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| A snapshot of our whereabouts today but not the actual road route |
We had a lovely walk through the the Otanewainuku Forest to Whataroa Falls which took us about an hour. We decided to walk in sarongs which we took off and walked au naturel. It was a wonderful feeling being in nature and feeling so free in a natural way. Whenever we heard people we would put the sarongs back on, not wanting to give anyone else a heart attack!
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| Whataroa Falls |
We skinny dipped in the pool below the waterfall. It was icy but very refreshing. Two ladies stopped by to see the waterfall but fortunately they didn't question us when they saw us butt naked. After drying of in the sun on a rock I went in again for one last swim. It was a bit too cold for Paul!
We had a bit of a picnic - more of snacks than anything else, then headed back to the car. On our way back we nearly didn't put our sarongs on in time as a group of young lads came around a corner in the path. The first chap certainly got a bit of a look at Paul as he fumbled to get his sarong on. (He was walking in front of me.) The others didn't get an eyeball view however they realised that they nearly saw us in the buff, and we could hear them giggling as they continued down the path. Well, it's rare that one will come across naturists during a walk! (Walking instructions to the falls can be found on this website: http://waterfalls.co.nz/waterfalls-by-region/79-new-zealand-waterfalls/north-island/bayofplenty/131-whataroa-falls )
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| Waitangi Soda Springs |
We took a very windy drive towards our hotel and Rotorua, stopping at Waitangi Soda Springs on the way for a late afternoon dip. The Soda Springs is privately owned and has basic but clean changing and toilet facilities. The river had a small dam wall which created a nice small natural pool. Within the pool there were both hot water and cold water springs bubbling up from the ground, a very hot spot has a warning nearby and the spring itself is fenced off. We had a lovely soak between the hot and cold currents of the flowing river. Our skin turned a bit orange from iron content in the water but it washed off when we had a bath.
What a fab day!
PHOTOGRAPHS
Otanewainuku Forest and Whataroa Falls
Waitangi Soda Springs
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| One of the hot springs on the soda springs property |
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