7 April Ngongataha NZMCA near Lake Rotorua

We had an interesting drive from Whakatane to Rotorua (known locally as 'Rotovegas' partly because of its 'strip-like' tourist-focused main 'drag' and although the casinos were never allowed to be developed here, there were plans during the 1980's apparently, in partnership with a Native American management team). Still, Rotorua remains THE number one spot for the tourist dollar in the whole of the country - and the close connection to the Maori iwi who profit from that income bears a strong resemblance to the (Native) American economic equivalents all those miles away....

It took us longer to get there than anticipated because of the damage the weather had done to the roads - many diversions were in place and this was the 'stop/go' work happening around the lakeside road (the main route to Rototua):

carefully driving around the landslide - the right hand side of the road was a sheer drop!

Camping overnight again at the popular Ngongataha NZMCA site was fortunately lots easier and the weather was still fine. This campsite has the luxury of water and a dump station and a massive library inside the happy hour shed. Later we met up with friends and were treated to a lovely dinner at a venue we previously hadn't tried - the restaurant at the top of mountain 'Aorangi Peak'. It's quite an experience getting there up the Gondola  - and the cost was very reasonable too!

Justin enjoying the sunset views of Rotorua from the Gondola ride to the restaurant

More views of the city as we climbed higher!

What was interesting from a environmental perspective, was seeing the farmed deer below us that were grazing in the fields underneath the Gondolas. Mmmmm the sceptic in me wonders whether these mammals are 'strategically' positioned there for the many tourists that travel up and down this mountain each day. You see wild ones are seen as 'pests' and routinely, inhumanely poisoned in Compound 1080 poison aerial drops. The less attractive farmed herds however largely escape this fate under the banner of economic benefits. That doesn't mean they always avoid being poisoned - some are victims of being on the borders of poisoned areas or when helicopters inevitably wander over the prescribed areas, and/or drop the poison into a wind that carries it into farmed areas  - or the water that feeds those cattle. Of course the sub-lethal dose for mammals are unknown and untested, so the knock-on effects for this species are guesswork....



What makes me suspicious about this is partly the location. Next door - literally - to this mountain is the "Fairy Springs" centre where DoC bring the numerous Kiwi eggs/chicks that recent OIAs reveal they often steal from Kiwi birds flourishing in non-poisoned areas, to be hatched and grown-on in what I see as an artificial and totally unethical environment. This not only prevents the kiwi from being naturally shy of human interaction, but skews the statistics of what and where 'successful' breeding pairs of kiwi are and how they react to poisoning operations. Looking at the poor quality of the 'science' that is published in this area - it's little wonder that these flaws in methodology in data and control groups etc is used to promote the poison industry propaganda by DoC agencies.

Anyway, putting that controversy aside for the time-being, we enjoyed a fantastic meal at the Stratosfare Restaurant at the Skyline. This is a real smorgasbord of food - every possible combination of cuisine imaginable. And with a view to die for!

From the Stratospfare's own website - the buffet selection from heaven!

From freshly-cooked steak to sushi and wonderful fresh salad and veggie combinations - soup to ice-cream, curry to noodles. Truly an inspiring experience - and unusually even the service was amazing. 




Great company and delicious food and wine. It was a real treat to be here after camping for so many weeks. We'll definitely go back there when our travels are over...