Tourist info place in Rotorua

We arrived to Rotorua from the North with our camper van, and were sure we were on the right track when the southern winds brought the sulfur stench up our nostrils (Sulfur smells like rotten eggs. It emanates naturally from volcanoes, an element highly present in the Earth’s core), making Liza and I stare at each other as if asking who had hmm…errrr…farted.. before remembering where we were arriving.

Rotorua is a pleasant town: small, well designed, clean, with a few photographic areas, it is quite manageable  and has many spots near the lake (lake Rotorua) where you can park the camper van or pitch the tent for an overnight stay.

Lake Rotorua

Most visitors come to Rotorua to gaze at the geothermal activity within the city, engage in any of the extreme sports that are popular in the area (skydiving stealing the show), and visit any of the Maori cultural shows that abound. These do not vary too much in content, but do vary a lot in price, some of them costing up to 200 NZD per person for a 4 hour show. Upon asking at a souvenir store what are the best activities in Rotorua  he suggested among other things that we visit one of these shows, but not one of the expensive ones (like Te Puia) but the cheapest instead. The reason is that where as in the expensive shows everything is staged, Te Whakarewarewa has a small dance show (that I admit is not that great) and also includes a guided visit of Te Whakarewarewa village, and this is what differentiates it from the rest. In this village people still live as they used to over 400 years ago, right in the middle of a highly geothermal area (some houses have had to be abandoned because of safety reasons), and there is a nice walk to be enjoyed in the nearby woods. The very entertaining guide explains how they live in harmony with nature and the many uses they make of geothermal energy. This tour costs 28 NZD and is very good value in my opinion. Highly recommended (you can get more info at www.whakarewarewa.com).

Other things to do include a walk along the lake, visiting any of the museums of the city, jumping on a speed boat for a fast race against time, visiting the nearby redwood forrest and as a personal suggestion I recommend you visit Okareka lake which is only a 15 minute drive away, towards lake Okataina. In fact if you’re sleeping in a camper van or a tent, spend a night there. Right besides the dock there is a small parking space with a green area and camping tables. The scenery here is breathtaking, both during sunset and in the morning, making you feel alive as soon as you look close the day or welcome the new one. Plus the ducks that want your food are a geat source of entertainment. Again, if you’re a photography aficionado, have your camera ready. You wont regret it!

Try reading the bottom sign-quickly

Unless you want to experience all of the extreme activities in the area or are a very slow walker two days is enough to see and enjoy what Rotorua and nearby surroundings has to offer, but not less. It is a must in your North Island tour and one place you will not forget. Don’t  you think?

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I will also tell you why that feature is important, because you should understand why you are spending money on it. The backpacks I suggest are in the mid price level– you really don’t need more. Let’s begin!

• When buying a backpack expect to spend between 150–250 $US for a good, versatile model. Sure, you’ll find them cheaper, but beware of quality. And you will of course find them much more expensive, but it is not necessary to spend as much. I strongly suggest you make an investment that will last many years, maybe even forever if you plan on travelling a lot. If all you want to do is a three week trip and don’t plan on repeating, or not much anyhow, then spend less.

• Backpacks are initially classified as internal or external framed. Make sure you choose internal frame because you don’t want aluminum bars dangling around, plus they use space better.

• Internal frame backpacks are then classified as top or front load. Don’t even consider getting a top load backpack! I can still picture my good friend Jack having to take out most of his stuff out of the backpack every morning when looking for clean socks or something else. I, on the other hand, can very much see where everything is when I have mine open. It simply makes life so much easier.

• I have seen a few sites that recommend not getting a backpack that includes a daypack and instead bring an additional daypack but don’t say why (??). Nonsense. Get one that does. There are several advantages:

1) When having to walk more than 5 minutes I appreciate having my hands available to look at the map or not having the front of my t-shirt sweaty because I’m carrying the daypack on my chest. 2) When visiting a city/town/whatever I can leave my main backpack with all my stuff in my room, unzip the small one and take it with my travel guide, camera and water bottle. 3) On rainy days, because it is attached to the main one, it will stay dry thanks to the backpack rain cover you have.

• Make sure all or at least the main zippers are double zippers, double stitched, lockable and covered. But do not lock them when flying into/within/out of the USA: assume with reason that an ATA officer will break it to check what you are carrying. Save the lock  for later.

• The last characteristic you have to decide on is volume. Popular advice is to buy a medium sized backpack because you will be dragging less stuff around if you don’t control yourself. But I got one of the larger ones and I am sooo happy I did. If I’m not going to travel much, I pack less. If I am, I pack more. And at any rate I want to have some extra space so I can bring home souvenirs I like without having to carry them in my hands. Long story short: it’s up to you. But if you get a big one, remember to plan accordingly. This is a picture of me in Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, with my beloved Eagle Creek Grand Voyage. Too big for some, great for me.

If you follow these guidelines you have narrowed down you’re quest of finding your perfect backpack quite a bit. From here it’s perhaps a matter of design, colour and brand. I would stick to the most important brands like Jansport, Eagle Creek, Kelty, Osprey and a few others to guarantee best results (these brands are better aimed at travelling backpackers, where as The North Face and others tend to focus more on mountain gear).

Which one would I recommend? I bought the Eagle Creek Grand Voyage eight years ago. Since then it has gone around the world 5 times, been north of the Arctic Circle, in the desert of Tunisia, in the tropical jungles of Brazil, and in isolated islands of Indonesia, and it is as good as it was when I first got it. If I could go back in time I would definitely get the same one. Apparently they now have a new model, the Thrive 90 L or in smaller volumes, so today that would be my choice. However the Osprey Arpon 85 has received very good reviews too.

Where at? Check out Amazon, TravelCountry and Backcountry. They have excellent customer service, usually offer free shipping and have great prices and deals. You can also use the search box below to quickly find other stores and their prices.

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