We woke up in a vineyard in Blenheim on the south island and would reach Rotorua in the north island by the evening. As the sun rose over the low green Marlborough hills, we marveled for a moment about how beautiful this place was. This reminded me of Napa.
The next day, we simply wandered around the Rotorua area to see the sights. We saw a large bubbling mud pool before relaxing at Kerosene Hot Springs. In Rotorua, we strolled Government Gardens. As we started a walk to Sulphur Point, we encountered some yellowed branches that looked odd. Then more and more. Had the sulphur of the lake turned them this way?
Regardless, it was haunting.
The lake was unbelievable. It’s a large lake made of a thick, white color with choppy waves and little islands on which seabirds nest. You could see the line of where the white sulpher ended and the blue of Lake Rotorua began. There were many seagulls, many of which are native to the area.
We strolled in the sun, taking pictures and learning about the area on little placards along the route.
Almost more amazing than Sulphur Lake was the black swan on the lake. I hadn’t seen one since Ireland, and it the contrast between the white lake and the dark feathers of the swan was stark. Then we encountered an entire FLOCK of black swans – that was cool.
