Government Gardens

I am missing my Canon S95, the one that was stolen. My old Canon is just not up the mark. Still, I took these on my way to have lunch at the Museum. I do love that Rotorua has such lovely public plantings. Also in the street around town we have these lovely flower-beds, showing off the best of the season.

Rotorua cafes

My fave spot on a Saturday morning is Third Place. Fresh magazines and a fresh scone with a coffee and a view over Ohinemutu, with the steam drifting up out of the ground around the church and the lake silvery calm all the way across to Mokoia Island...

Reasons to live in Rotorua

The Saturday morning markets at Kuirau Park are a treat. Local delicacies include mussel fritters on fresh soft white bread - tomato sauce optional - and steamed pudding. This steamed pudding is like a bread, very solid. The local bread is rewena, made using a fermented potato-based starter. But the real treat is fry bread. Lumps of bread dough, fresh from the deep frier, with lashings of butter and great dollops of golden syrup; now that's a breakfast worth getting out for. A visit to the markets is a uniquely Rotorua experience, complete with boiling mud holes and a warm foot bath.