Weekend in Rotorua - Part 3 Around the lakes

After warming up in the hot pools, eight of the group arrived at a campsite by Lake Rerewhakaaitu for the night. Happy hour was convened beside the picture perfect lake as the sun went down.

The next day, we toured around Lake Rerewhakaaitu, stopping off at the DOC camps on the shores of the lake. At the Ashpit Road camp, we searched for a ‘geocache’. Sadly we didn’t find it so continued on with the idea of having lunch, followed by a walk at ‘The Redwoods’. However there was a national cycling and kayaking event on there with the subsequent large number of vehicles – so to plan B (conceived as we sat in the traffic jam)! The lunch stop would now be Blue Lake.

 

After lunch, we decided to walk around the lake – a walk of 1½ hours, and then headed to our overnight camp on the shores of Lake Okareka. Here we watched the sun go down and the moon come up, making good use of the DOC shelter on the shores of the lake for happy hour.

Weekend in Rotorua - Part 2 'hot and cold' pools

After our trek up Rainbow Mountain, we went to the local 'hot and cold' pools in the Waiotapu thermal area. When we arrived and announced that we were naturists, the textiles already there left us to it, even though we decided to wear togs. Actually they were quite interested in us, as were some local children, who insisted that we put the local clay on our faces as they had done.

It was amazing how in a situation like that, out in the bush soaking in the hot pool, how friendly people were, all chatting to us. In a public swimming pool, that wouldn't be as likely to happen.

Another local resident, a huge rat, had discovered Peter's fruit and was busily trying to gnaw its way into his bag. So all in all, the locals were very friendly!
The pools lived up to their name, running and bubbling hot and cold. According to Peter and some other locals, the pools were definitely colder than normal. However, just by moving to another spot, the warm water returned to warm us up before we headed off to Lake Rerewhakaaitu for the night.

Our long weekend visit to Rotorua - Part 1 Rainbow Mountain

It was a great weekend in Rotorua for the BOP Sun Club’s outing, which included a walk up Rainbow Mountain, a hot swim at the ‘hot and cold’ pools, camping at Lake Rerewhakaaitu, a walk around Blue Lake (Tikitapu), camping at Lake Okareka and finishing with a walk around Hamurana Springs.

Volcanic Plateau from the summit of Rainbow Mountain

We started by meeting at Rainbow Mountain where sixteen keen walkers set off up the mountain on a foggy morning. But above the fog was blue sky and those who got to the top said it was actually warm enough to get their gear off for a photo (and longer). The view from above the fog was clear and extended as far as the snow capped Mt Ruapehu!

At the top of Rainbow Mountain

Crater Lake - Rainbow Mountain



Rainbow Mountain outing

The BOP Sun Club is going to Rotorua this Saturday for a walk up Rainbow Mountain (or the shorter less strenuous Crater Lake). Meet at the Rainbow Mountain carpark (on SH5 just past the SH38 turnoff to Murupara) about 11am Saturday for an early lunch before doing the walks.

We will stay at one of the DOC camps in Brett Road, Lake Rerewhakaaitu (the larger one) on Saturday night ($6pp), go for a hot swim at Kerosene Creek (bring your togs just in case) and maybe if the weather is suitable go for a walk at The Redwoods or Lake Okareka on Sunday. If the weather is unsuitable for walking, we may stay at Waikite where there are hot pools (togs needed for the main pool - if staying, unlimited use of the main pools is included in the overnight charge, although they do have private pools). http://www.hotpools.co.nz/

If the weather is really bad, we will still be going but will look at more indoor events in Rotorua, so the plans will be dependent on the weather. If you can't find us but would like to join in, phone me on the BOP Sun Club phone on 027 440 5157.

New committee sworn in!

As you can see, the BOP Sun Club has a new committee after the AGM and are raring to go with some innovative ideas to progress the club through to 2013.

It was great to see our five brand new members come along as well and to offer some good ideas to help revitalise the club. One has already offered to revamp our web page and another has offered to help out with lawn mowing. WOW - we love these new guys!!

The new committee has taken on board some suggestions from other members too and in the near future, there will be some exciting events to which  members of other clubs would be welcome to join us at as well. WATCH THIS SPACE!

AGM this weekend

A reminder that the coming weekend is one of the most important weekends on the club calendar, so it would be nice to see ALL members come along.

On Saturday, the club will provide nibbles at Happy Hour, followed by Another Great Meal about 6pm. Please bring a dish to share for this pot luck dinner. The club will supplement the meal with complimentary wine.  

On Sunday morning, the current committee will meet for the final time at 10am and at 1pm, the AGM will commence. This meeting is very important as it will determine the course that the club will take over the next 12 months. As you can see there are a few spare seats at the committee table! It would be nice if some members would consider taking a more active role in club affairs by putting themselves forward for the committee roles, rather than leaving it to those who have held these positions for many years. Some of these people deserve a break and some new blood is always a good idea. We need some new ideas from new faces to take us into the coming year - a year when we will face more challenges as the season progresses. 

We are also looking for a caretaker to live on the grounds for the summer months, so if any members are interested in taking on this role or you know of anyone who might be interested, let a committee member know.

See you ALL at the AGM.

Queen's (actual) Birthday celebrations at BOPSC

Thirteen people enjoyed celebrating the Queen's birthday at our Right Royal Banquet last weekend. It was nice to see some of our newer members join us for the meal and a spa.

The next pot luck dinner will be the night before the AGM (May 19th), so come along and maybe stay the night. The club will provide some nibbles for Happy Hour and some wine with dinner and the spa will be on.

The committee meeting will be held at 10am on Sunday 20th and the AGM will start at 1pm. This will be a very important AGM with several remits to consider so it is imperative that as many members come along as possible. The future direction of your club could depend on this AGM.