Bay of Plenty – isn’t that a name brimful of promise! With a few days to go in North Island, Roy and I headed south in our Nissan Tiida rental from Auckland to Rotorua, less than 300km away. For some unknown reason, he made the unilateral decision to spend one night in Hamilton on the way there, and another on the way back to Auckland.
Overnight in Hamilton
I reckon the world can be divided into two groups: (a) those who are quite happy with a quick shower, and (b) those, like me, who love, need, have to soak in a bath. Not necessarily every day, but at least several times a week. The bigger, the better… and if it bubbles, I’m in heaven. In short, spas make me happy.
So, when Roy casually remarked that our room at Hotel Atrium on Ulster in Hamilton (NZ195) had a private cedar spa bath, I had a good feeling about the place. In fact, I could hardly drag myself away from the hot bubbles to go shopping at Max at Centre Place shopping centre – but needs must when, like me, you have absolutely nothing to wear.
I can also recommend The Helm Bar & Kitchen for dinner, especially as it’s less than a 900m walk from the hotel; but if you’re prepared to take a taxi, or not to have a drink, there are plenty of good restaurants – hotel owner Bianka particularly recommended Victoria Street Bistro.
The Polynesian Spa, Rotorua
When I asked my friend Julie Wood in Auckland what to do in Rotorua (the list of potential activities is endless), she said: “Visit Wai-o-Tapu, have dinner at Eat Streat and go to The Polynesian Spa.” So that’s exactly what we did.
Located just across the pretty Government Gardens, a 10-minute walk from our hotel, The Princes Gate, The Polynesian Spa was established in 1972, but the history of this place as a therapeutic facility goes way back to 1878.
The later in the day, the fuller it gets, so booking our outstanding 60-minute Swedish massage ($165 each) for 12 noon was a good thing. The idea is to arrive a least an hour beforehand in order to loll around in the mineral-rich waters of the five hot Lakeside Pools (included in the price).
Our swimsuits retained the whiff of rotten eggs for two or three washes, but it was well worth it. Mercifully, the Lakeside Pools are for adults only; there’s a Family Spa area for the short, noisy people.
From the Priest Pool especially (one of the five pools that range from 39 to 42 degrees Centigrade), you gaze across Rotorua Lake while soaking up the therapeutic salt and other minerals in the water. Can you believe that people complain endlessly on TripAdvisor about the seagulls?
Built as a bath house in the early 20th century, the gorgeous Rotorua Museum of Art and History at the far end of the Government Gardens is closed indefinitely for earthquake safety assessment (or something like that).
Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland
Over the years at Expat Living magazine, I’ve subbed several articles on this geothermal national treasure – and other similar ones in this area of NZ – but like many unusual travel experiences, words (“surreal”, “other-worldly”) or even pictures fail to convey the feeling of the place.
You have to see its spurting geysers, bubbling mud pools and steaming craters to believe it.
And please, ignore the TripAdvisor complaints about the rotten-egg smell of the hydrogen sulphide emissions. One genius even took issue with the fact that the Mud Pool (free to view) was located two minutes away from Wai-o-Tapu itself – evidently a grave error on the part of Mother Nature.
It’s $32.50 a head to enter Wai-o-Tapu, and – considering we spent at least two hours there – well worth it. On the day of our visit, the well-marked 3km loop wasn’t too busy at all.
