The next day, I walked back to the Government Gardens, intent on visiting the Rotorua Museum of Arts & History. As always, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, but the wind strong. The museum is located in the historic 1908 Bath House which offered therapeutic treatments for arthritis, rheumatism, and 'cases of nervous debility' until the 1940s. The museum opened in 1969 followed by the art gallery in 1977.
At the time of my arrival, one entire section of the museum was closed for renovation. However, there were still plenty of exhibitions to see. After paying the $12 admission, I walked upstairs to take pictures of the gardens from the second floor windows & enjoy the Mirror Magic exhibit. Mirror Magic interactively explores the science of reflections & reflected light. You get to play with mirrors, toy objects, and beams of light, like in a Grade 10 Science class. Also on the top floor was an exhibit dedicated to the famous Tudor Towers Restaurant that operated out of the Bath House between 1965 & 2000. Many upcoming & already famous NZ music acts performed at this establishment that specialized in fine dining, dancing, and cabaret performances.
From there, I descended back to the ground floor, passed through a couple of doors & the museum cafe to explore the 28th Maori Battalion Gallery. The exhibit primarily focuses on B Company of the Battalion, showcasing letters, medals, pictures, and a map of their epic battles in Greece, Crete, North Africa, and Italy during the Second World War. I believe it was the German General Westphal who remarked, "Give me the Maori Battalion & I will conquer the world,' often mis-credited to the 'Desert Fox', General Erwin Rommel.
Next to the Battalion Gallery is the Te Arawa Gallery with a huge collection of treasures and artifacts from the Te Arawa iwi (tribe) that settled in the Rotorua region back in 800 C.E. There're are many paintings, carvings, weaved baskets, and written accounts to explore in this exhibit. If cameras were allowed, I would have snapped a few pictures for my BLOG readers to see.
And lastly, there was the Bath House exhibit, where spa treatment met crazy science. While in operation, the Bath House was the site of crazy experiments being conducted to discover better treatment of illnesses. One such experiment was to bathe in electrified water (non-lethal of course). The white tubs & saunas in each of the rooms were built into the ground, tapping into the geothermal activity. The biggest problem was the cost of maintenance. The sulfur & steam corroded the wood, paint, and iron pipes, costing thousands to repair and replace.
The next museum on my list was the Caterpillar Museum, located just north of the city centre along Fairy Springs Road, past theSkyline Rides. It took me around 30 minutes to get there on foot. The Caterpillar Museum is the first of its kind, housing over 30 refurbished Caterpillar vehicles that were imported to New Zealand since the early 20th century. The museum may look shoddy from the outside because it occupies a large warehouse building, but inside, the layout is well done & organized. The $20 admission is a little expensive but it's probably because of the high cost of maintenance. There are four TVs that show four different videos about how the Caterpillars were used in New Zealand & throughout the world. When you think about it, at any given moment, there are various Caterpillars carving out the planet to suit the needs of millions of people.
For dinner, my brother & I chose to dine at Macs Steaks on Tutanekei Street in downtown Rotorua. A portion of the street had been closed to vehicles, letting nearby restaurants use the street to set tables & chairs for customers. We parked ourselves in front of the bar & ordered some drinks. Since it was our last night Rotorua, I ordered a Steinlager Pure in a 1 litre glass mug. Best $18 ever spent! From there we shared a plate of garlic bread before receiving our main courses: T-bone steaks with side orders of fries & salad. I was full after the steak but my brother decided to indulge in an ice cream dessert. The bill came up to . . . um, well, let's just say it was high but worth it. Give this place a try when you find yourself in Sulfur City.
On the morning of April 17th, my brother & I checked out of the YHA Treks, hailed a cab, and got dropped off at the Rotorua Airport with our bags. We checked ourselves in and waited for our separate flights. My brother would fly to Auckland then to Australia, whereas I would fly back to Wellington to board another plane to Christchurch. After exchanging goodbyes, my brother boarded the small plane & was off to Auckland, leaving me to mope around the Rotorua terminal for another hour. After several more hours, I was back in my Christchurch flat, unpacking, and throwing out my vegetables that had turned rotten. Overall, Rotorua is a nice place but the sulfur smell is tough to get used to. I'll have to go back to check out Tamaki Maori Village, Mitai Maori Village, & the geysers of Wai-O-Tapu.
Despite my best efforts, not everything went according to plan. I had secretly planned to tandem skydive from 15,000 feet above the Rotorua skies but the unpredictable winds made it impossible for a safe jump. Even though I reassured the NZONE staff that I could swim, had previously jumped in Christchurch, and didn't mind landing way off course, they still would not let me go up because of the risks. Plus, the company was still in damage control because of a news story about a landing accident in Queenstown that exaggerated the injuries and damaged the company's credibility. I guess I'll have to conquer the Rotorua skies on another day.
Aside from the Great Upset, the two week trip turned out quite well. I saw a lot of cool stuff, ate a lot of steak, drank plenty of beer, and took 290 pictures & 2 videos. The only downside, of course, was that my brother & I only had two full days to explore each city. That's tolerable because this trip was more about quantity than quality. Another trip will be needed to explore the remaining neighbourhoods. If you've got the time, money, will, and strength (my brother & I walked everywhere), then experiencing a trip like this will be totally worth it!
End of North Island Tour Series.
(Post 10 of 10)
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