We headed to Rotorua this past weekend to meet my daughter and her husband for dinner! Yes, that’s right…for dinner 🙂 My daughter is a Theatre Nurse living and working in Wellington. We agreed that this year we would see each other more regularly – time slips by so quickly doesn’t it?

Hubby and I left Auckland later than we intended (animals to get sorted) and enjoyed a lovely drive with the roof down on my little car, and the radio up loud! We stopped in Tirau for a quick pit stop (boy this place has sure developed withholds of places to eat and shop at), and then at Mamaku Blue for a freshly made blueberry ice-cream. What a treat that was! It is about 2kms off the main road into Rotorua so watch out for it…worth a stop 🙂
We drove around the North End of Lake Rotorua to reach our destination of VR Rotorua , Mourea. (We got a great deal through an online booking site.) Situated on the waters edge of Lake Rotiti, we had a room with a lake view and the most comfy bed ever!

My daughter and her husband arrived from Wellington about the same time as us – their drive about 5 ½ hours. We caught up on all the news and then headed into the city to find a restaurant for dinner. Getting consensus can be tricky when you all have different tastes until we came across the new Eat Street, I have attached the link http://www.rotoruanz.com/eatstreat/

All weather, outdoor, alfresco dining – so many places to eat to choose from. I recommend if in Rotorua you check this place out! We opted for CBK Merchant and Pro where they said they were famous for their stone grilled steak! The meal did not disappoint, nor do the service which was super attentive without being annoying if you know what I mean?

On Sunday we played tourist  with a visit to the a Rotorua Museum. The museum is housed in a building with a romantic past. The Bath House building was opened in 1908 & designed along the lines of European spas of the time. We enjoyed the visit with it’s history lessons, galleries and view from the roof over Government Gardens. It was $20 for an adult but that did you give the opportunity to come back any time over the weekend. And when you see what has been restored with the entry fee it seemed worth it. 

Rotorua has loads of activities to do and things to see. Gondola rides, luging down the mountain, wildlife parks, thermal hot pools and lots more. We haven’t been for years to be honest – and it was chosen for our dinner catch-up because of the easy distance for both of us to travel. If you are looking for a weekend retreat, then Rotorua is a great destination.

For my daughter and I the opportunity to get together and chat face-to-face instead of on the phone 🙂 was great. We are planning our next weekend already with husband’s in tow – but are aiming for a girls only day in Wellington first. Let’s face it there are some activities husbands are not keen on that we girl’s enjoy…and the shops are great in Wellington!

Til next time

xx