...in
Rotorua.
Certainly not anywhere I was- it never got quiet enough to hear the offender. But I came to appreciate the
sulphur. It overpowers the noxious smell children make! (Mostly!)
Holiday and children should never be used in the same sentence. Not once did I get to do anything exciting in a hot pool, nor did I get through the amount of liquid refreshment
that one should- were one REALLY holidaying!
Mornings would start at 0500, as the child storage facility was insecure and hotel management take a dim view on
DIY locksmithing. There was no cartoon network either, but that only appealed to one of the children, in any case.
Any outings would usually appeal to one but not the other child. This would end in howling, followed by more howling, as I discreetly ignored the Child Thrashing Act 2007 and
covertly applied torsion to an earlobe.
The one activity that everyone enjoyed was swimming/soaking, so a daily pilgrimage to a hot pool was made.
All the
Rotorua ones fell short, being overpriced,
overchlorinated or overcrowded- but I found a delightful pool at
Waikite (Link) (37km away) that was untreated mineral water, had a passable urine/water ratio, served beer and was $25 per family.
The
DUCK tour was also a crowd-
pleaser at $116 for the family. The appeal of touring around in a
WII amphibious vehicle was too much for me to resist and a soft-top truck with a big diesel engine drowns out the demands of children most
effectively!
For vittles, I had heard the
tongue of good report spoken in favour of The
Pig and Whistle. They were right!
For serious carnivores- the
Barbe ques Ribs ($17.50) came as they should- as many as can be heaped on a plate and without carbohydrate or foliage clutter. Stella on tap is another
drawcard I find hard to resist.
The kids meals were about the size of average adult pub meals- take a hint and just buy them the pigtail chips.
Bugger the flax pinnies and stick-waving- an attraction that also found favour with me, and to a lesser degree the kids ,was the
Caterpillar Experience ($40). I would have spend all day in that shed and will have to go back without the ball & chain. Who could be possibly bored in a shed full of bulldozers? (Apart from those with a testosterone
deficiency)
At first I thought the town to be expensive, but I had been comparing wildlife parks and pools with those run by councils and funded by the poor bloody ratepayers. What would the TRUE cost of going to Wellington Zoo or Te Papa be, if one paid the true cost?
And would anyone bother to go to the second!
Then I went into Retail Hell (
Pak & Save) and found that the beer was cheaper there than here!
(To be continued...)