After spending the morning packing and having one final homecooked breakfast with our lovely AirBnB host, we packed up the car and headed to Rotorua’s Redwood Forest. It was actually a bit of a spur of a moment decision to check out the Redwood Forest that morning as we had some time to spare before our midday flight to Christ Church.
Redwood Forrest is also known as Whakarewarewa Forest. There is over 5600 hectares of forest for you to explore. There are mountain biking trails and walking tracks that are easy to follow. as we were there relatively early in the morning, we got to experience the crisp morning air and had much of the forest to ourselves. We did come across other morning joggers and walkers while we were there. The old and towering trees were absolutely impressive to be surround by. We meandered along a few walking trails which were all quite easy.
After a couple of hours of exploration, we headed back to the car to make our way to the airport. Rotorua airport is relatively small but given what a tourist hotspot Rotorua is, it definitely warrants having its own airport. Even after all these years, I still remember the amusing moment when my friend and I headed to the check in counter. Before either of us handed over our eTickets and passports to the friendly lady, she guessed who we were (names and all!). When we were taken aback and asked how she knew. she said there are only 3 passengers of a 10+ passenger flight, and we were definitely not Mr X. She didn’t even check our passports! She literally printed off our boarding passes and handed them over to us. It was one of those moments I feel really gave me a good sense of New Zealander warm hospitality.
I was fortunate to snag the window seat on the plain and got a really great glimpse of the New Zealand north island landscape from the sky. There’s a common saying that New Zealand is the land of the long white cloud. Looking out the window, I certainly think it’s a lovely nickname.
This finishes up my photo series on Rotorua. Next up, we move further south to begin my 10 day adventure around the South Island, starting with Christchurch. Stay tuned! Thanks for stopping by today.
Your friend,
Janice
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