Road Trip to Rotorua – Day 2

By the way… Lake Day is March 8th. I am slowly working my way to present day. I have enough time to go through the whole trip. So bare with me. Or don’t and just wait for present day posts when they come.

The Kiwi, Axel and M went out for a mountain bike ride. I stayed back with the kids. Also, because I can’t bike to save my life. In fact, I don’t like biking. There I said it. Anyway, I got brave and decided that I would wander down to the town of Rotorua. If you know me, you know that I have zero sense of direction. I get lost in my own backyard. I am able to read a map but I don’t. I somehow always think I know where I am going. It is a family trait. You know who you are.

The Monkey and Tenacious C are blissfully ignorant of my directional impairment. So they happily hopped into the car with me to head into town. Curly Fries and Peanut stayed behind to do some homework aka…. watch TV and be tweens.

By some miracle and only one wrong turn, I found the CBD of Rotorua. I was feeling pretty cocky about it but then remembered that I had children with me so decided that I would take a picture of the crossroad of where I parked. This isn’t my first rodeo getting lost folks.

I parked right by a little market. Great to see local vendors with local products. I bought some fruit and veggies for lunch that day. We will feast!

As I mentioned before, Rotorua is a very small place. Most people would say it is impossible for you to get lost. Well…. If you are anyone but me that is likely true. I lost the car for a good hour and a half. Finally admitted defeat and asked for directions using my handy little picture of the road signs. Sigh… I’ll never learn.

The boys were happy and didn’t mind as I just kept feeding them ice cream. I know they were wondering how they had scored 2 cones each but it was hot and we walked a lot in a circle so they never questioned it. I think the person behind the counter at the dairy thought I was a bit of a bad parent when I came back and got the second cone for the boys. The liquor store guy definitely knows how bad a parent I am.

We also went into a couple of shops in town. Tenacious C is not called that for nothing. He lives up to the Tenacious part with flair. We stopped in at one store just to browse. Within 2 minutes I had said no about 12 times. I said no probably another 10 times 2 minutes later. As I was about to say no again, I found the most glorious device ever – the NO! button. I was meant to have this thing. I was about to say no once again but before I could, Tenacious C simply handed it to me – saying “here this is easier”. The timing was perfect. The woman behind the counter said there has never been someone so deserving of that button and she wished she could just give it to me. We have used it daily.

Anyway, we did manage to see a couple of interesting things in town but it was time to head back up to our humble abode by the lake.

Once the bike gang got back, we spent the rest of the day eating and drinking. We made burgers and had a real, old fashioned lake day. All the toys came out and the kids had a blast. Or at least that is what I remember. I may have gotten to the smart end of the bubbly bottle that day/night making the details a little fuzzy. I do know that we finished the night playing Cards Against Humanity (yes we are bad people), several bottles of wine and booking a tour at the geothermal area Wai-O-Tapu way, way too early the next morning for our liking. Stay tuned for day 3….