After dinner, we drove to Redwoods Treewalk, which is considered a Rotorua "Must-See" destination.
There are two ways to experience Redwoods forest. One is to take the Treewalk for a fee, which consists of a series of 28 suspension bridges, that traverse between 27 majestic 117-year-old Redwood Trees. The other way, which is free, is to take the walking trail on the ground.
The treewalk sits at 20-metres above the forest at its peak and the walkway has been specifically designed and constructed to preserve the trees, plants, and the surrounding natural environment by using a uniquely constructed New Zealand-first technologically designed sling, which is suspended from the Redwood trees.
We decided to just take the walking trail. There are various walks ranging from 2km (30mins) to 11.5km (3.5hrs). As it's getting late, we took the 30 mins Red Track.
On this popular track, we meandered through the breathtaking Californian Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) which were planted in 1901.
These towering trees stand at approximately 219 feet (67 metres) tall and create a wonderful shelter, along with the under planted European Larch, for a diverse range of native plants and birds.
At one point, Jerlene and Javier were doing the Bollywood dance behind a tree. :-)
Another feature of this track is the board walk, which took us across the old thermal pond, home to a variety of exotic aquatic plant life.
Following few photos show the Old Thermal Pool, where it still smells like "rotten egg".
We continued the walking trail and admired these magnificent trees which are dedicated to the memory of the men of the New Zealand Forest Service who died in the two World Wars.
Before this trip, I had printed the following worksheets for Jerlene and Javier in order to make this walk more interesting.
As we walked along the Red Track, Jerlene and Javier had to look out for clues to answer those questions on the worksheets. This kept us all busy and with lots of fun instead of simply plain walking through the forest.
Throughout the walk, there are clear signage showing which path to take, so that visitors do not get lost in the forest.
Almost at the end of the walk, we took a photo with a fallen tree.
Hey! What was Javier doing to the statue's butt??? OMG!
Before driving back to our accommodation, we stopped by a "Pak n Save" supermarket to stock up on our snacks and drinks.
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