A grown up trip to Rotorua wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the many lakes in the district (awesome suggestion Rae), including what is apparently the clearest lake in the world – the Blue Lake.
The first lake we ventured to was the Blue Lakes. Dubbed the clearest lake in the world it certainly seems that way with crystal clear waters extending out as far as you can see and the forests and mountains reflecting in the blue waters.
Unlike what you would expect from lake water the water was so warm – even at 10am in the morning.
The day we went they were also racing high powered speed boats. These things are amazing and sound like the V8’s at Pukekohe more than what I would have traditionally associated with a boat race. They fly around the lake with plumes of water shooting up behind me and James told me they made all of the hairs on his arms stand on end. He loved them.
The Green Lakes are right next to the Blue Lake and are not able to be swum in, boated on or fished. The best vantage point is up high where you can take in the views (and compare colours) of both the blue and green lakes.
After this we headed out to Lake Tarawera. Clear and calm it’s hard to imagine it was once the scene of such a violent eruption.
On the shores of Lake Tarawera there is also The Landing which was recommended by so many people, including Rae over on the Getting Lost Facebook page. Unfortunately we got there a bit too early (and were too full from the free breakie at The Millennium) but it’s definitely on the list for next time.
On the way back from Lake Tarawera we stopped in to the Buried Village. This was a mainstay of my childhood visits but it was James first time here. When I was a child I used to love wandering around and reading all the stories and letters from the residents of this small village.
It’s a pretty steep walk down those stairs… But is well worth it to see the Wairere Falls waterfall…
It’s a great little insight into the history of the area and definitely one to take the kids too (maybe more so than a couples weekend)…
We’ll leave you with a little more inspiration for visiting some of Rotorua’s great lakes….
