Kiwi picking season: DONE
FINALLY.
At this point in time, its June 3rd, 2020. New Zealand has completely controlled the community spread of COVID-19 through a collective Kiwi effort, a prompt, restrictive quarantine, and timely deescalation of quarantine. Thank you, Jacinda!!
What does that mean for Mathias and friends? Time to get out of the house and this town! Although I will miss that house and the Mount dearly, I was excited to finally get to see some new places.
If you know me, you know that I have recently fallen in love with mountain biking. Well, it just so happens that only a 1 hour drive away from Tauranga is Rotorua. Home to Redbull's Crankworx, a world-renowned mountain bike competition, Rotorua has some of the best trails out there. I would be damned if I passed up the opportunity.
I convinced my friends Leo and Robin to give mountain biking a try. Although they couldn't be persuaded to fly down steep, bumpy single track, Estelle and Maelle agreed to meet us in Rotorua to enjoy some of the other sites the town had to offer. The boys and I rented a car from the nearby airport and the girls followed in their van. For the first time in 2 months, I felt like a traveler again. We were off on our adventure.
But first, a quick detour.
Hobbiton: Round 2
So good, I had to go again. This time with Frenchies! Somehow, it was even more magical in the rain.
The Stench
Driving into Rotorua, you are greeted with beautiful, lush trees and green hills. Open your car door and you will be immediately slapped in the face by the smell of rotten eggs. Turns out, mountain biking isn't the only thing Rotorua is known for. The city is ripe with geothermal activity, with many natural hot springs, bubbling mud pools, and geysers in the surrounding area. Certain parts of Rotorua had a constant fog of steam rising up between the trees, which gave an ominous, yet calming feeling to the city. Pictured below is a hot spring that neighbors the Maori village within Rotorua.
The locals have turned their noses up at the smell and have capitalized on the natural wealth that the geothermal activity brings. There were several hot spring spas throughout Rotorua, one of which we visited after a long day of mountain biking - HEAVENLY!!! Of course, the geyser is also a monetized attraction.
Mountain Biker's Paradise
Rotorua's reputation is well-deserved.
The mountain biking there was incredible and by far some of the best trails I have had the pleasure of hootin' n' hollerin' down (more like praying). Thankfully, the Redwoods are far enough from the geothermal stuff that they don't stink to high heaven...
The first day we rented some full suspension mountain bikes (Giant Reign 2, for anyone that cares) at the entrance of the Redwoods. We rode about 20 minutes on our bikes to the shuttle pick-up at the base of the single tracks, and waited an unexpected 45 minutes for our turn up the hill. But as they say, "good things come to those that wait".
Our smiles - I hope - are proof of that.
I took some GoPro footage that I hope to edit and put together eventually! The videos are quite shakey from all the roots, so much so that they would induce vertigo in most people...
When we got back to the Airbnb, we got a surprise visit from Emilie! She had spent a couple extra days in Mount Maunganui before meeting us in Rotorua.
Later that day, Pierrick also met up with us! After selling his van in Auckland, he took a bus down to Rotorua to go mountain biking with us. That night we went out for Italian food (Giovani's of course) to carb load for another long day of mountain biking.
This time, it was Emilie, Pierrick, Robin, and me who went looking for trouble on the trails. After only one day, Robin had impressively taken to mountain biking. It was Emilie's and Pierrick's first time proper mountain biking, but they didn't shy away. Pierrick was a natural at it and even tried some harder trails with me. Emilie pushed through a couple early crashes and dramatically improved by the end of the day. I think we all took a spill at one point or another that day...
Among the Trees
Another unforgettable activity we did in Rotorua was the Redwoods Treewalk. Suspended 15 meters above the ground, platforms and bridges navigate through the giant redwood canopy for an other-worldly experience. I felt as though we had been transported to the fictional planet of Endor to walk through the Ewoks' home. Words honestly don't do it justice.
Okere Falls
Just 30 minutes away from Rotorua, we found this gem. A short trek from the car park and we were deep in the jungle.
Goodbyes and Future plans
Unfortunately, Rotorua was the last time that I got to hangout with Pierrick. But what a fitting goodbye weekend! Somewhere in between all the activities we found time to drive out to Mount Maunganui to say goodbye to the kiwifruit picking team. On our way back to Rotorua, we stopped at Kerosene Creek for a late night soak in a hot spring.
The following day, Emilie and Pierrick drove on to Hobbiton to experience it for themselves. Maelle and Estelle drove to Taupo to try out WWOOFing. Robin, Leo, and I got another transfer car and headed up to Auckland in hopes of finding a cheap rental van.
Comments