Quote: I was really interested in finding the Orchid Gardens in Rotorua and having a stroll around them, especially since it's nice to actually see live orchids, as opposed to the ones my mother has killed at home! However, it took me hours to actually find the place. There are street signs that point in a vague direction saying "Orchid Gardens," but once you get close to the actual gardens, there are no street signs in sight. The map of Rotorua that I had even had it in the wrong location on the map, because I distinctly remember seeing a building and looking behind its fence to see if I could find some orchids, but I did not.After a few circuits of central Rotorua and one stop in a shop to hide from the sudden deluge of rain (where I found a $23 greenstone necklace and, after picking up my jaw from the floor, promptly bought it), I finally found the Orchid Gardens. However, this was still totally by mistake. I walked into the closest open-looking building I could find that was near the place designated as "The Orchid Gardens" on the map, which happened to be the Realm of Tane complex, which I think was an exhibition/booking place for going to a Maori dinner. There, I asked where the Orchid Gardens were, and they directed me down a hallway, and through a backdoor, and there I was! Actual gardens!The gardens were rather nice, and nicely laid out as well. As you walk in, you walk across a bridge and can see the length of the orchid gardens in each direction, which isn't terribly far but looks very green and flowery. You then walk in a circuitous manner down a hill to the ground level, past many flowers. However, I'm not sure whether it was the time of year or what, but I only saw one or two actual orchid plants. Don't get me wrong, the rest were quite pretty, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.The thing that amused me the most about the Orchid Gardens on the hole were the cockatoos in a cage that was situated almost underneath the entrance bridge. I had previously visited Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, which had a cockatoo advertised as "Dicky the Talking Cockatoo," who was supposed to repeat everything you said. I've never actually talked to parrots or cockatoos, so I was quite amused by this prospect, but Dicky never did talk to me. However, one of the two white cockatoos here was a feisty little creature and enjoyed telling me exactly what I had just said to him. This kept me amused for a good while; luckily there was no one else actually in the gardens or they might have wondered about my sanity.Overall, it was a nice little stroll, but I was unimpressed by the "orchid" part of "Orchid Gardens," and even less impressed by the effort expended trying to find them!
From journals Back to the North: Rotorua