A very welcome rest day in Rotorua – slept in, then did some relaxed pace sightseeing around town.  The theme was definitely thermal – steaming pools, bubbling mud, and the pale yellow tinge of sulphur – the smell pervades the town, but you get used to it quickly.  We visited the Government Gardens, where the sprint will be on Thursday.  Afterwards Pete and I went to the Blue Baths for a soak in lovely hot water. The Baths date from the 1930s. We felt very languid afterwards.

Pete then dropped me off at Kuirai Park, a lovely swathe of green in the middle of the city.  It has steam rising from the bubbling lakes – quite a bizarre sight to see sulphurous pools set amongst the leafy trees and verdant lawns.  I meandered through the length of the park with my camera.  A selection of photos is below …