ROTORUA ATTRACTIONS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 690, 16 November 1933, Page 8

ROTORUA ATTRACTIONS

WONDERFUL CHARM AND INFINITE VARIETY OF SCENES

IDEAL HOLIDAY RESORT

Rotorua and its environs have been so generously endowed by prodigal nature tbat the limitations of space prove a definite handicap to a complete description of its charms. Rotorua to to is set on the shores of Lake Rotorua, famous in Maori tradition, a lovely stretch of pure water relieved by beautiful Mokoia Island, a background poem in green. ,Ti1® is a PTosperous borough of 5150 mhabitants. It has all the amemties of a modern town, including many comfortable hotels and ac- : commodation houses run on sound es and catering for the visitor's every comfort. It is served well by luxurious express trains arid service cars.

Sporting Attractions. Apart from the scenic and thermai aspects of the area, Rotorua is a veritable sportsmen's Mecca. The many lakes and streams in the district are teeming with the famcus fighting rainbow trout. This, the gamest of all fresh-water fish, reaches great size in Rotorua waters, 10-pounders being commonplace, and fish as heavy as • ] 261b have been taken. Angling for | these fresh-water fighters in the sylj van setting of the Rotorua lakes and ; streams with their backgrounds of I sun-kissed hills and almost tropical , bush, is a sheer pleasure and a real . mental tonic. j The golfer who visits Rotorua in- : var:ably comes back again, and why should he not, for in Rotorua he has a course unique in hazards and fascinating in lay-out Where else in the world can be found such undula- , tions of velvet fairways, intercepted, , perhaps, by here a hot pool, and there i a smoking geyser or a muttering mud , pool? This is • Arikikapakapa the main I course, but on the shores of the lake i theie is another fine nine-hole course | named Motutara, which also has its special features. | The tennis player has the choice of 18 grass courts. The bowler is well served with fine public greens; the croquet player likewise, and even the • horn of the- hunter is now h'eard on the slopes of the Rotorua hills as the ' hunt follows the hounds pell mell af- !

! ter the elusive hare. j Swimming has de luxe attractions | beyond compare. Imagine a full-Ien-gth swimming bath, white-tiled, J sp'arkling blue waters of a warmth' ■ that attracts but never chills or overJ heats, diving towers, sun balconies, . richly furnished and carpeted resting • rooms. Picture this -and you have not a Hollywoodian conception, but a mental image of the famous Blue Bath at Rotorua. There are other j baths, too, that cater for the enjoyment of young and old, rich and poor, I alike. ! | For the sufferer there are the bene- 1 I ficent waters of nature, brimming | with minerals, which, with the aid of i medical science, smooth away pains and restore health and vigour. Thermai Activity. Thermai 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 be- ! come 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 thermai activity, but while this » amazes the visitor, it is but a com- I monplace to the Maori who utilises the visible manifestations of nature's power to the mundane purpose of I steaming to a tempting tenderness his evening meal of fish, meat or vegetables. Two miles away, at Whakarewarewa is thermai activity in more turbulent mood and there a small valley contains an unparalleled amount of thermai 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' thermai ac tivity and curative waters, Rotorua is regarded by some misinformed p-er-sons as a place where lif e is preeari- . ous, earthquakes commonplace. Noj thing could be further from the actujj ' truth, for in the whole history of the town not even a chimney has been i thrown down. J Rotorua is the radiating point for outbreaks of thermai 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 gr&ater 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 j 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 p-enny dropped in it will not sink. Okere Falls are also very beautiful and the secret Maori Caves form a valuable historieal 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.