Friday Jan 26 - The DD’s are back?

Or are they? Internet is so bad here we might not really know.

This picture is for Don and Terri.  Where Scott and Monique live on Papamoa Beach is very Palm Springs inspired.

Anyway, we are in Rotorua now, a much larger city than we expected and very volcanic. The air here is quite sulphorous and the town is bustling.  We visited Hell’s Gate on the way up and had a first hand look at an extremely hot selection of pools, fumaroles and mud volcanoes. Pretty interesting actually but a bit hard on the breathing!

It has turned incredibly hot and right now we are enjoying a whopper of a thunder and rain storm.  It might break the heat but probably not. They are forecasting even hotter next week with temperatures up to 40 degrees.  Although the Okanagan can get to that as well here you have humidity. Think steam bath if it gets that hot!

We visited the Government Gardens in town.  Land donated in the 1880’s by the Maori for the benefit of the world.  It’s a beautiful setting.

Tomorrow we are off out to the coast to Gisborne. Wine and fish?