Rotorua Day 1 – Exploring the Town – Denny and Debbie's Little Big Adventure

Today is our first day in Rotorua. We’re staying with a friend of my (David) Dad. I’d like to really briefly touch on this.

Picture the scene, its 1998. Everyone is walking round, desperately looking for some way to ignore everyone around them because phones haven’t been invented, and you didn’t all used to talk to each other, you liars, I’m sorry I’d rather text my pals then listen to you talk about how your lives were a) worse but also, literally entirely counterintuitively b) better.

Anyway, it’s 1998 and cultural low points like the Spice Girls and Friends existed. My Dad is playing cricket and at this stage he’s probably still got that awful barnet that he had around that time. I’m cruising around the boundary living life to the absolute max, aged 3. On my Dad’s team is Crispian Stewart, who has come all the way from New Zealand to play cricket. I’d like to think if you told him that 20 years later that 3 year old would come and stay at his house in New Zealand, he’d probably laugh at my Dad’s ridiculous hair cut because it was so bad he’d not be listening to the question, only laughing.

The sheer randomness of how your past interactions shape moments in your future is amazing. Trying to think about meeting a toddler now and then in 20 years later when I’m still living at home because of house prices and having that now adult come and stay, its mad.

Leanne draws us a map of how to walk into town and we gainfully follow it. It takes us through a geothermal walkway area, which smells. It’s that eggy Sulphur smell. Like at school when someone set off a stink bomb. Pongy. Its beautiful though. Real moment of, oh yeah we’re miles away from the UK in a place where there’s volcanoes and stuff.

Once we’re in Rotorua’s town centre, we walk to the park, where there’s more geothermal activity to look at. They have a public foot bath which is heated, volcano heated, and we dip our toesys in, chilling out for 20 minutes, chatting away. We’re both a bit knackered, still not being effected by jet-lag but also being mysteriously tired most of the day. We decide to pick up some lunch and walk back.

On the way back, we nip into the Hobbiton shop and book our tour. Tilly is super excited and its amazing being in the presence of someone when they’re really stoked and you love them and love seeing them all hyped. I’m also hyped because I love LOTR too but I’m definitely getting second hand high from Tilly’s level of buzz.

At the house, we eat, read and then attend the youngest daughter of the households basketball match. My gosh I got so into it. They won too, little rascals. We head back to the house, glorious in our victory and head to bed.