January 6, 1992
To Rotorua
This was our seventh consecutive 100k day, and even though the ride was fairly undemanding, we were both quite leg weary by the end and ready for a day off.
The first 50k were basically flat, with neutral winds. We took a tea break about midway through this stretch, at the only town around. The second half of the day's ride was through quite pretty terrain - past a series of three good sized lakes, after rising over a rather long saddle through attractive native bush. We stopped for a picnic by the second lake to rest up for the final push - a climb over the last ridge before Rotorua, followed by a long descent to the lake. At the top we paused to visit a thermal area, Hell's Gate. The walking path meandered through an intriguing series of mudpots, boiling pools, sulfur deposits, small geysers and steaming crevices; but the sight that attracted us the most was a resplendent peacock which spread its fan right in front of us.
After coasting to the lake we still faced another 10k to Rotorua, along a busy, rough-surfaced, unappealing highway. We were both quite spent when we arrived in midafternoon. Fortunately we had no problems finding lodging - we stayed at a backpacker facility in the center of town, within easy walking distance to several attractions. We booked in for two nights, anticipating a full day off of our bikes. The room itself had a few strange features - most noteably, it opened onto a courtyard which was a social watering hole, and we were kept awake until fairly late on the first evening by a boistrous, rather alcoholic party.
After settling in we wandered out to find a meal and explore the town a bit. We settled on an Indian restaurant and enjoyed one of the finer meals of the trip. The dishes were all delicious, but most memorable was Rachael's discomfort after adding too much of a very hot sauce on the appetizer, and for our confusion waiting for the bill. It was after this restaurant that the suspicion finally began to settle in on us that in New Zealand the bill is not brought to the table. even by the time we left the country, I was still not certain that we had found the correct procedure for escaping a restaurant.
After dinner we walked over to the Government Gardens for a very relaxing and enjoyable spell in their heated pools. This was quite an interesting facility to visit - the bathhouse itself is a beautiful, well preserved mock tudor spa built very early in the century. It was originally envisioned as a destination health spa to which Europeans would flock by the thousands to be restored by its magical waters, exotic treatments and specialized care. Unfortunately the envisioned crowds never arrived - the distances and the difficulty in travel to New Zealand in the early twentieth century were too great for the required numbers.
Outside the bathhouse were immaculately kept grounds serving as bowling greens and croquet fields. The inside had been converted to public spas and a museum focusing on the nearby lakes and thermal areas. Of particular interest to me were diary exptracts from the depression years (coinciding with our own great depression) and of the eruption of Mt Tarawere in 1886, which destroyed the 'pink and white terraces', and internationally famous scenic destination.
Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 1,241 miles (1,997 km)
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