Final stop...Rotorua!

 The Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua- Quite possibly mountain bike heaven!

We have been excited to visit Rotorua again ever since we visited last time, over a year and a half ago.  We were also really excited to visit our friends Marcello and Heide as well as riding the amazingly, epic mountain bike trails in Rotorua.  On the drive in to Rotorua, we were reminded of its amazing geothermal activity when driving through the forest, there are whisps of steam rising from the hot spots.

 Lively geothermal activity in Rotorua...

 Never a dull moment with boiling water and mud everywhere!

Without question, Rotorua hosts some of the best mountain bike trails in the world which really equals mountain bike heaven otherwise known as the Whakarewarewa Forest.  The forest is an an interesting story in itself as it has been used since 1901 as an experiment to test different native and exotic flora, while research was conducted to see which trees and plants grew the best for commercial planting.  The 10,000 acres of trails have enough variety to keep just about everyone happy.  Well, everyone on two wheels at least! They have done a good job of separating the trails into each specific purpose, such as trails for walkers, trails for horses, and then the mountain bike trails.  We were really excited to be able to stay here for a week with Marcello and Heide as well as knowing they would be taking us out in their own backyard for some epic rides.  More impressively, Marcello and Heide have impressive rides for their mountain bikes.  Both ride fully rigid, single speed bikes with 29 inch wheels.  This means while we have close to 30 gears to ride over rough, undulating terrain, they have...one.  While we have lovely suspension to soak up any error or roughness of terrain, they have...none!  Kind of makes us feel a little silly every time we shift into an easier gear!

 This is not us riding, but a sample of inside the forest and the trails it offered...Notice the sign labeling this trail, just one of many as there are signs and maps everywhere!

Fortunately during the week, Marcello had a day off and took us on a scenic ride.  We rode the perimeter of the forest before dropping behind the mountain onto Green Lake.  Green Lake was unique in its presence.  It is considered a sacred lake and void of all human contact.  When we came into view of the lake, there was no denying its presence.  It was a dark lake and as the sunshine from bright sun hit the lake, it was not enlightened in any way.  You know how with most lakes on a warm, sunny day, a lake pulls you into for a refreshing swim?  No such feeling with this lake, in fact we were all just fine riding around it as fast as we could!  Just on the other side of Green Lake was Blue Lake, which was all that Green Lake wasn't.  It was warm and sunny, with clear water and people swimming in it enjoying the last of summer.  We sat at Blue Lake and had a picnic lunch before riding around it and dropping back into the trails of The Forest.

A couple days later, we were again fortunate as both Marcello and Heide had the day off because it was Good Friday, a nationally recognized holiday in New Zealand.  Heide made lunches and we packed up and drove about an hour's drive to Lake Taupo for a great ride.  Even better, we stopped at one of their favorite cafes in Lake Taupo, BodyFuel, which was full of delicious-ness with tons of gluten free delights and great coffee to fuel us (not Sarah, she's still holding out on becoming a coffee addict and some of us are a bit wary to see how much energy she might have under the influence) for the ride ahead.  The trail was out and back through some of the funnest, flowing singletrack we've ridden.  In other words, impossible to wipe the grin off the face during the ride!

 Lake Taupo is not a sight for sore eyes! The rock formations are stunning! 

We stopped and enjoyed a picnic midway before turning around and riding back the way we came, which was even more enjoyable the second time around!  At the finish spot, where we parked the cars on Acacia Bay of Lake Taupo, we had a second picnic (yay!) after swimming in the lake to rinse and cool off.

 Acacia bay is a little slice of heaven, especially on a sunny day!

The lake was the perfect temperature- a bit cool initially, then once you're in, you barely notice it.  The water was clear/clean enough to see the bottom and it was a beautiful aquamarine color.  Quite a perfect ending to a perfect day.  But, it got even better!  On our way home they took us to their favorite hot springs spot, where we indulged in some beautiful, natural hot springs.  Sitting there in the hot springs, overlooking green rolling hills, it really couldn't have gotten any better. 

The natural surroundings at Waikite Hot Springs made for a perfect ending of a perfect day!

We have now made our way from Rotorua back to Wellington, where we will be house-sitting for Zeph's Godfather, Graeme, while he is on holiday in Cambodia for a couple weeks.  It is giving us a good chance to ease into a little bit more normal lifestyle from our vacationing ways!  We are getting caught up with emails and other bits of reality while we finally have access to phones and unlimited internet again- Yay!  We will be heading south to Dunedin around the 20th of April as Zeph accepted a job offer to work with R&R Sports, which are Patogonia-type outdoor stores here in New Zealand.  Exciting times!