Phillip and I went to Rotorua for the weekend; it was my birthday on Saturday and over the past couple of years years it has become a tradition to get out of town for my birthday weekend. This year, it coincides with the Wellington Sevens, and because I don’t like sportsball or large crowds of drunken hooligans ain’t nobody got time for that.
Auckland is our usual go-to for a weekend away, but this time we decided to try something different and chose Rotorua instead, and so on Friday morning we got in the car and off we went.
To be honest, I wanted to go to Auckland, but Phillip pointed out that there’s more New Zealand than just one city and after the weekend I had I’m glad we decided to go somewhere else this time around. I had such an amazing time (and I’ll we’ll be in Auckland for a day and a bit in April anyway).
I had such a great time away and wanted so share some photos of my holiday with you.
We stayed at the Rydges and after reading reviews on TripAdvisor, I was scared our room would be falling apart. It was a bit dated, but that’s fine; I wasn’t expecting the room to be brand new/completely redone. We stayed in a suite (it was massive), that had an ensuite spa/separate bathroom and a nice view of the racecourse.
I used the spa a lot, and may have overfilled it with bubbles…
the view from our balcony
It was my birthday on Saturday, and we spent the morning at the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland (one of the many geothermal parks in the area). We spent about an hour and a half walking around the and it was amazing.
One of the many warning signs… Steam is hot
Lake Ngakoro
The Champagne Pool
On Sunday morning, after having breakfast (and before heading to the Surico Alpaca Farm for a tour) we spent about an hour walking around Government gardens. I didn’t take too many photos, but I really enjoyed it.
Steam coming out of holes in the ground
A pukeko
Around lunchtime, we made our way to the Surico Alpaca Farm for a tour I had booked. It was probably my favourite part of the trip, and quite possibly the best birthday present I have ever given to myself (I am so happy past me decided it needed to book the tour). I loved it so much; I got to feed and walk the alpacas and got to see some newborn cria (there was even one born while we were there; e were on the other side of the farm when it happened, but still… I got to see an alpaca that had just been born).
Alpaca
Feeding the alpaca
Sue (the farm’s owner) feeding the alpaca
They’ve all been bucket trained…
This one snuck up on me while I was bottle feeding one of the cria
Checking the bucket out…
Head stuck in a bucket…
Saying hi over the fence
Hi!
One of the newborn cria
Mum and the cria that was born while we were there
close up of the newborn cria (it’s wool was SO soft)
Even thought we didn’t go to Auckland this time around, I had such an amazing time away; going to the alpaca farm was definitely my favourite part. and with all the newborns. I think it’s safe to say we chose the right day to go! I hope you had an awesome weekend as well, and for those of you in New Zealand, what did you do for Waitangi weekend? Did you get out of town? Did you go to the Sevens? I would love to know. xx
I spent the weekend in Rotorua too! We stayed at the Novotel which was great just across the road from eat street. I will have to do a post with my pics over the next couple of days. Hope you had a nice birthday! – Jess
Thanks jess, I had a great birthday; I hope you had a great weekend as well. Eat street was great, we went to solace a couple of times as their entire menu was either gluten free or could be made gf :)
Awww! I love alpacas. I missed Surico Alpaca Farm when we visited Rotorua. I spent my childhood in Rotorua but moved to Auckland when I was 9. It holds magical memories for me and every time go back as an adult, it feels really different. Foreign even. I adore hot pools so a deal breaker for me when I’m shopping around for a hotel is do they have an awesome outdoor spa? Give me a spa, a bottle of bubbles and I’m a happy girl.
No one at work got why I wanted to do the alpaca farm tour – I love them SO MUCH! The tour was great, it’s $40 per person and it’s definitely worth it if you’re an alpaca fan.
My hotel requirements are a comfortable bed and a bath tub. The hotel we stayed at didn’t have an outdoor spa. but the in-room spa was huge and was great to relax at the end of the day.