"Rotorua - feel the spirit – Manaakitanga"

Rotorua is a unique destination on the shores of the Lake Rotorua which is in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island in New Zealand. It is the cultural capital of New Zealand and is famous for its geothermal activity and natural features like geysers, hot springs, mud pools and craters.

The name Rotorua comes from Māori, the full name being Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe; roto means lake and rua, two – Rotorua thus meaning 'Second lake'. Kahumatamomoe was the uncle of the Māori chief Ihenga, the ancestral explorer of the Te Arawa. It is the largest of a multitude found to the northeast of the city, all connected with the Rotorua Caldera and nearby Mount Tarawera. The name can also mean the equally appropriate 'crater lake'.

Rotorua has been a "spa" destination from the 1800s when rich British and European tourists came to take the waters. It was renowned for its famous pink and white terraces which were regarded as the eight wonder of the world. Unfortunately for us, it was destroyed by the great volcanic eruption in 1886.

The white terraces (source:wikipedia)

The pink terraces (source:wikipedia)

You "smell" Rotorua as soon as you enter it! The smell of sulphur is very strong and it does take getting used to. But it is because of the sulphur that it has become famous and has been at the centre of life in NZ for centuries. There is plenty to see and do whilst in Rotorua, so one must plan carefully. We managed to do quite a bit of varied activities in 2 days and I do hope it inspires you to visit this unique place.

Rotorua Museum of Art and History:
The museum is housed in an imposing building which is built in the Tudor style. It does look out of place in this beautiful land so far away from the mother country England. It was originally built as a "bath house" where people could "take the cure" or "take the waters".  It first opened in 1908 and it was the New Zealand Government's first tourism initiative in Rotorua. However, it was shut down and later reopened as a night club. Later it became a museum and in order to bring some respectability to the place, they commissioned some sculptures which were copies of the Renaissance masterpieces in Europe.

Whilst at the museum, please do visit the cinema where they show you a film on the history of Rotorua and most importantly they do a documentary of the pink and white terraces. Also worthwhile is the free guided tour by knowledgeable and entertaining guides.

http://www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz/

The imposing Bath House in Tudor style

A relic from the days when it was a nightclub!

This totem pole reminds of the ones I saw in Vancouver.

Skyline rides offer a gondola ride to a height of 487m where you have a panoramic views of Rotorua and its surroundings.



Waterfalls in North Island, New Zealand

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.

A waterfall means different things to different people. For some it is a source of life (water), for others an inspiration, for others a place of peace and solitude and for others a source of recreation (swimming at its base).

New Zealand is a beautiful country with many outstanding waterfalls. I was fortunate enough to visit some of them in different parts of the North Island.

Huka Falls -
http://www.hukafalls.com/

The Huka Falls are the largest falls on the Waikato River, that drains Lake Taupo, the largest freshwater lake in Australasia.

Facts:
- A few hundred metres upstream from the Huka Falls, the Waikato River narrows from roughly 100 metres across into a narrow canyon only 15 metres across.
- The canyon is carved into lake floor sediments laid down before Taupo's Oruanui eruption 26,500 years ago.
- At the top of the falls is a set of small waterfalls dropping over about 8 metres. The most impressive, final stage of the falls (pictured here) is an 11 metre drop. The drop is technically six metres (cliff beneath the water) but the water flow raises the level to 11m.

- Every second up to 220,000 litres of water gushes through the gorge and shoots out over 8 metres beyond to create a beautful blue/green pool.

- The name Huka is the Maori word for 'foam', which is appropriate as the falling water and rapids certainly resembles foam, especially under flooding conditions.

I loved the ice blue colour of the water. It truly was unique. In order to enjoy the waterfalls, you can do one of two things or both:
- Take a trek along the river and falls.
- Take a jetboat ride to the base of the falls.

The icy mint blue water of the Waikato river

Rainbow Falls -
Rainbow Falls is a single drop waterfall near the town of Kerikeri in Northland, North Island. It is a 27m waterfall but is absolutely picturesque. Its Māori name is Waianiwaniwa, Waters of the Rainbow.

Unlike most New Zealand waterfalls which are created by the erosion of soft rock, the Rainbow Falls are sited on a hard basalt layer of rock beside softer mudstone. The falls were formed when water eroded the mudstone.

I love the reflections

Very picturesque

Absolutely unique

Calm before the storm?!

Pretty, ain't it?

My favourite waterfall

Whangarei Falls -
The Whangarei Falls are supposed to be the most photographed falls in the North Island. It is a 26m drop near the town of Whangerei. It can appear as several parallel columns of water or a large rectangular column depending on whether it has been raining heavily or not.

