Tongariro to Rotorua

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Originally uploaded by bpelley.

Well, plans change with the weather, and ours had to be changed for today, unfortunately. One of the best hikes on the north island is the Tongariro Crossing, a one day hike over volcanic terrain with incredible views of the Tongariro National Park. It's part of a 4-day Great Walk. Weather today was not so good, though, very cloudy and threatening rain. We arrived a little later than we'd hope to, and decided today was not the day for a crossing.

We made our way to Rotorua, a city with a bit of an odor issue due to all the hot springs and geysers around it. We also managed to visit one of the Maori cultural centers, with fantastic bubbling pools of mud and geysers. Our camper stay was enlivened by one of many trampolines we'd seen on our trip, thankfully no one was injured (today).