New Zealand Road Trip: Rotorua and Mount Maunganui

After our Māori cultural experience in Rotorua, we found a place nearby to park for the night. It was a little tight, and we got one of the last freedom camping spots. There was a nice lake for our morning view:

We spent the next day in Rotorua and ended up visiting the Polynesian Spa. I didn’t take any photos inside, but there are a few natural hot springs in the town and plenty of massage places and spas. The Polynesian Spa was on the higher end, and we got to pamper ourselves soaking in different temperatures of hot springs and a cold plunge. We also got really nice couple’s mud massages! It was a splendid way to relax (and shower) after life on the road.

After our spa day, we drove about an hour north to Mount Maunganui. We stayed the night, though it was a bit difficult to find a camping spot. The lots in town only had a few spaces and the lots outside of town were isolated and felt kind of sketchy. I think this was the only place we had real trouble finding a place that felt right. We eventually landed on a nice marina spot for the night.

The next day, it was raining, so we found a laundromat in the morning, but by the afternoon it had cleared up enough to go surfing (this was kind of a surf trip, remember?)

It was extremely windy, so I had a struggle session, and I think we encountered 3-4 seasons of weather in about an hour, including a pretty double rainbow! My board and I almost blew off the beach as I walked back to the van.

In the evening, we had a nice meal at Latitude 37 and then drove to camp near our location for the next day: Hobbiton in Matamata! Of course that will deserve its own post. Coming soon…

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