(Roto=Lake, Rua=Two)
Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake of the many lakes of the North Island, Lake Taupō being the largest. Many of these are volcanic crater lakes. The city of Rotorua and its environs, situated at the southern part of the lake in The Bay of Plenty region, have a population of approx. 77,000. "In terms of ethnicity (at the 2018 census), 59.2% were European/Pākehā, 42.3% were Māori, 6.2% were Pacific peoples, 11.5% were Asian, and 1.5% were other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).[15]" (Wikipedia)
Lake Taupō and Lake Rotorua
Rotorua is known for its sulphur springs, mudsprings, spas, and geothermal activity. Kuirau Park is, in fact, across the street from us on Tarewa Road. In the morning you can see steam from the pools, and steam coming up from vents at the curbsides.
A geothermal spring across the street from us. Unfortunately this means sulfur smells can hang heavy in the air. Having lived in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho, with their own local geothermal sulfur springs, as well as on a dairy farm for 40 years and then eight years in Fruitland, downwind of an onion processing plant, I am accustomed to strong smells.
The lane from Tarewa Rd that leads to our house, past the beautiful AirBnb next door. The landlord's son lives in the house on the street.
A pink camellia and a Rose of Sharon blooming their hearts out. We also have several varieties of citrus trees growing along the lane. At this time of year, when cold rain and winds blow across the islands, the vegetation can look a little weary. We will see if it perks up in the spring.
Elder Rooks in the living room. There is no central heating here, so the rooms are heated with space heaters and wall units. The unlovely but oh-so-necessary insulating curtains help keep the heat in.
We also have a fan for drying the clothes, since our brand new combination washer/dryer does not work. Fortunately the old washing machine is still hooked up so we have been promised a new dryer. The sun coming through the windows feels wonderfully warm.
Our dining area. We are in the process of finding folding chairs so we can accommodate more people over for dinner. There is a folding table in the office, yay.
We have a very nice kitchen, we are told. Once we figured out how to set the old Fisher & Paykel oven, we were in business. There is plenty of drawer & cupboard space, yay!
I brought my sister-in-law Heidi Cameron's quilted hot pad to hang on the fridge. She made it ten years ago for Clinton's & my mission to Concepcion, Chile, so I brought it along to keep me company. For awhile it was our only hot pad, since some things are hard to find around here. I finally found hot pads at the K-Mart, naturally, along with potato peelers, and, praise be, inexpensive folding chairs. There is also a store called The Warehouse, which is changing its name back to the original Woolworth's.
The back yard, which I haven't had time yet to explore. It is populated by Australasian swamp hens, little black birds with red beaks, and at least three wandering cats. A thermal stream runs through it. We have a pickleball court next to us which will probably be busy during the summer months.
The Utuhina Stream from Lake Road. The geothermal stream from our back yard runs into the Utuhina that flows into cold Lake Rotorua. The Australasian Swamp Hens like this.
The Connellys, an amazing couple living on the north shore of Lake Rotorua. They invited us over for dinner. Bro. Connelly wanted to move here from Hamilton because there are so many outdoor activities. Sis. Connelly was instrumental in getting our house ready for us to inhabit, including new wallpapering, carpeting, and furnishings, which she did with amazing good taste. She is a generous friend to everyone she meets.
Elder & Sister Rooks
Black swans swimming toward the sunset
We attend two wards on Sunday in the Roturua Stake Center: The Fairy Springs Ward and the Tarawera Ward. The members are lovely and welcoming and warm. We love them already. There is a high level of knowledge of the gospel, teaching ability, and spiritual strength in these members. The stake center itself is a large three-story painted brick structure which reminds me in many ways of the Gleisner Stake Center in Concepcion, Chile, where Clinton and I were senior missionaries together: From the members wearing jackets and mittens in meetings since the rooms were heated with space heaters and kept warm with insulating curtains; the smell that is common to buildings in humid climates; to the tile floors, locked gates, and multi-level parking. It is like visiting old friends I have not seen for awhile.
Rotorua Stake President Winiata and his wife Lenora have all the district missionaries over for dinner each Monday night. Here we are together, including several members of the Winiata family.
Pres. Winiata with his guitar for an evening sing-along. The stake president is a wonderful humble man very concerned with the spiritual well-being of the members of the Rotorua Stake.
Lenora Winiata invited us to her cooking class the next day at the Linton Park Community Centre. It was great fun. I wish I had been able to attend the earlier three classes. There were about twelve of us, including the bachelor Mark ("Mahk"), who couldn't understand our American accent. (A large number of New Zealanders have visited or have relatives in the United States.) Elder Rooks was on the laptop the whole time.
Sis. Winiata has an unusual ability to coordinate 12 different cooks preparing a number of fairly complicated dishes, with all of them hot and ready at the same time. Pres. Winiata assures us that cooking for large groups is a talent of hers. The program is funded by the New Zealand Government. Since Rotorua is an area of income disparities, cooking classes such as this teach local community members valuable skills in buying and preparing healthy and nutritious meals.
The feast at the end of the cooking class: Butter chicken with rice, oven roasted vegetables, banana bread and a simple bread cooked three ways: Fry bread, Naan bread, and coconut buns. All delicious. Sis. Winiata admits she was up until 3:00 in the morning figuring out how to make these recipes with less sugar and fat. She did a spectacular job. Elder Rooks joined us for lunch.
Our first district meeting, with a couple of new missionaries to replace the elder and sister who transferred to other areas this week. We have the best district in the mission, of course. Elder Joyce, on the right, is our new District Leader, and he is a natural.
Mr. Pūkeko angling for a photo. He was strutting along slowly and kept looking back to make sure I saw him.
