"Pokarekare ana Nga wai o Rotorua" - ROTORUA, New Zealand

Advantages: Somewhere very diiferent, Maori culture, boiling mud and geysers
Disadvantages: the smell was a little off putting, Maori evening was awful

...ROTORUA: Rotorua is on the North island of New Zealand almost in the middle about three hours drive from Auckland and six from Wellington. We stayed at the Sudima Hotel right beside Lake Rotorua and as we got off the bus the interesting sulphur smell of Rotorua greeted us. It is quite a strong rotten egg sort of smell that gets in to everywhere. I didn?t find it too revolting but others in our group found it very over powering and complained constantly that it even pervaded the air-conditioning in the rooms. The town is quite small enough to walk around the main sights, the lovely steaming lake and the park alongside it and all the way to Ohinemutu. On our first evening we went to the Tamika Maori evening ( see separate review on this one) TE PUIA ? THE NEW ZEALAND MAORI ARTS AND CRAFTS INSTIRUTE: The next day we were up...

catsholiday 03.10.2009 (05.10.2009) · Read review
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Review of Rotorua, New Zealand

Adrenaline packed activities, bubbling mud pools & eggy smells!

Advantages: Packed with activities and sights, can never get bored
Disadvantages: Not much to see or do in town, stinks of rotten eggs

...When visiting New Zealand, Rotorua is a must for any adventure or adrenaline junkie. There is so much to see and do you will never get bored and a few days here just isn't enough. As well as being known for all the adrenaline packed activities on offer, Rotorua is also known for its geothermal activity. There are many mud pools located in random places throughout the city and many hotels and hostels have bubbling hot pools that you can take a dip in. One thing that you will notice as soon as you get into Rotorua is the occasional rise of steam coming from the ground as well as the distinct smell of rotten eggs, from the sulphur which is in the geothermal spots. Don't let it put you off - it is disgusting and very strong in some areas but you soon get used to it. ~ White water rafting ~ Rotorua is home to the largest waterfall...

frankiefromings13 09.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Rotorua, New Zealand

Smells of eggs, but it's worth it!!

Advantages: Great unique place to see!
Disadvantages: Smella of eggs!!

...Roturua in the North Island of New Zealand is well worth a visit, full of many wonders from thermal lakes, mud pools, geysers and for the adventurous among you white water rafting and Zorbing. Be warned however with all the thermal activity comes a pungent smell of egg! Not the most pleasant thing to wake up to into the morning but you kind of get used to it after a while, not sure if that is a good or bad thing! The only downside to Rotorua I can think of is the fact that it is very spread out, you can take buses to the main activities but this cost $10 a ride, myself and a friend decided to hire a car for the day and this was brilliant as it meant we could see a lot more and at our own pace. Hiring a car cost about $70 for the day between us. Accommodation in Rotorua is plentiful, we stayed in a backpackers hostel as we...

LIZKEMPO 01.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Rotorua, New Zealand

Breathtaking New Zealand!!!!

Advantages: Great Scenery, lots to do
Disadvantages: long bus rides to see the whole area

...New Zealand is the youngest country on earth, it was the last major landmass to be discovered. Its history has both Maori and European heritage. There are still amazing Maori historic sites to be found some dating back almost a thousand years. When I visited New Zealand in July I decided to take an organised tour as I had limited time. I travelled with a group of other like minded travellers and we were transported around on a bus with two tour leaders who gave us loads of information along the way. They organised my accommodation and recommended tours to go on in each place we visited. Also most meals were included. The tour overall cost me The Advantages on taking a Connections Tour • It took hassle out of having to navigate and plan the trip. • You travelled with like minded travellers. • Were recommended...

DeniseKelly40 13.09.2007 (14.09.2007) · Read review
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Review of General: New Zealand

  Tamaki Hangi - on electric firepit ! Tamaki Concert & Hangi Eve

Advantages: None that I can think of
Disadvantages: Embarressing, awful food, too crowded, dagerous driving

...MAORI HANGI EVENING IN ROTORURA: We were in two minds as to whether to do this trip or not but as our time in New Zealand was limited and this seemed to be the only opportunity to learn about the Maori culture and experience a real hangi we decided that we would pay the price and take the trip. To see what we could learn about the Maori people. I had eaten hangi meals in Australia when I lived there and really enjoyed the experience of food cooked in fire pits. So I persuaded my other half to come on the trip despite the fact tha we usually avoid forced ?meet the native? experiences. THE COLLECTION: The bus with a Maori lady driver collected us at 7pm from our hotel. She insisted that we called the bus a waka which is Maori for any form of transport. The guide /driver was a total nutter and spent half the time gesturing with one hand...