Haruru Falls -
Haruru Falls are in Paihia. Haruru means “big noise” which is fairly appropriate for the noise of the falls. The water falls are in a horseshoe shape and quite lovely. The Maori legend claimed that a taniwha (water monster) lived in the lagoon below the falls. In the 1800s, there were apparently over 100 Maori villages along the Haruru Falls river.

Horeshoe like Niagara, but very shallow!

Don't miss the people kayaking at the base.

The unknown waterfall at Mount Ruapehu -
We came across this waterfall caused by the melting snow at Mt. Ruapehu. Stunning against the brown rocky mountain.

There are many types of waterfalls:


Block: Water descends from a relatively wide stream or river.
Cascade: Water descends a series of rock steps.
Cataract: A large, powerful waterfall.
Chute: A large quantity of water forced through a narrow, vertical passage.
Fan: Water spreads horizontally as it descends while remaining in contact with bedrock.
Frozen: Any waterfall which has some element of ice.
Horsetail: Descending water maintains some contact with bedrock.
Plunge: Water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface.
Punchbowl: Water descends in a constricted form and then spreads out in a wider pool.
Segmented: Distinctly separate flows of water form as it descends.
Tiered: Water drops in a series of distinct steps or falls.
Multi-step: A series of waterfalls one after another of roughly the same size each with its own sunken plunge pool.

Significant waterfalls listed alphabetically:

Angel Falls is the world's tallest at 979 metres (3212 ft) in Venezuela.
Bambarakanda Falls is Sri Lanka's tallest waterfall at 263 m.
Detian - Ban Gioc Falls is the 4th largest international waterfall in the world between the Sino-Vietnamese border.
Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite Valley is 189 m (620 ft) high with a sheer drop when flowing.
Cascata delle Marmore in Italy is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world.
Cautley Spout, at 175 m (580 ft), is the tallest waterfall in England.
Colonial Creek Falls, the second tallest waterfall in North America at 2,584 ft (788 m), is located in the North Cascades National Park, Washington, United States.
Dettifoss, Northeast Iceland is the largest waterfall in Europe in terms of volume discharge, having an average water flow of 200 m³/s.The falls are 100 m wide and have a drop of 44 m down to the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon.
Eas a' Chual Aluinn, at 200 m (658 ft), is the tallest waterfall in both Scotland and the United Kingdom.
Gocta is the fifth tallest in the world at 771 m (2532 ft) and located in the province Chachapoyas, Peru.
Hannoki Falls is the tallest waterfall in Asia at 1,640 ft (500 m) and located in Tateyama, Japan.
High Force on the River Tees is one of the tallest waterfalls in England.
Huangguoshu Waterfall in Anshun, Guizhou, China, is the largest waterfall in East Asia.
Iguazu Falls is a tall and extremely wide waterfall located in South America on the Argentina/Brazil border.
James Bruce Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America at 840 m, is located in the Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.
Jog Falls is India's tallest (listed as 314 ranking on the World Waterfall Database), located in Karnataka state, India.
Jurong Falls in Singapore is an artificial waterfall.
Kaieteur Falls (Potaro River in central Guyana), located in the Kaieteur National Park, is 226 m (741 ft).
Krimmler Wasserfälle, at 380 m, is Austria's second tallest waterfall and located in Krimml, Salzburg, Austria.
Niagara Falls are the most powerful falls in North America.
Pissing Mare Falls, at 350 m (1148 ft), is the tallest in eastern North America.
Pistyll Rhaeadr, a 240 ft (73m) waterfall in Wales.
Ramnefjellsfossen is the world's third tallest at 808 m (2685 ft), at Stryn, Nesdalen, Norway.
Rhine Falls is Europe's widest and is located in Switzerland.
ShirAbad Waterfall is located in Iran, Golestan, Khanbebin, Shirabad.
Shoshone Falls the "Niagara of the West" in Idaho
St.Clair's Falls is Sri Lanka's widest waterfall 265 ft high.
Silver Falls is a waterfall and is located in Silverton, Oregon.
Takakkaw Falls is a 384 m (1260 ft) in Yoho National Park in Canada.
Tequendama Falls is a 132 m high waterfall on the Bogotá River, about 30 km southwest of Bogotá in Colombia.
Tugela Falls is the world's second tallest at 947 m (3110 ft) in KwaZulu-Natal province, Republic of South Africa.
Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world and is more than a mile long. It is located on the Zambezi river on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Virginia Falls (Northwest Territories) on South Nahanni River, Northwest Territories, Canada. World's 14th largest waterfall located in Nahanni National Park Reserve a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Waihilau Falls, at 2,600 ft (792 m), is located in the Waimanu Valley, Hawaii, United States.
Yosemite Falls, the fourth tallest waterfall in North America at 2,425 ft (739 m), is located in Yosemite National Park, United States.
Yumbilla Falls is the world's fifth tallest waterfall and located in Peru.
Source: wikipedia

Embrace the Fear - Tandem Skydiving in Rotorua

Skydiving has always been on my “bucket list” but actually doing it was an out of world experience. I still cannot get over the fact that I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane at 12000 feet!!

