Sometimes when we travel we find beautiful places quite by accident.   We arrived in New Zealand tired from the long journey, but we still managed to drive over to Rotorua (a city of 58 000 on the North Island).   It was raining when we arrived so we went to our booked holiday park for a rest, to shop for supplies,  and to get organized for a month on the road.

The rains let up in the afternoon so we went for a walk out to the lake shoreline and were pleasantly surprised to find green spaces and walking trails.   We followed the trails on the shoreline over into the Hannah’s Bay Reserve.   The lakefront has some smaller beaches on windy Lake Rotorua.

Walkways went into wetlands behind the grassy fields.

Spring wildflowers and flowering shrubs greeted us along the trails and walkways.  Bush lupines were in full bloom on the beach, but all over the islands too.   Bush lupines were in full bloom on the beach, but all over the islands too.

Our explorations took us to beaches, forested trails, wetlands, and community gardens.   We were grateful for the opportunity walk in such a beautiful regional reserve, far from home.

On the next day we explored the thermal parks of Rotorua, before heading down to Tongariro National Park. (articles to follow)