About a 4 hour drive from Auckland is the lake city township of Rotorua known for its natural warm fountains. But, before get there let me take through the world of the Waitomo caves. Waitomo is a Maori word made up of two parts. 'Wai' which translates as water and 'tomo' which means entrance or hole. Waitomo can be translated as the 'stream which flows into the hole in the ground'. This meaning is reflected through its fantastic geological history and landscape. The Waitomo caves are formed due to the erosions caused by the flowing water of the Waitomo river. Once the caves were formed, stalactites, stalagmites and other cave decorations began to grow. Water dripping from the roof or flowing over walls leaves behind a deposit of limestone crystal which sets as hard as concrete.
Legend has it that if the water dripping through the ceiling falls on your head, its considered a sign of goodluck.
But the main magnet that attracts millions of visitors to these caves is the glow worm, Arachnocampa luminosa, which is unique to New Zealand.Thousands of these tiny creatures radiate their unmistakable luminescent light which gives the impression of a beautiful starry night to the eyes inside the cave.
A must see!!
After the amazing glow worm its time to move to our ultimate destination for today - Rotorua. The moment you enter this tiny village you are greeted by the vast and picturesque lake of Rotorua. The sight from the banks of this lake during sunset with the ducks and swans swimming is absolutely divine.
A geyser is hot shower which shoots up from the earth's surface. It has a lot of medicinal properties due to its high sulphur content. There are a number of such hot fountains to look out for in Rotorua.
A trip to the spa to take a bath in one of the natural sulphur pools is an absolutely relaxing experience; a little expensive but totally worth it as the sulphur water pools have a backdrop of the stunning views of the lake which is therapeutic in itself.
Rotorua has a lot of adventure sports to offer but the one which is unique to this place is zorbing. In simple terms, you are put into a huge rubber ball filled with water and just thrown off a mountain. And trust me the bouncy experience is totally worth the money. :).
The road which leads to Zorbing from Rotorua has a sheep farm called the Agrodome further down the same path where sheep rearing is exhibited. But it was so not worth the drive. Frankly, my parent thought that our Indian Circuses are better than the sheep rearing show that they put up!!! :D
But, all in all Rotorua is a super cute place to go to for a short romantic getaway. You could stir up romance with a nice hand in hand walk through its tiny lanes ravishing the rich creamy ice-creams from one its local dairies or spend an absolutely divine sunset by the lake.
I'm sure you'll love it....
So until the Maori destination, ta...
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