Rotorua has beautiful natural areas defined by three large lakes and the walls of a calderal left from a volcano erupting 240 thousand years ago. The volcano has been mostly quiet since then, but it did erupt in the late nineteenth century. Today, the geothermal activity beneath the surface provides steam heat and hot water for buildings like the hospital, and our hotel. We are on the ground floor and have smelled the sufur dioxide day and night.
Fortunately, our walking took us out into the rainy fresh air for most of the day.
This morning we walked in the woods near one of the major lakes, Rotoiti. It was sub-tropical rainy but the “track” (ie. trail) through the “bush,” (ie. natural woods) was pretty even and well maintained. We were taught to identity some of the most dominate vegetation in this land where the forest has five layers from floor to canopy top. We saw more than I can describe or even, at this point remember, but here are a few examples.
Ferns, giant and small are everywhere. I have a soft spot for ferns and seeing these huge species is really wonderful. We were taught Maori names for them, and the most common fern also has an English name of silver fern. The back of the fronds is silvery, and Maori could mark a track with fern blazes by flipping a frond over to the silver side.
We tasted the Kawakawa leaves, (Piper excellsum) which have a flavor like basil and a sensation like clove. Leaves with moth holes have more concentration of the compounds, so gathering leaves with holes gives more benefit for the labor.
Rimu is a native tree that is called a pine here, but is not actually a pine, but a different type of conifer called a podicarp– something not found in North America. I need to take better photos it this month.
We had sandwiches back at the hotel and set off for a redwood forest hike.
Over 100 years ago, New Zealand experimented with growing imported timber trees to see which might work here. Redwoods did not, but the forest is still growing and the park has many trails.
The rain largely let up and being under these tall trees, so far away from their original home, was a very nice walk.
