The Ultimate New Zealand Travel Guide with
Rainbow Springs - Rotorua
I was really looking forward to our next visit. Off we went through the rolling hills prevalent in this part of New Zealand. In the distance steam from geothermal vents could be seen every now and again everywhere you drove in the Rotorua area. It was off to Rainbow Springs, a 22 acre natural outdoor environment, located on the Thermal Explorer Highway.
As you entered and passed through by the Rainbow Springs restaurant the world of what appeared to be a forest of ferns and ancient plants and trees were preserved here and was actually a real natural world. You walked by a winding river full of trout. White swans and mallard ducks cruised the ponds and along the path were a host of birds such as the Kea and other natives. The air was full of bird song as we strolled the pathways. The trout here are wild as the river actually runs into the lake and the trout migrate up to this area naturally. I imagine not many go back. A trout lotto win. We also got to see a gigantic long finned eel. The lakes and streams of New Zealand produce a lot of eel in the wild and they grow quite large.
The major importance and focus to Rainbow Springs is the saving of the kiwi, We were headed to the nocturnal Kiwi House. There in the darkened interior area (since Kiwi only come out at night) we were introduced to a large brown kiwi that was over thirty years old. It is estimated they live to as much as fifty. There were several others in their woodland habitat all behind glass for their protection from the prying eyes of visitors who were cautioned to also be very quiet. Take this tour.It is a must.
They have a very strong breeding situation of kiwi with two breeding pair that produce young that are placed in the wild when big enough. The female lays the egg and the male sits on them. It seems they have a lone male, Tahi, who has taken over the role of father and sitting on an egg.
In order for you to really see what's happening take the Kiwi Encounter tour that allows you to go behind the scenes to the nursery and hatchery. The additional money asked for this goes 100% as a donation to the National Kiwi Trust so help save our national bird the Kiwi.
This program is the largest and a very succssful conseration program with over a thousand eggs having been hatched here. In the wild there is only a seven percent chance of survival but here they are reaching over a 90% success rate. Amazing to see the operation.
Next we were introduced to the tuatara. A lizard that has been around since the age of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. We were fascinated with the ones we could easily see here at Rainbow Springs. They have just recently had fourteen newly hatched tuatara.
At 11:30 we hurried over to the outdoor auditorium to take in the bird show. Reminded me of Parrot Jungle back home in Miami. I think David wanted to go over to their theme park, the Big Splash, too but luckily it was closed for maintenance. I am sure if you have children they will be sure to enjoy the 45 degree ride down to make the “Big Splash”.
So away we go. I took a very picturesque drive on the Paradise Valley Road and stopped at a pull over area to fix lunch and enjoy the beautiful world we were surrounded by. One of the great things about seeing New Zealand in a camper van. There are so many places you can pull off the road to enjoy from the comfort of your mobile home.
By the way David and I both enjoy cooking. We actually go out of our way to stop at a pleasant spot and prepare our meals. “Just too easy” as they say. What a bonus when traveling.
Better move on though we have an appointment with the Rotorua I-Site manager, Graham Bownrigg, in town to see what he can explain to us what else visitors can find in the Rotorua region to do.
photos of the visit to be uploaded..........
(to be continued)
return to blog page one
I was really looking forward to our next visit. Off we went through the rolling hills prevalent in this part of New Zealand. In the distance steam from geothermal vents could be seen every now and again everywhere you drove in the Rotorua area. It was off to Rainbow Springs, a 22 acre natural outdoor environment, located on the Thermal Explorer Highway.
As you entered and passed through by the Rainbow Springs restaurant the world of what appeared to be a forest of ferns and ancient plants and trees were preserved here and was actually a real natural world. You walked by a winding river full of trout. White swans and mallard ducks cruised the ponds and along the path were a host of birds such as the Kea and other natives. The air was full of bird song as we strolled the pathways. The trout here are wild as the river actually runs into the lake and the trout migrate up to this area naturally. I imagine not many go back. A trout lotto win. We also got to see a gigantic long finned eel. The lakes and streams of New Zealand produce a lot of eel in the wild and they grow quite large.
The major importance and focus to Rainbow Springs is the saving of the kiwi, We were headed to the nocturnal Kiwi House. There in the darkened interior area (since Kiwi only come out at night) we were introduced to a large brown kiwi that was over thirty years old. It is estimated they live to as much as fifty. There were several others in their woodland habitat all behind glass for their protection from the prying eyes of visitors who were cautioned to also be very quiet. Take this tour.It is a must.
They have a very strong breeding situation of kiwi with two breeding pair that produce young that are placed in the wild when big enough. The female lays the egg and the male sits on them. It seems they have a lone male, Tahi, who has taken over the role of father and sitting on an egg.
In order for you to really see what's happening take the Kiwi Encounter tour that allows you to go behind the scenes to the nursery and hatchery. The additional money asked for this goes 100% as a donation to the National Kiwi Trust so help save our national bird the Kiwi.
This program is the largest and a very succssful conseration program with over a thousand eggs having been hatched here. In the wild there is only a seven percent chance of survival but here they are reaching over a 90% success rate. Amazing to see the operation.
Next we were introduced to the tuatara. A lizard that has been around since the age of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. We were fascinated with the ones we could easily see here at Rainbow Springs. They have just recently had fourteen newly hatched tuatara.
At 11:30 we hurried over to the outdoor auditorium to take in the bird show. Reminded me of Parrot Jungle back home in Miami. I think David wanted to go over to their theme park, the Big Splash, too but luckily it was closed for maintenance. I am sure if you have children they will be sure to enjoy the 45 degree ride down to make the “Big Splash”.
So away we go. I took a very picturesque drive on the Paradise Valley Road and stopped at a pull over area to fix lunch and enjoy the beautiful world we were surrounded by. One of the great things about seeing New Zealand in a camper van. There are so many places you can pull off the road to enjoy from the comfort of your mobile home.
By the way David and I both enjoy cooking. We actually go out of our way to stop at a pleasant spot and prepare our meals. “Just too easy” as they say. What a bonus when traveling.
Better move on though we have an appointment with the Rotorua I-Site manager, Graham Bownrigg, in town to see what he can explain to us what else visitors can find in the Rotorua region to do.
photos of the visit to be uploaded..........
(to be continued)
return to blog page one
