being a tourist Archives | Amiekay's Adventure

February 12, 2018February 21, 2018

Wonderful Wai-O-Tapu

Wai-O-Tapu is an attraction about 20 minutes outside Rotorua that bills itself as a “thermal wonderland.” The park features a number of attractions and sights caused by the volcanic activity in the area. But while it is full of some beautiful colors and unique landscapes, it is not necessarily a must-do in the region.

A day at Wai-O-Tapu begins early, as you have to get there by mid-morning if you want to see one of the park’s main attractions: the Lady Knox Geyser.

Lady Knox Geyser Crowds — A crowd gathers to watch the Lady Knox Geyser erupt at Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

Although the Lady Knox Geyser is not located in the Wai-O-Tapu park, the only way you can actually see it erupt is by buying the $32.50 NZD ticket into the park. So if you want to get your full money’s worth, make sure you get to the park early enough to see the geyser erupt, which only happens at 10:15 am sharp every day.

And why does it only happen at that time? Why is this geyser so predictable?

Well, because the park guides force it to erupt by putting soap in it.

A bit disappointing, isn’t it? While it is cool that you are guaranteed to see the geyser upon admittance into the park, this seems like a bit of a cheap trick.

Don’t get me wrong, the guides tell a neat tale sort of vindicating what they are doing. The story goes this: the geyser was discovered by prison inmates in the early 1900’s who were in the area clearing trees. When these prisoners found the hot water, they put soap into it to wash their clothes, making it erupt.

A view of the Lady Knox Geyser erupting, and a closer look at its artificial base

In addition to the eruption not being a natural phenomenon like say, Old Faithful in the States, the base of this geyser is also man-made. Rocks were placed at its base several years ago with the specific purpose of making the eruptions more intense. (The water can climb up to 20 meters or 65 feet high depending on the day and amount of soap.) Those rocks have since become coated with silica left behind from all the man-made eruptions.

That being said, it is fun to see, especially if you’re like me and have never seen a geyser erupt before. Just know you’re going to see more of a show than a naturally occurring phenomenon.

There is some good news, however, and that’s the attractions inside the park. These are not only completely natureal, but are far more vibrant, colorful and strange than the geyser.

A view of the Artist’s Pallet and Champagne Pool attractions at Wai-O-Tapu

It is these colorful pools and springs inside the park that give Wai-O-Tapu its name, which means “sacred waters” in Maori. From the radioactive green-colored Devil’s Bath to the refreshingly colored blue and oranges in the Champagne Pool, your eyes are in for a a treat that spans the colors of the rainbow. Like the official website says really you can “leave the filter at home.”

Devil's Pool Wai-O-Tapu — The radioactive green Devil’s Bath

Champagne Pool Wai-O-Tapu — Wai-O-Tapu’s famous Champagne Pool

All of the sights here are thanks to the park’s location inside a collapsed volcanic crater that was formed 230,000 years ago. The area is still active, and of course, like most of the attractions in Rotorua, smells like sulfur. While the smell is stronger than some areas of the park than others, the rotten egg smell is fairly prevalent for the whole 75 minutes it takes to see the park, so if this is something that is likely to bother you, I’d advise a nose plug, or at least waiting to eat your lunch until afterward.

Something else you should prepare for when visiting is the crowds. Wai-O-Tapu may be a natural series of sights, but it feels much like an amusement park. There are lines of people excited to catch a glimpse of the waterfalls or lakes just like there are lines and crowds waiting to get on Space Mountain. IT is an experience that I think is purely New Zealand; where else in the world would natural sights be akin to going to Disney Land?

Even the trees here are colored and feel radioactive thanks to a type of algae known as trentepohlia

Overall, I did enjoy my visit to Wai-O-Tapu and would recommend it to anyone who has the $33 NZD in their budget. However, if you have more time than money, I would advise you to skip it. You can see sights similar to the ones in the park throughout the region for free, they are just more spread out and require a bit of planning, driving, and hiking.

In addition to the geothermal attractions, you also get to spend a bit of time walking through native New Zealand bush

January 29, 2018February 21, 2018

Magic in Real-Life: New Zealand’s Glowworm Caves

Note: All Photos in this post courtesy of Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tours unless otherwise specified.

If Epcot ever gets a New Zealand pavilion, I already know what the ride should be: a quick sail through dark waters illuminated only by glow worms.

Let me explain. New Zealand is home to a lot of magnificent sites. From its many mountains to its hot springs, to its Lord of the Rings filming locations, there are a plethora of natural things to see and do here. And while I haven’t seen them all, I have seen quite a few, yet none of them have been as magical or as memorable as my time spent in Waitomo.

Waitomo is a small town on the North Island that has a population of about 50 people. However, its population grows by the thousands on any given day, as travelers from all over come here to see glowworm caves. Now, to be fair, glowworm is a nice name for the fly maggots that glow with bioluminescence in the area, but still, they are a really beautiful sight to behold.

A close-up of the magical glowworms in Waitomo

The many caves in the area are also where Waitomo gets its name. In Maori, the language of the native New Zealanders here, Waitomo is a combination of two words: “wai” or water, and “tomo” or hole. According to the town’s official tourism site, the combining of these words literally translates to “stream which flows into the hole in the ground.” It is these streams that provide the unique environment needed for the glowworms to grow and thrive.

