Rotorua 1: Off for some lakeside living
A long summer’s weekend staying in a lakefront holiday home? Don’t mind if we do!
At the end of the school holidays we took Mike’s boys away, continuing a custom started a couple of years ago. So far the destinations have all been different and drawing inspiration from our lakeside experience last year, we chose the central North Island destination of Rotorua.
Thanks to a string of public holidays, the first part of the year here is usually fantastic for short working weeks (lessening the blow of returning to work after the Xmas/New Year break), and we supplemented this by taking a couple of days of annual leave. Hence it was a Wednesday morning when we set out.
A few hours of driving was necessary but made easier by the beautiful fine day, coffee, and gadgets to distract those in the back seat. Summer was definitely in the air and we had fantastic clear views to high pointy landmarks.
Lake Taupo, and a favourite swimming spot of the men/boy-folk, was deemed a necessary stop. (I went all out and got my feet wet.)
Another hour’s drive took us to Rotorua.
The Rotorua region has several lakes and after mulling over a few house options, one at Lake Okareka was decided upon. This is a smaller lake, nestled between its bigger neighbours Rotorua and Tarawera. Only about 10 minutes from town yet off the beaten track, and home to about 600 people.
Sounded good – and it was!
The scene was set for two busy-yet-chilled-out days.
tall tales 
What a beautiful place. I bet the boys loved it. I still can’t get my head round your summer being our winter! 😀
Yes they did, though not to the point of ignoring their iPods completely! There’s quite a lot to see/do in the area so we could have done with an extra couple of days for some of that and to just hang at ‘our’ lake. (A wintery Christmas is on my to do list!) Thanks, L 🙂
A very nice blog Hayley, a very lovely spot you chose and it is so nice to see natural happiness.
Thank you for another enjoyable read. Janice x
Thanks, Janice – it was great and somewhere we’d go back to, if not for our tendency to want to sniff out new places.
Beautiful photos – I’ve not been to that lake, it looks lovely. Your photo of pylons reminded me that we were heading north a few weeks ago and were mesmerised by how those pylons on the desert road looked in the evening light – so much so that we failed to notice the police car at the side of the road, or the fact that we were driving slightly over the speed limit…
Oh no!
I often wonder how other people perceive the pylons. I work for Transpower and perhaps because of that admire how they stride along the Desert Rd, but most people must curse them for getting in the way of the mountain views/photos!
I think the pylons along the Desert Road are amazing, for me they add to the strangeness of the scenery up there – but funny that you like them because you work for Transpower 🙂
So lovely photos. I was inspired about Your photos presenting Lake Taupo. Very beautiful place.