for some of the trees they log.

It was a really cool experience to fly in a float plane.  A first for all of us.  We had super calm winds and weather conditions were good.  Our pilot was super experienced and informed us of Rotorua’s history and geographical high points.  Super fun experience.

Events from this blog occurred around mid-March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual events.  Did you check out our last blog post on the geothermal pools?

Bye Bye Bertie

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My father, Bertie, passed away in early June after fighting colo-rectal cancer for over five years.  He was a fierce and stubborn man who went out on his own terms surrounded by family and loved ones.  I was blessed enough to be able to spend several weeks with him this year (3 weeks in February, 3 weeks in March and a few days in June before he passed).  

My sister and I organized a lovely celebration of life.  We started out with a simple, but loving ceremony at St. Cross Episcopal Church. 

We all walked over to Kimberly’s house where we had a beautiful lunch catered for everyone.  We put together these fun and fabulous collages and Kimberly created the stunning floral bouquets. 

We had cousins attend that we have not seen in decades.  It was so much fun getting to know them again.

More friends and family

A few hours after the luncheon, immediate family headed to Long Beach.  We boarded The Angels Ashes boat called Orion and headed out into the bay.  We scattered his ashes in a sea of rose petals.

Slowly the tide took both the ashes and petals out to sea where hopefully my dad will protect us on our sailing journey.

Afterward, the Konis family and I went to have dinner at the Yard House.

A Time for Reflection

My good friend Kathryn took me to the Huntington Library.  They are famous for their amazing rose garden (my dad loved roses).  Also known as Bertie’s buds.

On the grounds they have beautiful bridges, sculptures, and nooks to hang out and reflect.

They also had gorgeous Chinese and Japanese gardens that too our breaths away.

It was a long and heartbreaking few weeks after he passed.  I know that is he is in a much better place, is no longer suffering, and is free.  But my selfish side just breaks.  I am so grateful for the time we had together.  I will miss you dad, aka Bertie.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  This blog posts occurred in early June.

Orakei Korako Geothermal Pools

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We visit Orakei Korako Geothermal pools where we see geysers, hot springs, and bubbling mud pools.  After seeing the Craters of the Moon we did not have high expectations, but were we wrong.  

We arrive at the facility where we watch a short video then board the small boat to cross the lake.  You can see the small boat in the top photo right side and the geothermal grounds are across the way by the trees.

Immediately we are hit with a very strong sulfur smell and higher temperatures.  But what surprised us the most were the absolutely stunning colors.

The Hochstefter Cauldron on the lower right corner was the first geyser we came to.  We then passed by the devil’s throat and a few other spectacular bubbling pools and smaller geysers.

Next we passed by the Golden Fleece White Paint Scrap which looks like a little snow mound.   The top right corner shows you the Artists Palette which really does fit its name. As we continue down the trail we pass by several boiling mud pools and lots of quiet steam baths.

The Path around the Geothermal Pools

We climb 90 stairs to see the Ruatapu Cave which had steam shooting all the way to the top of the roof of the cave.  It is amazing to me to see the vast fields of hot springs and then you turn the corner and are in beautiful forests and gardens.  

As you can probably tell, we were all captivated by the Orakei Korako Geothermal pools.  The cost was $45NZD which includes the boat ride and it is well worth the money!

I sat and watched this one geyser for 15 minutes hoping for the wind to blow the steam sideways to expose the vent and I finally got it!

Really impressed by the beauty of these geothermal pools.  So much more color, vibrancy, and activity than the Craters of the Moon.  Truly awe inspiring.

Events from this blog post occurred in mid-March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  We visit the spectacular Huka Falls in our last blog post so be sure to check it out.