Over the break we were unfortunately inundated with work so we had a far smaller window of opportunity to get away. We decided to pack up the tent and some warm clothes and head south to an area known as Rotorua, famous for its geothermal hot spots, areas where magma are closer to the surface of the crust and the heat they transmit can be seen on the earth's surface in a number of dramatic and spectacular ways. We had seen steam rising from the mountains in Tongariro National Park, but this time our aim was to get up close and person to see something we can't easily (if at all) see in Canada. Our trip took us late into the day, and our first experience was downtown Rotorua where there are vents sending sulfuric gases into the air around the city, leaving many of the areas with a faint hint of rotten eggs. Knowing there were several campgrounds in many directions, we picked one and headed out. Unfortunately, again, things were not terribly well marked, and I got a little lost. After a bit of back-tracking, we did eventually stumble upon the campground we had first planned. In the headlights of the car, I set up the tent while Mary-Ellen warmed up the chili on the trunk of the car. Tired, we packed it in early (8 pm) and huddled into our sleeping bags.
Since the campground had been in complete darkness when we arrived, we awoke the next morning to a whole new view we never knew was there. Our campsite was situated on the bank of a lake, still misty in the cool morning air. A grove of trees lined the barrier between the campground and a farm, giving a bit of illusion that you were in the wilderness. The lake was dead calm, and the bottom was lined with volcanic rock and ash.
We enjoyed the serene view, the quiet only broken by the numerous songbirds and waterfowl in the area. After some breakfast and a warm drink in our makeshift camp, we packed up and headed out to see what other wonders lay hidden in this spectacular part of the country.
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