ROTORUA ATTRACTIONS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 574, 4 July 1933, Page 8

ROTORUA ATTRACTIONS

WONDERFUL CHARM AND INFINITE VARIETY OF SCENES r IDEAL HOLIDAY RESORT i

Rotorua and its environs have been so generously endowed by prodigal nature that the limitations of space prove a definite handicap to a comj plete description of its charms. Rotorua town is set on the shores j of Lake Rotorua, famous in Maori , tradition, a lovely stretch of pure water relieved by beautiful Mokoia Island, a background poem in green. The town is a prosperous horough of 5150 inhabitants. It has all the j amenities of a modern town, includj ing many comfortable hotels and acj commodation houses run on sound lines and catering for the visitor's ! every comfort. It is served well by j luxurious express trains and service ■ cars. Sporting Attractions. Apart from the scenic and thermal : aspects of the area, Rotorua is a ver- [ itable sportsmen's Mecca. The many J lakes and streams in the district are : teeming with the f amcus fighting rain- | bow trout. This, the gamest of all

| fresh-water fish, reaches great size in J Rotorua waters, 10-pounders being commonplace, and fish as heavy as 261b have been taken. Angling for these fresh-water fighters in the sylvan -setting of the Rotorua lakes and streams with their backgrounds of sun-kissed hills and almost tropical bush, is a sheer pleasure and a real mental tonie. The golfer who visits Rotorua inj vanably comes back again, and why should he not, for in Rotorua he has j a course unique in hazards and fascinating in lay-out Where else in the world ean be found such undulations of velvet fairways, intercepted, perhaps, by here a hot pool, and there ' a smoking geyser or a muttering mud j pool ? This is Arikikapakapa the main j course, but on the shores of the lake there is another fine nine-hole course named Motutara, which also has its special features. The tennis player has the choice of 1 18 grass courts. The bowler is well I served with fine public greens; the j croquet player likewise, and even the horn of the hunter is now heard on the slopes of the Rotorua hills as the hunt follows the hounds pell mell after the elusive hiare. Swimming has de luxe attractions ! beyond compare. Imagine a full- j i length swimming bath, white-tiled, | , sparkling blue waters of a warmth' j that attracts but never chills or over- i j heats, diving towers, sun balconies, i richly furnished and carpeted resting j rooms. Picture this and you have not a Hollywoodian • conception, but a mental image of the famous Blue Bath at Rotorua. There are other baths, too, that cater for the enjoyment of young and old, rich and poor, alike. For the sufferer there are the beneficent waters of nature, brimming with' minerals, which, with the aid of medical science, smooth away pains and restore health and vigour. Thermal Activity. Thermal activity begins on the shore of the, lake and even in the waters, which', cold and clear, mingle ■and pulse with countless small hot springs rising through the bed of the :lake. On the shore these springs become' small geysers or pools as the mood takes them, The old Maori

village of Ohinemutu is established on the edge of the lake amidst a welter of thermal activity, but while this amazes the visitor, it is but a commonplace to the Maori who utilises the . visible manifestations of nature's power to the mundane purpose of steaming to a tempting tenderness his evening meal of fish, meat or vegetables. Two miles away, at Whakarewarewa is thermal activity in more turbulent mood and there a small valley contains an unparalleled amount of thermal activity. Geysers of great force and intensity vie with huge mud pools where the gurgitating hot mud forms and re~forms into fantastic and beautiful designs, hissing blow-holes and petrified terraces of great beauty of colouring. For a modest fee visitors are conducted through this area by native women guides, or wahines, smartly dressed in native costume. These charming mentors relate many interesting legends and anecdotes of the geysers and pools. By its association with thermal ac tivity and curative waters, Rotorua is regarded by some misinformed persons as a place where life is precarious, earthquakes commonplace. Nothing could be further from the actual truth, for in the whole history of the town not even a chimney has been thrown down. Rotorua is the radiating point for outbreaks of thermal activity in an ■area of many square miles. Most of these interesting sights are taken in arranged scenic trips, of which the following brief descriptions will give some idea of the fascinating nature of the country. Round Lake Rotorua. This fine car trip of 35 miles skirts

the shores of Lake Rotorua for the greater part and takes in the famous Hamurana Spring, Okere Falls and Caves and a portion of Lake Rotoiti. A stop is made at Hamurana and here the visitor sees a wonderful spring of crystal clear water welling up from the earth at the rate of millions of gallons per day. The' spring is the home of thousands of rainbow trout, which can be clearly seen idling in the glorious waters. So great is the pressure of water from the spring that a penny dropped in it will not sink. Okere Falls are also very beau- i tiful and the secret Maori Caves form a valuable historical link with the early Maori wars. The scenery from the road, as it winds round the lake on the northern shore, is magnificent, the road being quite 200 feet above the lake level. In the immediate foreground is Mokoia Island, with Rotorua showing in the distance. Owing to the height of the viewpoint, when the water is clear, the bottom of the lake is clearly visible for half a mile round.