Rotorua Daydreams

Our second annual trip to Rotorua was a daydream come true. After the success of last year, we decided to book the same accommodation and had roughly the same plan as last year - it was a blast.

We started the trip off with a playlist of every genre you could imagine combatting the sleepiness and fatigue from the week. Arriving at the amazing bach with ample bedrooms we set off on the first event of the weekend - roller chair chaining around the 14-seater dining table.

Saturday morning called for Mario Kart and Spyro before a shopping spree with no budget (at least not for me). Crystals from the first shop we can find (and sometimes the second and third as well) and books from the best second-hand bookstore in this entire country. I always walk away with more books than I needed. The store owner is always happy to keep an eye out and let me know if any of the multitude of book I am hunting show up. The atmosphere of the two-story shop is homey and cozy but not cramped and I am sure we could all spend hours just wandering the shelves, embracing the atmosphere. My shopping always takes up most of the car space on the way back, but I can't help supporting any bookstore. Our next annual tradition is Mexican dinner buffet and jugs (yes you read that right) of multi favoured and coloured margaritas, with a safe uber back to the bach.

While the men went hungover mountain biking, the ladies grabbed some coffee and a good book, put on some music and each had a soak in the outside bathtubs, the most relaxing two hours of the entire trip. After a warm soak I proved why I only ever played hockey and not golf by visiting the putting range. We closed our Sunday off with a night of mystery as we entered the 20's, dressed to impress, and ready to solve a murder.

Then came my least favourite part of any Rotorua weekend. The goodbye. I might not have been part of this group for long, but the goodbye is always a little tearful for me, when you find your people, you know.

Overall Rotorua is an amazing spot for a weekend away. Restaurants with a friendly and embracing atmosphere, bookstores that leave you wandering the shelves for hours and coffee shops with baristas who genuinely care about who we are and how they ended up with a table booking for eleven people.