A Short Family Trip to Rotorua

Penny's mum came to visit New Zealand for the first time. We showed her around our neighbourhood so she could see where we live, but with only two weeks together, it felt right to make the most of it — so off we went on a short trip down to Rotorua.

Sheep grazed lazily across wide green paddocks, and steam rose from the thermal pools in great drifting clouds. Stones warmed from below gave our tired legs a rest, and the views spilled far beyond what any photo could hold.

The Skyline gondola and chairlift carried us up the hill where deer and rabbits roam, and the luge rattled us back down at full speed. Min loved it so much that while the rest of us went touring with Grandma, he and his dad went back two days in a row. Grandma, for her part, started each morning with a long soak in the hot pools.

There were places where Māori culture lives on, and a forest walk among towering trees. A road trip for six, slow meals at our Airbnb — these settled quietly into memory. A short trip, but a long one, kept by each of us in our own way.

More from this trip — the luge, the hot pools, and the redwoods — coming soon in Travelers.