Oh, and because this is New Zealand there was also a hike involved. Here’s a look at some of the limestone rocks that line the Waitomo countryside, and are responsible for the caves in the area (Photo by Amiekay)

There are a number of companies that run glowworm tours in Waitomo, including one that allows you to go rafting through the caves. However, because I went sort of unplanned, we had to call around and really just go with whichever tour would take us. This ended up being Spellbound, a private tour company who has access to caves outside of the town center. For Spellbound’s tour, we took a bit of a lengthy car ride through town, parks, and eventually a private farm. During this time, our comedic tour guide asked us silly questions like “if you were a cake, what kind of cake would you be?” to pass the time. He also told us a bit of history about the area, including the opening of sinkholes that would often result in the deaths of cows.

The tour we were on included a boat ride through a wet cave and a walking tour through a dry cave. Both are interesting and informative, but the first cave is far more spectacular. During this tour, not only are you treated to your first look at the glowworms but also you are given plenty of time for your eyes to adjust before getting into the boat. This means you see more glowworms more clearly.

A picture of the raft we took through the cave.

I have to be honest, the whole thing really felt like a ride at Disney World. It seemed totally unreal and completely out of a storybook, and I found that I had to repeatedly remind myself it was in fact, not only real life but also a natural phenomenon. Sure, the lights were being made by maggots but they are beautiful. (Our comedic tour guide also told us that the glowworms sometimes fall from the ceiling, but luckily this did not happen on my trip.)

After the boat ride, our tour stopped off for coffee and biscuits before heading to the dry cave. The dry cave is a little more traditional and features the tour guide explaining the difference between stalagmites and stalactites. However, there were some only in New Zealand moments. Including a close up look at the skeleton of a Moa bird, an ostrich-like animal that was killed off when the Maori arrived on the island hundreds of years ago. (We also were shown cave wetas and a huntsman spider, but I was a little less thrilled about those things.)

The skeleton of a young Moa that experts believe fell into the cave and died

Another skeleton we were shown, which our guide told us is the “most photographed dead cow” in New Zealand. I think he was joking… (Photo by Amiekay)

Overall, I have to say the glowworm caves are a must-see for anyone visiting New Zealand. While there are glowworms elsewhere in the world, the ones here are larger and more plentiful than anywhere else. And the tours aren’t expensive, either. Our entire tour cost $75 NZD and was 2 hours long, but some of the other tours cost as little as $35 NZD. Much cheaper than Disney World.

A look at what the glowworms looked like to the naked eye (Photo by Amiekay)

May 23, 2017February 25, 2018

Wellington Cable Car

One of the things I’ve been most looking forward to doing since moving to Wellington was riding the Cable Car. I don’t know why, but I find something enchanting about old school transportation. I went today and really enjoyed the experience!

A little background on the cable car: It has been running for over 100 years and is the only railway like it in New Zealand. The ride is just 5 minutes long and takes you from the busy streets of Lambton Quay to the quiet suburb of Kelburn. At the top, there are a few fun things to do including the Cable Car Museum, Botanic Gardens, Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary, and Space Place. There is no fee for the museum or the botanic gardens.

It was a bit chilly and windy when I went so I spent much of my time checking out the views and visiting the museum, but I have plans to take the trip again this weekend.

One of the more obvious views. However, this site alone is worth your ticket up in my opinion

When you get to the top of the mountain, make sure you take a walk around, or you’ll be missing quite a few unique views of the harbor and downtown. The obvious spots to take pictures are right by where the Cable Car lets you off, but if you walk just 5 minutes towards “Space Place,” there is another look out that isn’t too be missed. There is also a nice trail that way that takes you through the mountains, should you want to skip the botanical gardens.

The museum is small but manages to include what seemed like a day’s worth of reading on its walls. I would say the main attractions for me were the two older cars that used to run the tracks. The “Red Rattler” from the 1950s even had seats on the outside, which I found especially interesting; in addition to the obvious dangers of being on the outside, I also think it would be quite cold, given Wellington’s famous winds.

The “Red Rattler” car was used on the line between the 1950s and 1970s

The other car, from the early 1900’s was plain gorgeous. While it’s missing the now-iconic red hue, the victorian design and colors are quite charming.

“Grip Car No. 3” carried passengers in the early 1900s

Something else I should note about the museum is its situated inside the original “winding house” for the cable car. In fact, you can still see the original winding mechanism that pulled the cars up and down the mountainside!

One of the original gears used to pull cars up the mountainside

The only other exhibit inside the museum (I told you it was small) features model trains, which always make me think of Sheldon Cooper from the “Big Bang Theory.” They were fun to look at and take pictures of, and one of the buildings kind of looks like Hogwarts, so I would recommend checking them out.

The Cable Car Museum model train exhibit was fun and sure to be a highlight for any kid

Finally, the most surprising part of today’s adventure was the light shows hidden inside the tunnels along the mountain. I didn’t expect to see these installations on a historic railway but really did enjoy them. And make sure you don’t just look at them going through; the patterns are not to be missed…so sit near the front or rear of the car so you can watch them dance.