It’s been a really busy few months, so we haven’t been away as much as we’d have liked. A weather window popped up, the fantastic tradespeople working on our bathroom had just finished, and we were ready to go.

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Rotorua is one of our favourite spots for hot pools, so it went straight to the top of the list. Even better, Tasman Holiday Parks were running an NZMCA deal for a few nights. Last time we came here a few years ago, it was Rotorua Top 10 Holiday Park. It’s a fantastic place right in the heart of the shopping area, so there’s plenty to see and do.

I haven’t posted much recently as the past year has been a big one at home. We tackled a major job on our old ’60s kitchen and living area, stripped the living room of furniture, pulled out the old kitchen, laid a new floor, removed an unnecessary second doorway, and installed a brand-new kitchen.

All our furniture lived in the carport for the best part of a week, fun times! A huge thanks to Emma and DJ at DJ Cabinetries for the superb design and installation, we couldn’t be happier. Our longtime plumber, Mike Peters, and painter, Brad Tik, did amazing work too.

Click on the Gallery below to see before and afters

The Old 60’s Kitchen

The new design. Note the curves.

The old shower over bath with the old tiles.

Into the future 🙂

This year, we did the same to the bathroom. Our superb builders discovered the floor was particle board, no good for a wet area so it was replaced with treated ply, as the joists were beyond legal span, those were sorted too. It all took a bit longer, but it’s great to have it up to code and done properly.

Longtime builder friend Paul Jervis and his son Fischer led the charge, with Mike the plumber and Brad the painter involved again. Thanks also to the others I haven’t mentioned with both projects, everyone did brilliantly with the small spaces and turned them into what we now think is a bit of a palace.

Back to the Rotorua trip. We scooted off early midweek, stopped in Cambridge for lunch, and then checked into the holiday park. We were allocated a site right opposite the hot pool complex and close to the ablutions, perfect. With the cold temperatures sneaking in, it was great not having to sprint too far with not very much on!

Click on the Gallery below for Enlarged Slideshow

Downtown Rotovegas

Parked near everything

The hot pool

Fiona at Eat St

The French Cafe

We started the first day with a walk into town to the French café, always a favourite for their crêpes, and the coffee’s great too. After that, we wandered down to Eat St for a glass of wine and a G&T for Fiona, had a brief look around, then headed back to the hot pools for a blissful soak.

It’s a well-laid-out park in a fantastic position, with everything close by. Rotorua’s well served with great restaurants and cafés, and there’s plenty to see and do. We spent the best part of a day at Rotorua Central, and Trade Central Mall is just over the road from the holiday park.

In the end, we stayed four nights, a great break away. The deals are still on, so make the most of them and check them out.