Nicara Lakeside Cottage & Lodge, Rotorua,
New Zealand
Spring 2009

Greetings to all previous guests at both Nicara Lodge & Cottage, in this our second newsletter. We have combined both the Cottage & Lodge this time - you may wish to experience the other on your return to Rotorua.

Spring is sprung after a long cold wet winter. To misquote a song from Carousel, "Spring is busting out all over" epitomises our city. An answer to winter woes. Azaleas, rhododendrons and roses are in full bloom. I picked my first sweet peas last week, a lovely welcome for our guests.  

The great news for our region is the announcement by Air New Zealand of twice weekly flights between Sydney and Rotorua, starting 12 December. They will operate Saturdays & Mondays until end of January, then Saturdays & Tuesdays. This means you can fly direct to Rotorua for a short break or stay longer & explore our central region.

To capitalise on the airport, Nicara Lodge & 5 other '5 Star' lodges have launched a new Club Pass within the region, all within 3 hours' drive of Rotorua Airport. Simply purchase the required number of passes & explore the Central North Island.
There is a similar  Club Pass throughout New Zealand.

At Nicara we take sustainability seriously and this has been recognised by Qualmark and our Silver Enviro grading for Responsible Tourism. Our Travellers' Trees is a great opportunity for our guests to add to the beautiful environment of Hamurana Springs by purchasing a native tree to be planted there. The Department of Conservation and the Hamurana Springs Incorporated Society (HSIS) have completed clearing the land around the Stream and  planting is now underway by members of HSIS (see the photo) in an area designated for Travellers' Trees. Those who have purchased a tree will soon be sent the GPS coordinates for their tree. 

The exciting news for Ngongotaha is the opening in the village of our new restaurant/bar, The Gantry. So handy for guests for evening meals. For fine dining, we recommend Hamurana Lodge, a short distance from us.

This year, Rotorua was voted the Most Beautiful City in New Zealand - six times in the last 10 years. Our city streets are lined with bulbs, roses and native plants. It is a pleasure to visit our CBD.

At Nicara Cottage we have extended the small bunk room to accommodate twin beds. The resulting room is just lovely, in fact, my favourite!
This spring the cottage garden has again been a mass of colour - the daphne, daffodils, azaleas & rhododendrons to name a few. Those who have stayed love the intimate feel of the garden.

The lintel which we commissioned from Te Puia last year is now completed & proudly greets you as you enter Nicara Lodge. Master carver Clive Fugill has excelled in his craft.

This month is 'Movember' & guys in Australia, NZ, UK, Canada, US & Ireland grow a moustache to raise funds for prostate cancer research. This year Mike decided to join the cause. While it is growing well, the lack of colour (mostly white) means it does not stand out as much as the one he grew 20 years ago.
Mike has so far raised over NZ$1600 for the cause and to date is 13th in New Zealand. 
Mike can't wait to remove the facial hair; Heather is suprised to find it quite attractive. 

Well, summer is around the corner, as is Christmas. For some of you that brings cold wintery conditions so cheer yourself with a trip downunder and enjoy again all that Rotorua and Nicara has to offer

Best wishes,
Heather & Mike 

www.cottage.nicaralodge.co.nz