Tag Archives: Rotorua

Travelogue: Rotorua

I really want to know, what would possess a country to build a city over a geothermal hotspot that makes the entire place smell of rotten eggs?  And then make that city a tourist super center?

So far, Rotorua has been the low point of my trip.  Take some foul smells, mix in bad traffic jams (the only traffic jams I’ve seen in New Zealand), subtract out parking spaces, sprinkle with a boatload of tourists, and add a library that charges for wifi on top, and you’ve got Rotorua.
Rotorua - thermal vent

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Travelogue: North Island, New Zealand

From Auckland, I found a travel mate (Juan, 29, from Costa Rica), rented a campervan, and set off on a 38-day tour of New Zealand, starting with the North Island!  Renting a campervan is quite cheap too – When I get more time, I’ll do a business analysis on the costs of traveling by campervan.

On the North Island, we first toured Northland, the northernmost bit of the north island, looping along the Twin Coast Discovery Highway.  Upon returning to Auckland, we drove south and saw some tourist attractions along the Thermal Explorer Highway, before finally heading down to the capital of New Zealand – Wellington.
NZ North Island - vantage point portrait

My route plotted on Google Maps!

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