Roturua, North Island, New Zealand.

Roturua is a sleepy little town about 4 hours south of Auckland which is infamous for the pungent eggy smell that lingers throughout the town. It's built on volcanic land, and every street bubbles and hisses with volcanic sounds and smells, steam rises from within the flower beds and creates stunning natural spas that can reach over 45 degrees.

 Here's how to see it:

Sleeping.

We stayed at Rock Solid backpackers (formerly Crank) for $23 a night. We stayed in a four bed dorm without a fourth person which was ideal. There's a large shared kitchen, 2 communal areas where you can get access to the free wifi and shared bathrooms. You'll also get cheap entry to the rock climbing wall in the basement which can be viewed through the glass in the too lounge ($12). Despite being almost full the hostel lacked atmosphere; we're not sure why. We were going to move over to Base hostel on the edge of town, but the beds were literally the most comfortable we'd slept in all trip. Go for the beds alone. 

Eating & drinking.

New Zealand is expensive, and it quickly became to clear to us that one of the things we can save money on is food. A lot of people cook their meals in the hostels, and hostel kitchens have plenty of storage for guests. 

If you are eating out in Roturua head to Eat street, a sectioned off part of turakawi street. The pig and whistle is a bustling pub famed for its locally brewed beer, skinners ale. We had double g&t's for $9 each, not bad considering the house gin is Tangueray. The food looked amazing, huge portions, but was pricey so we avoided. 

For cheap Japanese head to Kia Ora Japan for $10 lunch and dinner, or there's Indian express which also boasts $10 curry options.

We ended up eating at Lava, which is the bar-cum-nightclub attached to Base hostel. It was quiz night (Tuesday) so we ordered chicken ceaser salads for $10 a piece and shared chips. This place is clearly the backpackers hotspot in town, though it fell a little flat due to the distinct lack of pace/people. 

For a good morning coffee, take a walk along the lakeside to Third Place Cafè. The coffees strong and the breakfasts are famous about town. Lotus café is another affordable lunch spot. Don't be put off by its canteen style offering, the food is tasty, the cakes were great and it's cheap. 

The view from Third Place

Every Wednesday night Peter Pans throws a party for the backpackers in town. There's a free BBQ, some free drinks and the chance to hang out with hot rafting instructors... Could be worse. 

Exploring.

Roturua is renowned for two things: natural hot springs and living Maori villages, so we set out to experience both on our first day.

Take the number two Polytech bus from the centre of town ($2.50) and ask the driver to point out the stop for Whakawerawera. The living village is the original and had been welcoming guests since the 1800's. It's also the most affordable, at $35 per person it's almost half the price of the other villages. We didn't join a tour, instead we took the map and went exploring.

The Maori are a very spiritual tribe, proud of their heritage and their traditions; and the village is a completely transprant insight into that. We ate food cooked in the hangi, which is a natural hot spring, and met the towns local tattoo artist who explained the detailed and intricate nature of Maori tattoos. Keep an eye out for the natural springs which erupt almost every hour, sending water almost 30ft in the air.

There are hot pools throughout roturua, with some hostels and hotels offering guests private spas. To get the full experience it's worth going to one of the larger spas in the town though, so we headed to the Polyensia spa. For $28 per person (additional $5 for towel and locker) we were given access to 7 different spa pools, set at different temperatures ranging from 36-42 degrees. The natural water, paired with the stunning surroundings, made for a really relaxing hour or so (much more than that and you'd turn into a prune.) 

White water rafting was undoubtedly the highlight of Roturua. We booked through Peter Pans (it's worth popping into the store on the corner of Hinemoa Street, the team are brilliant, really good fun, so knowledgeable and beyond helpful), a the three hour trip cost us $75 each. The river, about half an hour out of town, is graded 5 out of 6 on the difficulty scale and features the largest commercially rated waterfall in the world, flowing 7 metres from top to bottom. 

The team at Kaitiaki kitted us all out in wet suits, fleeces, boots and jackets to try and stave off the cold, then the group was split between the convoy of boats on the river. It was awesome, a little hairy in places, but such good fun and the river was beautiful.

Next stop? Taupo. 

L, L and A. Xxx