Some Like It Hot by John Borthwick

The mud of Rotorua boils like killer porridge while geysers vent their steamy spleen. This might be a magical landscape of dragons exhaling, even down to the pervasive, sulphurous aroma - the term "last one in is a rotten egg" certainly comes to mind.

Rotorua, on the shore of Lake Rotorua in the middle of the North Island, was first settled some 600 years ago by early Maori of the Te Arawa tribe. Thriving on a diet of fish from the 80 sq. km lake, plus birds and sweet potato (kumara), they made use of the abundant hot springs and steam for cooking.

The town's Maori heritage remains evident everywhere, from the carved fascia boards of ceremonial marae meeting houses to the war canoes and ubiquitous tiki figures. Tourism has of course embraced this exotic Polynesian element.

MAORIDOM
Our hotel, like several in Rotorua, has an evening hangi (earthen oven) feast, complete with Maori dances and a thundering, in-your-face haka. The Maori men on stage boast a range of formidable physiques, from sumo-like upholstery to gym-sleek beefcake. In the middle of their full-tilt haka, a table of Taiwanese tourists abruptly rises and leaves - they're not intimidated by the show but by their own terrifying "See-NZ-in-five-days" coach schedule.

The Maori Arts & Crafts Institute and Village (and adjacent Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve) is a complex of maraes, galleries and craft displays. Traditional carving, weaving, cooking and dance are among the features on a daily program of events. Artefacts displayed include traditional taonga craft heirlooms - such as carved rakau (walking sticks), greenstone necklaces and bone carvings - that are accorded much respect, since they are believed to carry the spirit of their makers. Like all good tourist sites, your exit from this centre is via the gift shop's gauntlet of contemporary artefacts.

HOT SPOTS
Since the first European settlement of Rotorua by Christian missionaries in 1835, the lakeshore's hot pools and thermal springs have attracted visitors. The thermal activity, caused by a break between the Indo-Pacific and Australasian "plates", has gained Rotorua the name of "Geyersland", and its displays continue to attract over one million visitors yearly.

Rotorua has several major geothermal areas, mostly to the south of the city. For those who don't want to travel, try the mid-town Polynesian Spa (Hinemoa Street) with its 35 bathing pools and eight hot springs; as well, there are private pools, a family spa and a toddlers' pool. On the edge of town (beside the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute) is the Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, where the vigorous Pohutu geyser erupts 20 times a day, spouting up to 30 metres; other attractions at "Whaka"include seething, hot mud pools and steaming springs.

Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland, 27 km from Rotorua, is probably New Zealand's most colourful volcanic area, with a range of geysers, craters, mud pools and terrace formations. As well as the famous champagne pool, at 10:15 a.m. each day, you can catch the spectacle of the Lady Knox Geyser blowing her top.

The waters of Waikite Valley's thermal pools (25 minutes drive south of Rotorua) bubble out of the ground at a scorching 98 degrees Celsius, then cool in a series of cascades before entering the final pool at a comfortable 36 - 38 degrees.

On 10 June 1886 Mt Tarawera erupted, claiming 153 lives. As a result of that eruption, Waimangu (20 minutes south of Rotorua) was created, probably the only hydrothermal system in the world wholly formed within historic times. Waimangu Volcanic Valley's highlight is its Inferno Crater, as well as powder blue, steaming waters and sheer crater walls. You can walk through the crater, take the cruise on Lake Rotomahana and contemplate the world's largest hot water spring.

Another result of the 1886 eruption is the Buried Village (15 minutes from Rotorua), one of New Zealand's original visitor attractions. Here, not far from Lake Tarawera, you can stroll through the grounds and see excavations of the blacksmith’s shop, flour mill, barman's house and the old Rotomahana Hotel.

ROAMING FREE
Driving to these springs, or perhaps taking a day-trip to Lake Taupo or Mt Tarawera, can be a visual delight. The sky is streaked with the frayed silk of "mare's tails" clouds; the landscape is one of sinuous hills and cypress windbreak hedges, as high and thick as castle walls; and in summer, the native pohutukawa trees erupt with crimson blossom fireworks. As in much of the North Island, during spring and summer the pollens erupt, too, and hay fever sufferers soon discover that there's so much allergen on the wind that it's a wonder the bees too aren't sneezing.

The Rotorua region is also one of the country's prime fishing spots where, it is said, you are practically guaranteed a trout catch. If you can't land one, you'll at least see them at the Rainbow Springs theme park, along with deer and emu.

A favourite with international visitors and kids is Rotorua's Agrodome theme park where the sheep-dog antics (part of the sheep show) are the highlight. Other traditional New Zealand pursuits such as bungy jumping, "zorbing" (rolling down a hill in a giant, inflated ball) and jetboating are among the "cash-for-dash" options.

Several less commercial attractions in Rotorua include the extensive rose beds and croquet lawns of the Government Gardens and their pseudo-Tudor Museum of Art & History, which has recently been enhanced by the restoration of the historic Blue Baths spa. Expect to see William Shakespeare and Elizabeth I emerge wrapped in ermine bath-towels.

Beside the lake at the Maori Ohinemutu Village, the little St Faith's Church has a unique, clear glass window. Stand directly in front of it, looking out to the lake, and the etched image of Christ, dressed in a Maori cloak, that dominates the pane, appears to walk on the waters of the lake behind. Ohinemutu also presents a popular "Magic of the Maori" concert nightly (at 8 p.m.) inside the Tamatekapua meeting house.