Let's Find Some Better Weather:

I woke up to a freezing cold room and the sound of wind battering everything outside. The "sleep out" I was staying in is really just a big shed with a bed and bath built into the side of it. The metal roofing made the sound of rain very evident. The sun had just been shining not twelve hours ago. I was meant to be on a road trip from Gisborne to Napier but being that it's only a couple hours from where I was I imagined the weather wouldn't be much different when I arrived. Just the day before it was suggested by my friend @jordanp that we go to a place named Rotorua. I had initially been against it because it required a longer drive but given the weather situation I was suddenly in the mood to find a place that had a little more sun. I checked the weather app on my phone and made the call: let's head to Rotorua!

We got on the road a little later than planned after raiding the local farmers market for Russian fudge. It's a strange obsession but last year I came across a vendor in Gisborne that makes homemade dessert items. She has this Russian fudge that I can't get enough of. Given that Jordan lives in Gizzy, I got him hooked on the stuff and we've now bought her out twice. Can't wait for my next dentist visit!

We took the road through Waioeka Gorge and made a stop along the way to take pictures and fly our drones. The scenery is quite beautiful even when it's cloudy but the drive is about three hours and thirty minutes long. The overcast sky extended in front of us for over half the journey. We crossed everything from rain to mud to areas where there had been rock slides across the road. We even passed an abandoned car that belonged to a friend of Jordan. Apparently this friend had not been as smart with his driving and although he suffered no injuries, the car was not afforded the same fate. The car pictured above is not that car.

As we drove from town to town, whizzing around corners and passing farm after farm, Jordan nonchalantly mentions thirty minutes before we arrive that the entire town of Rotorua smells like sulfur. Eggs. Farts. The scent of my morning ritual after a fresh cup of coffee. The entire area sits on a volcano. Hot springs and geysers are literally scattered throughout the town. We passed by houses and buildings where the steam was flowing up from underneath the fences. People walked by as if everything was normal because, well, it was. I immediately put on my New York accent and started lobbing jokes at Jordan, "You gonna love the place. Oh by the way, it smells like garbage."

After stopping for some breakfast and the largest almond milk mocha I could find, we arrived where Jordan had been planning to take me. In the past when we've gone out on adventures, we're always looking for things to take pictures of or places to fly our drones. There were plenty of those places along the way but he was looking for something a little different this time. Rotorua had been recommended by him, over Napier, simply because there was more to do there. I'm usually happy just running around with my camera but I wasn't opposed to a little fun. One of the key attractions in this town was a place called Skyline where you can luge and zip-line or mountain bike down this massive hill. You pay for a gondola ride to the top and whatever other activity you want to engage in. There's plenty to keep you busy for an entire day but because it was already mid afternoon we decided to keep it simple with just three luge rides (Jordan's treat).

After arriving at the top we took a walk around. The place was packed with with kids, teenagers and adults, everyone adorning blue, yellow or red helmets. The views of the lake below and the town that sits next to it were stunning. We took some pictures and watched as people ran from attraction to attraction. The luge run had three different tracks each ranging in varying degrees of difficulty. There was the scenic run (which we didn't go down), the intermediate run (we did this one twice) and the advanced run (we did this one once). Both of the routes we took were loads of fun although I enjoyed the intermediate run more than the advanced. It was a bit longer than the expert track and you were able to get going quite fast, where as the advanced path had steeper hills and was more geared for pure reckless speed. I enjoy going fast but I have my limits and getting air in a luge, which happened on the advanced track, was a little more fun that I wanted to have. At the bottom of the hill you placed the luge in an automated track and then joined it, sitting above, on a ski lift that took you back to the top.

After our three races down the hill we decided to leave the park and look for a few places to take some pictures. We took a little walk around some hot pools and geysers, all of them smelling like rotting milk. Then we headed over to the building that is featured at the top of this post. When we first arrived in Rotorua it had been sunny but after a few hours the clouds caught back up with us. The story of the building pictured at the top, as told by Jordan, used to be a psychiatric ward where they tortured and electrocuted patients. The clouds looming behind it's well lit face seemed to be appropriate for the tale he told. It's one of my favorite pictures of the trip.

After poking around for a bit and realizing there wasn't much else to see, we started back with plans to make a couple stops along the way. Originally there was a waterfall or three we were intending on hiking to but as the sun was setting and we were getting hungry, the decision was made to hightail it to the nearest Mexican restaurant. Ever since working with Jordan, my business partner and I have gotten him hooked on tacos and enchiladas. There's not a lot of it in New Zealand so it has become kind of a treat when we find a spot that does it well. There happened to be a spot, discovered by Jordan, that knew what they were doing. Not only was the food spot on, so were the hats.

I'm a big fan of both extremes when it comes to facial expressions for pictures. The open mouth smile is kind of my signature move. I've literally been doing it since I was knee high to a duck. But I also think it's hilarious when serious faces are used in ironic situations. That big sombrero is hysterical to me so using a deadpan face while wearing one makes it even funnier. Jordan played along. It was decided, by both of us, to leave the hats on throughout dinner. The looks we received from other patrons made it well worth the added weight on top of our heads.

After crushing both those tacos and a massive plate of nachos, Jordan and I decided to call it for the day. We still had a three hour drive ahead of us and the sun was all but gone. On our way out we passed a few other lakes and valleys that were looking gorgeous but we didn't have time to stop and take pictures of them. A friend once told me that it's alright if you don't see everything you wanted to because it just leaves something to visit when you return. That has always stuck with me and it's what I try to live by when time is running low. The last picture I took for the day was of an old abandoned church. The sign above it reads Kutarere. When I first looked this up in an online Maori dictionary it simply read scooter. Upon further investigation it refers to the name of where we were and the coast line called The Bay of Plenty. I can say with certainty that the trip, and the bay where we were, was not lacking.

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