My travel experience to Rotorua .. it is thermal capital of NZ. It is famous for its spectacular thermal areas, vibrant Maori culture (Maoris are the origin of NZ). New Zealand (Maori) people use Maori language and the vast majority of place names are of Maori origin. At first I was struggling to pronounce those names (please don’t ask me whether I pronounced those names correctly) (this language has very consistent rules of pronunciation.) Rotorua lies at the heart of New Zealand and it is the most active ‘GEOTHERMAL” field. We can find lot of bubbling mud pools, geysers and steaming lakes , very near to the city, while some lakes are ideal for fishing, boating and water sports. Rotorua is surrounded by lakes, which includes a chain of beautiful lakes and this city is famous for fishing and other water activities. One lake is blue in colour and next lake is in green colour and next one is combined blue and green colour. Near lake Tarawera, there is a buried village, (this village was fully covered by 1886 eruption of Mt. Tarawera. All the way to Rotorua we can find forest parks and scenic view. For the best views of Mt. Nagongotaha – we went by luge (it is like sledge riding) down at high speed and then for going up we came by winch it gives us a nice scenic view of the entire city. For adventurous …. there are lot of activities including horse riding, guided treks and volcano hikes, trout fishing, whitewater rafting, sledging, jet boating, kayaking, parasailing, tandem sky Diving, scenic fights, four wheel drive safaris, quad, dirt and mountain biking , race line karting , bungy jumping, shweebing and zorbing…………..the list is endless. HERE I HAVE TO MENTION THE MOST IMPORTANT THING …THE CITY IS SO CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. I HAVE NOT SEEN A SINGLE PLASTIC BAG / PAPER OR CIGAR PIECES (NOTHING) I WOUNDER WHERE?? THEY PUT THESE GARBAGE THEY DO HAVE FAMILY ,CHILDREN, THEY DO TRAVEL AND ENJOYING THEIR HOLIDAYS, AND EAT OUTSIDE, BRING THEIR OWN FOOD USING PUBLIC PLACES FOR EATING. NOT EVEN THE AUCKLAND CITY IS CLEAN ALL THE WAY TO “ROTORUA” 3 HOURS JOURNEY 232.6 km WE TRAVELLED …………I WAS AMAZED BY SEEING THE roads and the village and the LAKE WITHOUT A SINGLE PAPER OR PLASTIC BAG OR WATER BOTTLE. WHO TEACH THEM TO MAINTAIN THEIR CITY THIS CLEAN? WHAT SUPPORTING SYSTEM THEY HAVE? AND WHERE ARE WE (INDIAN)?? I FEEL ASHAMED OF TELLING I AM FROM INDIA. WHERE IS MY INDIAN CULTURE? AND WHAT IS MY CULTURE? I AM DEPRESSED. I DON’T KNOW WHY? WHO WILL CREATE THE AWARENESS TO MY INDIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS? My joyful mood turned into a depressed one after visiting Rotorua. Kantha
Dear KB, With your descriptions and nice shots of the picturesque views, you have made us also have a little tour darshan of this wonderful land. Did you experience the hot water springs? In our country this discipline should start at every home. Parents should be the role models of their kids who sees and gets the habit from them. When they are outside home, the society should be their guide. In schools, the teachers imparts such knowledge just as a curriculum - so they should come forward and teach them as an 'art of living' than a mere text matter that is learnt and forgotten and never practiced. thanks for the beautiful shots. Don't feel depressed. The change should come one day or the other, may be we are little late in grasping good things from our neighbours abroad. Enjoy your trip and share them here like you did now. This will also goes a long way telling people how we should be. Wish you a great time.
kantha, Thermal springs, something I love about them..not sure why. having experienced two of them..i like the pictures a lot .. coming to your depression, i would like to share this chat i had with a autowallah...though thought of blogging on it, let me share it with you..it happened that there was so much plastic,paper clogging the adyar river and i happened to be going around those places in a auto trying to beat the dirty water at its own game...though i came home stinking is another story. ME: cha, people never change..you say there is a restriction of plastic bags yet people are willing to pay 2,4 just to take them..nobody is bothered about those extras.. Auto:why should they bother, it does not pinch. the supermarkets should stop giving them. they will not because they will lose business from impulsive shoppers. ME: atleast disposable, recyclable should come.. Auto: the municpalities should fine them badly for using these cheap plastics ma. ME: True. but people have to change, people need to be more aware.. Auto : what awareness ma, i feel even the most educated only can talk, talk or write about it. ME : why do you say, i don't throw garbage. Auto:Ma, last week, i picked up this sir from the ***flats. he has come back from us. he talked about how indians don't keep clean, how us is so clean and all. ME: It does happen, you feel the difference when it so blaring. Auto : i don't deny it, but what he did afterwards made me lose my respect for him ME : what did he do Auto : he threw the paper after eating the groundnuts, on the road which he would not have done in us.!!!! This is the truth. i know people who maintain neatness, awareness outside, and once out of immigration in india, back to their ways. We need more than celebrities, teaching us to keep away from throwing garbage, scribbling on heritage sites, spitting, behaving improper and let me stop the list goes on.. the first thing we need to learn, practice and then impart. we need to teach our kids, that they need to respect mother earth and nature better.
I am reading this article to DH and uncle whose son lives in Auckland and for the last 3/4 days in Rotorua and uncle was narrating his holiday there with aunt. Beautiful scenic view and as you say the beauty and cleanliness of all these places hit you hard. Why don't we keep our India clean ????????
Dear Kantha, Thanks for the lovely post. Beautiful write up and even lovelier pictures. The sky and the lake are such a wonderful deep blue. Glad to see you are getting a wonderful chance to see and experience life in a different country and from a different perspective. What you say about our Indian "culture" is very true. Like Shanvy said, it is sad that people would think of throwing garbage on the streets when they are in another country. But the moment they step off the aircraft here it is gone, plastic paper and banana skins would be thrown on the streets and lectures on the beauty of U.S and Singapore would start. Do you know why Singapore is such a fine city? Because they impose a stiff fine on any kind of littering. Chewing gums are banned in the city. This reminds me of an incident many years ago when my neighbour's son who had been in the UK for many years visited India with his daughters who were born and brought up there. They were travelling by train and the kids had just eaten a banana. They were wondering where to throw the skin, as there was no bin around. Someone advised them to throw it out of the window. The shock that registered on their face was worth watching. They stretched their hand out of the window to throw it, then took it back - they just could NOT do it. They looked at their dad who shook his head and told them not to throw it. This is the kind of training and social consciousness that has to be inculcated and deeply ingrained at home and in school right from childhood. That is when as adults it is part of the individual's psyche. Unfortunately in India, we teach kids about cleanliness at home, but throw the garbage out on the streets or into the neighbour's compound.
