Rotorua, Rotorua Museum, New Zealand

Rotorua, on New Zealand’s North Island, is built entirely in the crater of a volcano.  Its 67,000 residents live on an active geothermal area that produces  about 80,000 TONS of water flow daily. These wonderful waters  were used in Rotorua’s famous Bath House talked about in the last blog. 

When the Bath House was closed in the 1960s, it was re-invented into the Rotorua Museum of Art and History.  It is one of the best places to understand the geology of the area and to learn about the culture of the Maori people.

My first stop was the cinema that provides an imaginary trip 13 km into the middle of the earth.  Using both scientific and Maori legends, the story of the dynamic and ever changing earth beneath Rotorua is explained.  I had to keep telling myself this is just a movie when the eruption of Mounta Tarawera came on the screen.  This volatile eruption covered entire villages and changed the landscape forever.  The surround sound provided realistic noises and then my chair began to vibrate wildly.  My first impression was that I was in an earthquake and a volcanic explosion was imminent, but it was just the movie.

In another section of the museum, the story of theTe Arawa  (Rotorua’s first inhabitants) people is dramatically displayed.   Traditional love stories, the migration of the people, more on that volcanic eruption of Mt Tarawera are included along with the feats of B Company 28 Maroi Battalion,

Next adventure is downstairs to the Mud House Basement.   Here, you can see what this part of the old Bath House looked like in 1908. The rooms are quite gloomy and the smell of sulfur permeates the basement, but it is a fascinating trip back to the original Bath House.

From the basement we climb to the Roof With A View.  With its Elizabethan architecture, the roof has many complex angles and intersecting gables, but it is the view that impresses me.  I look in all directions and see a distant skyline.  This is the rim of the crater that holds Rotorua and the surrounding geothermal area.  From the Viewing Platform, it is easy to see the extensive grounds of the museum.  A brochure guides you to 20 stops along the Cultural Heritage Trail around the museum.

Rotorua Museum provided me with a overall view of the history and geology of the area and was a great start to my stay in Rotorua.

Website: www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz

Submitted by:  Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer and Bernadette Heath, photographer/writer of ‘”Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors.”  www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com.