Today I have mostly been lying in the bath

Tuesday 17 March Overcast, drizzly but fairly warm 16C Drove nowhere.

The rain, which had hammered on the roof much of the night, had almost stopped by the morning, but it was dizzly and overcast. Wandering into town, we came to 'Fat Dog', a cafe which served breakfast, lunch and dinner. The wine they serve comes from Hatton Estates near Napier; we had seen it in cases there. Toast and jam seemed like a good idea, but when it arrived it the slices gave a new meaning to doorsteps! Nonetheless, it was eagerly devoured on the basis that lunch would have to be missed!

The Polynesian Spa, right on the edge of Rotorua Lake, is large with a number of options for 'taking the waters'. We opted for the luxury version at NZ$ 40and had the choice of 4 open air 'natural' pools set in a jungly setting. The pools, all naturally heated by thermal springs, ranged from 36-42C and were shallow enough to be able to sit on the bottom of the pools. We also got towels, lockers and an exclusive (!) lounge to relax in.

Relax we did. Swapping from one pool to the other lazed around and 'people watched'. We did hear one member of staff, who was showing someone around, say, "People typically stay here for about an hour". We stayed for nearly 5 and really got our money's worth! Although it rained and drizzled on and off all day, it didn't affect us much as we up to our necks in hot water anyway. In the heavier showers, there was one pool with a partial cover over it.

We ventured out into the pouring rain again for dinner at a nearby restaurant before falling asleep at the end of an exhausting day!