Day 30 – Springs, Giants, Lost Villages and a Night of Neon Steam.

Day 30 in New Zealand felt like three days stitched together. One of those days where we walked through so many different worlds that by bedtime it was hard to believe we’d woken up in the same place we started.

We began the morning slow. No alarms, no rush. Just the sound of birds by the time we got the shoes on and water bottles filled, the air was that perfect Rotorua mix of cool breeze and faint sulphur “perfume”. Even Georgia didn’t mind it today.

The Gold Course River Walk

Our first stop was the stream walk that circles the golf course and leads to Hamurana Springs. We’d expected a nice stroll. We did not expect the water to look like someone had summoned it straight out of a fantasy film.

Clear. Blue. Almost glowing.

The kind of blue that makes you lean over the railing twice just to make sure your eyes aren’t playing tricks.

Georgia walked beside me giving a full commentary on every trout she spotted.

“Dad, that one is massive!”

“Dad, that one’s following us!”

“Dad, imagine if fish could speak.”

Dotty just pointed at every duck and shouted “DUCK!” as if she’d discovered the species herself she had a great time!

Next stop: the Redwoods. As soon as you step in, the air changes. It’s cooler, cleaner, heavier with that earthy forest smell that makes you feel like maybe humans aren’t meant to be indoors at all. Georgia kept running ahead and shouting, “They are massive!”

These trees are giants. Tall, silent, ancient-looking even though they’re younger than most of Rotorua’s landscapes

In the middle of the forest there’s this long straight path where the trees line up like pillars in a cathedral. We stopped there for ages, just listening. No cars. No people. Just leaves moving way above our heads.

Those moments don’t make noise, but they hit different.

Then…

Hamurana Springs was the real surprise. You stand there and watch 4,500 litres of water an hour surge up from beneath the earth, cold as ice and as clear as glass. I loomed at it and thought, “I’d drink that.” honestly.

Watching it was weird, it somehow feels alive. Like the whole river is breathing.

We followed the river back through the tall trees, sun flickering through the branches, and the girls chasing shadows on the path. Perfect morning.

The Buried Village – A Step Back in Time

After lunch we drove to the Buried Village of Te Wairoa, and the whole vibe shifted. Gone was the bright blue water and sunlight dancing on leaves. Instead, history wrapped around us like a story you can walk through.

The eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886 wiped out the village in the middle of the night. Six hours of volcanic fury. Over a hundred lives lost. The famous Pink and White Terraces – gone forever.

The huts are small, dark, quiet inside. Georgia stood in one doorway whispering, “It feels spooky.” Dotty just looked around wide-eyed like she was trying to figure out if she could play in there.

We read old newspaper clippings, stared at salvaged belongings, and followed the trail deeper until the sound of rushing water grew louder and louder…

Then the waterfall appeared.

A burst of white water dropping into a lush green gorge. The girls loved it. Even Dotty, who is usually more excited by slides and swings, clung to my back but kept peeking over my shoulder to watch the water crash down.

It feels like you’ve wandered through history and then stumbled straight into a rainforest.

You would think that would be enough for a day…. But by nightfall Ali and Georgia took on the Neon Geothermal Show

I was cooked. Dotty was done. But Ali and Georgia? Not a chance. They had one more adventure lined up: the Waiotapu Night Lights Geothermal Show.

So off they went, glow stick packed, jackets zipped. And they came back buzzing.

Imagine geysers glowing molten red. Steam clouds lit up with neon greens, purples and electric blues. Like the earth was putting on a nightclub show.

Georgia waved her glow stick around like she was conducting an orchestra of exploding steam.

Ali said the whole place looked unreal. Like the ground was alive… and having a party. They got home at 11pm, tired but absolutely beaming. The kind of tired that means a good day was had.