New Zealand - Rotorua

Rotorua, New Zealand


	On Wednesday, March 2, 2005 our coach arrived to Rotorua. The mountains of New Zealand's north island are mostly volcanoes and steam continues to rise throughout the Rotorua

area as a constant reminder of the volatile way the region was formed.

One of our tour leaders jokingly pointed out that Rotorua is pronounced very similarly to a company in the United States known as Roto-Rooter. (Making it very clear that the two entities should never be confused.) Actually, it helped us Americans better remember how Rotorua should be pronounced.

Press to visit http://www.rotorooter.com. Press to hear Roto-Rooter.

Rotorua has a quaint shopping district and has a plethora of attractions to experience. Above is a vehicle operated by Rotorua Duck Tours called a duck that takes to water as well as it does to land. Vehicles such as the one shown above were once used by the military to transport troops to shore.

Don once worked for Sony Computer Entertainment America in Foster City, California so he takes particular interest in PlayStation marketing as he travels. This shop had been closed, but the sign still promotes Sony's flagship video game system.

One of Rotorua's largest appeals is any number of local attractions. To the left is a brochure advertising a tour hosted by Rings Scenic Tours Ltd. of the locations used for Hobbiton in the nearby town of Matamata. Hobbiton is a mythical location described in the Lord of the Rings books and in the Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy.