to mountain biking, hiking, rafting, kayaking – you name it! My next escapade took me to a quintessentially Kiwi experience – The Agrodome. World-famous, the Agrodome Farm Show covers everything from the trotting out of nineteen breeds of sheep, shearing said sheep, dogs that might not be able to drive a car but can herd a flock of woolly bleaters through a labyrinth backwards and you can even try your hand at milking a cow. Which I did not. Although it did actually look fun. The most hands-on, down-on-the-farm, truly country New Zealand experience, the Agrodome has been delighting visitors from around the globe for many years and their experience shows. The education programmes are brilliant for children and adults alike and there is even a Farmyard Nursery brimming with the cutest furry and fluffy babies
you could ever hope to close to. What visit to Agrodome would be complete without a pair of sheepskin slippers? The Wollen Mill and the Dog and Whistle Shop are well stocked with the finest wool products and gifts to take away with you. At the mill, after watching the demonstration of processing and spinning I had to have something woollen and I had just the place to trot them out for their inaugural wearing! Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort on the shore of Lake Rotorua is a stunner of a luxury hotel offering extravagant accommodation, the finest of indigenous-inspired dining at Mokoia Restaurant and 2011 and 2012’s award winning lakeside spa with treatments such as a traditional Maori Massage, the Wai Ora White Volcanic Stone Massage and the Wai Ora Mud Wrap. Sign me up for the mud wrap!
Tamaki Maori Village
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www.gotravelnewzealand.com
Literally caked in Rotorua’s invigorating and globally renowned mineral mud I felt toxins and excess being drawn from my body. The Alite Mud Beuaty Products used at Wai Ora Spa is infused with the unique geothermal muds and water from Rotorua’s most active geothermal reserve, Hells Gate. Maunka oil, honey and New Zealand milk are