catsholiday 05.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Tamaki Maori Village, Rotorua, New Zealand

A must visit in New Zealand - Rotorua

Advantages: Centre of Maori history and many other great value tourist attractions
Disadvantages: The smell of sulpher (bad eggs) in town centre

...in the price of the room. Budget to luxury accommodation, restaurants, cafes and bars are plentiful considering the population of the town, but there is only limited shopping. This is not the area to go if you are looking for high street shops, although there are many shops selling New Zealand made goods. Rotorua has the highest population of Maoris and is the best area to learn about the history of the native people. There are many tours that offer cultural nights, I personally recommend "Tamaki Tours", which takes you off into the forest at night to wine and dine you with traditionally cooked food (a hungi) and put on a fabulous display of the "HAKA" and other past times. Rotorua caters for people of all ages and the combination of forests, rivers and lakes makes the offer of such a wide range of activities possible. For thrill...

mslee 19.09.2003 · Read review
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Review of Bay of Plenty & East Cape (New Zealand)

New Zealand now has a small peice of my heart!

Advantages: Amazing country!1
Disadvantages: Weather unpredictable

...New Zealand is such an amazing country I have truly fallen in love with it! After 6 weeks of traveling the North and the South Island I fill very happy that I covered most of what this country has to offer. I am going to give a brief over view of New Zealand as I am planning some more in depth reviews about each place. I hope this will give you an idea of how long you need in each place, the highlights and the best advice for getting around etc Traveling around New Zealand: There are many options available to you, camper vans and cars are the best way as you get to create your own journey stopping along the way from place to place, just make sure you get a good guide book so you know where to go etc. I don't drive so I opted to go with magic bus Tours which is a hop on hop off bus service, Magic bus where the cheapest option...

LIZKEMPO 02.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of General: New Zealand

Christchurch - a little piece of England in New Zealand

Advantages: Beautiful city
Disadvantages: Not very Kiwi

...Christchurch is in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island and is the largest city on this island. Like the North Island's Auckland, it is a key arrival point and hub for international travellers. Christchurch is situated close to the East coast and to the West lie the immense flat sweeps of the Canterbury plains. These vast plains feel flat, even to me, a native of East Anglia. Their main use is farmland and they require regular wind blocks of tall fences of trees to stop the topsoil from blowing away. Named by the after Oxford's Christ Church (a college that one of the Canterbury Association went to), it was a colony sponsored by the Church of England about 150 years ago. Even today, the city centre has an extremely British in feel to it and even has a river Avon upon which you can go punting!The centre itself has...

beckyXX 03.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Christchurch - New Zealand

New Zealand - a great experience!

Advantages: Beautiful scenery, friendly people, fantastic!
Disadvantages: Long way away from anywhere, weather (sometimes!!)

...My first impressions of New Zealand were what a beautiful country it is! With a population of around 4 million in total, it is very untouched and natural, and even though Europeans moved in they still keep a lot of the Maori names and I got the feeling they respect their predecessors, a lot more so than Australia with the Aboriginal people. It is actually located across 2 of the earth's tectonic plates so earthquakes are frequent (although severe ones are very rare so don't let this put you off visiting!) and you can see how the ice age, glaciers and volcanoes have shaped the environment with the abundant mountains, lakes and glaciers. With lush green grass due to the large amount of annual rainfall, this really is a wonderful place to visit if you like to be outdoors and enjoy scenery. With a UK passport, you do not need a visa if...

Allyalcock 10.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of General: New Zealand

Flying Air New Zealand - they got me there in reasonable comfort

Advantages: Friendly, good luggage allowance, friendly staff
Disadvantages: More expensive than many

...Air New Zealand are towards the upmarket end of the non-luxury airlines. Reliable and professional, they aren't by any means the cheapest, but the Economy class is comfortable, the service excellent and gets you where you need to go. Book well in advance for the cheapest fares - if you decide to go at the last minute like we did, it's pricy (around 1700 pounds if you book 2 weeks before you go). When I went to New Zealand in April 2009, I flew economy class with Air New Zealand. Our route took us from Heathrow to Auckland via Hong Kong, with the return journey starting in Queenstown and a stopover in Los Angeles. My first encounter with the staff was at the checkin desk in Heathrow. The staff there were polite and friendly. They had an additional member of staff in the queue verifying that we all knew about the new requirements...

beckyXX 12.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Air New Zealand - ANZ