Drove to Rotorua, the most active geothermal area of the north island. 
You can smell the sulphur as you approach the town and we stopped for a quick look around Hell’s Gate – a 50acre geothermal reserve & spa. 
You wander past pools of boiling mud and a hotwater waterfall, but it wasn't as dramatic as it sounds!Arrived in Whakatane (pronounced Fukatahnie - which is quite amusing when you hear it on the radio....and you're childish...) and checked in at White Island Rendezvous, a motel / café / tour company on the Strand. We were booked to dive the White Island volcano in the morning but when we called to confirm, the skipper said she wasn’t holding out much hope due to rough seas. (a pattern is definitely emerging here!)
The weather was still beautiful inland, so we walked down towards the sea to see if we could get a glimpse of the live Volcano – since that was the closest we were going to get to it!
The weather was still beautiful inland, so we walked down towards the sea to see if we could get a glimpse of the live Volcano – since that was the closest we were going to get to it!
The area is a very important Maori landing site and the statue of Wairaka, replica canoe and Maori sacred cave can be found along the waterfront.
