After trips to Hamilton, Queenstown, Dunedin, Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington with the likes of Karen Walker, Die!Die!Die! and a festival called the Circle Jerk, our final exploration of New Zealand culture worth knowing about takes us to Rotorua where local resident Alex Leinhardt explains why volcanoes might actually be a good thing for tourism.
Tell us about a little bit about where you live- Rotorua. Rotorua is one of New Zealand’s key tourist cities due to the unique scenery which has been sculptured by volcanic activity. The area is well endowed with lakes and forests for outdoor activities, the volcanic activity has provided some unique natural features among which are hot spas, geysers and bubbling mud. Rotorua is also regarded as the centre of Maori culture.
Tell us about Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland provides visitors with an opportunity to see New Zealand’s most colourful volcanic area. Walks take visitors past a unique range of volcanic features which include steaming ground, silica terraces, huge craters, coloured hot and cold pools and panoramic views.
If you had a friend visiting from out of town, where are some of your favourite spots in the city to take them to? Favourite spots in the city are the Redwood Forest where you can experience towering Californian Redwoods, Government Gardens with the historic bath-house, the walk around Sulphur Point on the foreshore of Lake Rotorua and the lookout over the Blue and Green lakes.
What do you love about Rotorua? Rotorua is the birthplace of tourism in New Zealand, the first tourists coming to the area came to see the Pink and White terraces in the 1840’s. Rotorua’s central location provides easy access to lakes, ski areas and beaches and the new Trans Tasman air service now provides easy access to Sydney.
What is the biggest misconception about Rotorua? The biggest misconception is that there are only certain things to do – there is a lack of awareness as to the diversity of activities that Rotorua has to offer – an overnight stop leaves people wishing they had stayed longer.
Who are some of your favourite homegrown creative inspirations? As a musician Mike Garner and as an artist Jeanette Blackburn.
THE CIRCLE JERK IS HAMILTON
MANDY KENNEDY IS QUEENSTOWN
DIE! DIE! DIE! ARE DUNEDIN
KAREN WALKER IS AUCKLAND
BANG BANG ECHE ARE CHRISTCHURCH
NATALIE SMITH IS WELLINGTON
WHICH NEW ZEALAND ARE YOU?