So what made me do it?
I was in New Zealand, the adventure country of the world and there is no better place to do the deed. Also I felt that safety standards in New Zealand are top notch and even though this was an adventure sport, I would somehow be "safe"! Besides, Rotorua is a very beautiful place and would enhance the experience.

What did I feel?
A little bit of anxiety from the time I had made up my mind to book myself on a tandem jump. I tried not to think about it especially because I did have a fear of heights. I tried to focus on the fact that I wanted to do it and that I had to do it.

Giles, Matt and myself

Anyway, I had booked myself and my brother-in-law Giles a tandem jump each for the 29th of December 2010. We got into Rotorua on 28 Dec and it was pouring cats and dogs. At the back of my mind was a little niggle – what if the weather continued to be bad the next day? Would we be able to go through with the jump? Despite the fear of the jump, I did not want to be cheated out of the experience by the weather gods. To my good luck, the weather improved and on 29 Dec, it was perfect – sunny and clear.

We reported to the NZone office at Rotorua airport at the designated time of 1130 hrs. However there were quite a few people rostered for jumps before us. So the unexpected delay gave us time to acclimatize ourselves to the reality of the jump, get over our nerves and watch the others go through the drill. It was fascinating to watch the jumpers put on their harnesses, go through their safety briefings, walk to the aircraft, climb and crawl inside the cabin and then finally watch the landing. I was closely watching the jumpers’ reactions after the jump and most of them, no all of them, I observed, were thrilled and excited. That boosted my courage and willpower to go through the jump.

It was also fascinating to watch the helpers pack the parachutes into the backpacks. Here I was, trusting strangers with my life!! Imagine if the parachute did not open during the jump!! Quickly, I pushed the thought away.

Soon, it was our turn. We were asked to get into the jumpsuit and our instructors Matt and Paul introduced themselves to us. They helped us with our harnesses and ensured that it was properly secured. They gave us our safety briefings on how to jump out of the aircraft and the correct landing technique. Then we were introduced to our camera guys who interviewed us to capture our thoughts and feelings before the jump. After that, everything happened in quick succession. The aircraft was ready for boarding in front of the hangar, we took a quick picture outside the hangar and then it was time to board. Matt got in first, then me, Benoit, Paul, Giles and last was Walter, Giles’ cameraman. The aircraft was a tiny one with no seats. So we had to crawl on the floor and squeeze into the tiny cabin. The doors closed and off were we into the wide open blue sky!

Matt went through the instructions with me once again and checked my harnesses for the last time. I asked if one could change one’s mind and was firmly told that it was not allowed! Not that I wanted to! Anyway, when the altimeter said 12000 ft, the door opened and Walter stepped out on the railing as he had to take pictures and film Giles jump. Then Giles was asked to position himself on the ledge with Paul sitting behind him. Soon they were out and before I knew it, it was my turn. I have no memory of any thoughts that went through my mind at that very second. However I do recall sitting on the ledge with Matt repeating instructions on how I should position my head and feet and a reminder to hold my harness and BREATHE. The next thing I know is that I was out of the aircraft, somersaulting through the air. The feeling was indescribable. Here I was, afraid of heights, yet hurtling through space.

Then Matt gave me a thumbs up signal which meant that we were in for a 45 second freefall where I could spread my arms and fly!! Benoit was right there below me to capture my emotions and any other antics if I had wanted to indulge in. And then suddenly, we were jerked up. Matt had deployed the parachute. The jerk was sudden but after that was bliss as we floated over Rotorua. It was beautiful. We could peacefully enjoy the scenery from our special place above. It was gorgeous and since it was a clear day, we could see the lakes, the airport and most of the sights pretty clearly. Matt expertly navigated the parachute to land on the grassy strip near the airport instead of the lake which was nearby. I did ask him if there were any jumpers who landed in the lake and he confirmed that there had been, but not him. The landing was very smooth. Matt asked me to raise my feet whilst he took the landing on his feet running. Finally it was all over and I was back on terra firma.

There was not only a sense of relief but also a sense of accomplishment. I felt and still feel, that I have the confidence to do anything I wish to do. Like the NZone brochures say – there is no such thing as TRY. You either DO or DO NOT DO. I am proud of myself that I DID IT.

http://www.nzone.biz/Skydive/skydive_rotorua/

BE BRAVE - even if you are not, pretend to be, no one can tell the difference.

I must not fear,
fear is the mind killer

Fear is the little death that brings
total obliteration

I will face my fear

I will permit it to pass over
and through me

And when it has gone past
I will turn the inner eye to see its path

Where the fear has gone
there will be nothing

Only I will remain

- FRANK HERBERT