Rotorua on the boil

SATURDAY

D-Day at last. All the preparations were now falling into place!

Suffice it to say it Penny and Bede's wedding was grand. Only immediate family and some friends - but grand all the same.

I think I coped OK with the music- invariably some slips and skids and the organ turned up some vagaries- problems in the electric action somewhere meant that often times when I played a high F# on the Great it sounded an F natural on the Swell. Ouch. Discord to end all discords. However it is quite a nice instrument which is capable of plenty of expression filling St Josephs church fairly well.

The reception at Helen's home (Bede's Mum) was wonderful. A huge spread but best of all the chance to mix with Bede's family and friends getting to know them better and putting faces to names.

Now back to the unit and recuperate for the early morning flight to Oz. I will tidy up this blog and add some pics once back in Oz!

FRIDAY

The best laid plans of mice and men! I had purchased a prepaid SIM card for our mobile when we first arrived here and I was proud of my ability to keep on top of circumstances. Pride comes before a fall doesn't it?

One of our party lost their wallet, possibly at the restaurant or up the street! Off we went checking the spot where we parked, lodging a report at the police station, and then over to the Internet cafe to find the bank phone numbers in Oz to block the account. We finally staggered back to the Lodge to find the wallet had been found behind a bed shortly after we left. Had I given my wife that prepaid number much kerfuffle could have been avoided with one simple phone call to our mobile. Just goes to show I ain't as smart as I thought I was!

After a quick drink we checked out the mud pools in a local park passing up the the famous geyser because we didn't have the time for the pricey full show. Gone are the days when you could just pay to see the geyser up at the Maori village!

More practice back in Hamilton- almost feel now I am getting to know that organ! Helen had invited us around for a magnificent family dinner which was a splendid lead-up to the wedding!

Then THE wedding practice at night!

THURSDAY

Vastly amused the night before to notice a sign over the stove in our Hamilton unit- Fire extinguisher in office. Methinks it would be a tad late by then!

Hamilton is a busy place at the moment - the traffic is horrendous if you are staying in the city as we are. Balloons over Waikato is a gala event for the hot air balloonists and the V8s are on next weekend and already alterations have been made to the town streets for the V8 circuit.

ORF to Taupo and Rotorua fairly smartly. With the drought still rampant is it all up a much drier area.

Taupo township almost reminded me of a flatter version of Queenstown with its busy commercial districts overlooking Lake Taupo. The thermal fields were a real eye opener for me with massive lines carrying steam from a number of wells to thermal stations.

As we approached Rotorua you could see steam rising from all manner on unlikely places in the ground. Maori culture became much more evident.

The Utuhine Lodge was an interesting spot. I thoroughly enjoyed our comfy lodge - two bedrooms and kitchen/lounge room (except the heating had not been turned on for the winter yet- imagine going cold in a geothermal area with central heating running off a steam bore!)

The motel grounds were a tad down at heel with some of the indoor hot pools neglected and inoperational. Outside a hungi type steam cooker was available for use. I noticed at least two steam bores in the ground- one spouting great quantities of steam and soda water into a pool which was MUCH too hot for swimming.

The hot pool nearest our room was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed a long hot mineral soak.

There was one uproarious episode organising dinner at Lone Star Cafe and Bar with my cycling mate Hoogie. Coral found the number and I rang it. However directions proved difficult. I couldn't find the Strand in the Rotorua map, and the Lone Star staff on the phone couldnt find Lake Rd. Finally transpired we had the wrong Lone Star- NZ white pages phone books are still divided into districts!

Dinner with Hoogie and Sharon and my family proved a treat. Hoogie gave us tantalising descriptions of cycling in the Redwood forests near Rotorua. He also told us that many people in winter used to heat their houses from steam bores- but the demands on the water table was depleting the geyser which is one of the town's big attractions so the Council restricted them! In winter steam even wafts up the grates in the town gutters!

Errr Hoogie also told us it is pronounced G eye ser - a "geezer" is an old man!

I had been relieved the Saturday night before we left to receive a text back from Hoogie confirming he was not involved in the Hamilton Cold store fire which injured every man in Red Watch of Hamilton station and killed the Senior Officer.