The Sun Comes Out in Rotorua

Rain!  I love rain partly because we get so little of it where I live. And one of the thing I enjoy is being all snug in bed listening to it pour.  I fell asleep to the sound of falling rain, and this morning I woke up to it as well. And the air was so fresh and cool!
There are a lot of things to do in and around Rotorua.  I just don't want to do any of them, but you can experience Maori Culture, or go on lake cruises, or mountain bike or zip line--and a lot of other things.  But I did feel I should do something touristy today, so after I strolled down to the lake to see it all blue and calm, I went to Government Gardens.
The land was a gift from the Maori to the Crown back in 1880 to benefit all the people of the world.  It is a beautiful and popular recreational site very close to the lake and the center of town.  Unfortunately the museum building was badly damaged in the 2016 earthquake and has been deemed unsafe, so the museum is closed while they figure out how to retrofit it.  I knew this when I came so I did not go away disappointed, but the museum building is interesting and beautiful in itself.
There are formal gardens and monuments, a bathhouse, pitches for bowls, and a playground for the kids.  Apart from a very pretty rose garden woodland is provided for those of us who like to stroll.
I have mentioned before that this area is geothermically active.  Well the gardens also have hot spots.  An early settler exploited them and there is still an energy center on the grounds.  I looked into plopping pools.  There's a geyser, too, but it's not Old Faithful, but I understand they induce it on special occasions.
I got a lot of good walking in, but then the afternoon turned hot and humid. Time to take shelter and enjoy a Southern Hemisphere treat of New Zealand cheese and Australian rose.