I guess we really have a luxurious trip for this winter, i dint really have a good sleep last night, hence my back was so heaty
i wonder if my body stored the heat from the spa i had last night, and 'released' the heat in the middle of night
oh well, i still have a not-bad sleep tho
Agnes cooked us nice breakfast this morning!
so trip continued today with a short road trip to Wai-O-tapu thermal wonderland located between Rotorua and Taupo
we were on-time and got to see one of the few active geyser in the world - lady knox geyser
there were so many people witnessed the eruption moment, actually it didnt erupt naturally, the tour guide actually threw soap into the geyser and trigger the eruption.
well, but still spectacular!
then, we continued our exploration around the wonderland....actually it was very warm at wai-o-tapu as we were surrounded with more than dozens of thermal pool~
It is amazing how the area was explored and designed into a thermal wonderland, the walking paths were arranged in good condition, though signs like danger, or 100 degree celcius were shown everywhere...
But it is definitely safe! The whole walkway took us around 2 hrs + as we were quite relaxed. There are no tour guide, basically there's only one direction, and every spot attraction spots were located one followed by another, we just need to follow the guided map, and all attraction was described well in the guide.
There are 25 attractions in total, everyone is different and unique~
this spot called 'Artist's Palette' - overflowing water from the Champagne pool draws with its minerals that have originated from below the surface. As the waters cool and the minerals are exposed to atmosphere they show themselves in variety of locations and colours depending upon water levels and wind direction.
It is very pretty~
this spot is the highlight of wai-o-tapu, we were so excited, even attempted to 'commit suicide' lol, no no, just kidding!
power of nature is unpredictable and real amusing, see how the rock was eroded, and the layered rock just looked like pan cake rocks at westcoast south island although i never been there....
this is the lake Ngakoro, very beautiful~ we actually walked about half an hour only arrived this spot =) but worthy!
and well done for naming different attractions, wai-o-tapu is really well-organized for tourist...
Devil's home, flying pan flat (we wondered for a long time why it was named as flying pan flat, looks like flying pan? then why there's a 'flat' at the end?), oyster pool (this is reasonable, cause its just look like oyster)....
this is the last attraction, and it was named 'devil's bath', actually is a sulphur and ferrous salt pool...very cool colour, i think ppl definitely got poisoned if accidentally fall off!
Wai-o-tapu is huge! We ended up spent too much time there, and have to miss out red-wood forest tracks. TT
thus had a sucks meal for lunch at a local chinese cafe, anyways, i chose to forget it.
Moreover, i got a nice kapiti ice-cream: blueberry muffin and plum flavors in combination =D
YUMMY!
Gone to skyline gondola for the next stop, again, I think Rotorua is definitely the best tourist spot during winter~
we lined up for almost 10mins for the queue for gondola, finally....
as soon as we arrived, we fit ourselves with the smart helmet and the queue....
and it was never the same, i was fully in charge with my luge this time!
I remember i crashed and scared when i had my first luge at queenstown in 2008, and now...woohoo!
Rotorua luge route is longer, more advanturous, and more options!
There are actually 2 begining points for luge, with 2 chairlifts routes back to the top of the starting point!
i played 5 times, first one with scenic route, the second and third with intermediate route, the 4th with advanced route and final with the scenic route again
i was hesistated to buy the 5-luges and gondola package initially, as i thought i wouldnt be good at luge since the last failure at queenstown
then, all ppl were so desperate for buying the 5-luges package, so i was just driven anyways
however, turned up i handles it so well, i even speed up at the second times...
i was able to control it, and even attempted to cut off other luges, lol...but i was still scared as the luge track at Rotorua actually trilling as compared with Queenstown
there are a few sudden turn, and down hill part, which made me screamed!
thus, i was a faithful driver, i paid attention to all the 'SLOW DOWN' sign...lol
and u may laugh, i actually think i gained the gut to drive a car now! I am confident lol!! No kidding~
time flies, especially in winter, day just cant wait to finish, stars started lighting up the dark sky around 5.30pm...
we were luge-ing in the dark at our last-luge, and it getting a bit dangerous too.
I could tell straight away wann zhen was a bit freak out as she luged super-fast in the first 4 luges, but i was following her very closely at the last luge
my sight also getting weaker as the light beside the track were quite dimmed, and somehow i could even spot the 'SLOW DOWN' sign.
anyways, safe is a must, glad that we picked scenic track as the ending, i couldnt imagine myself in advanced track in the dark =S
Before dinner, we spent sometimes at the lookout, nice view!
I felt a bit dissapointed to miss out the gondola buffet, especially it was famous and won a few awards!
but we had a good indian dinner at the top-rated cuisine in Rotorua - Indian Star
I did crave indian food for while, so my stomach was very satisfied tonight and super-full!
The chicken tikka is juicy and tender, awesome meal!
My mango lassi unfortunately was too thick and yogurish...but it matched well with the curry~
We ordered 4 different curries: vegetarian saag paneer, rogan josh lamb curry, chicken tikka massala and fish malabari.
and also 4 different naan-bread, but i really forgot what we had ordered
to be honest, i dont think the food was very delicious, i sincerely preferred the curries i tried at Little India at Dunedin while in Uni
i guess perhaps that's the sweet memory-effects, anyways, i am glad with tonight's dinner.
a bit sad tonight, as it was the last night =( good nite world~
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