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Experiences of Rotorua
From Taupo to Rotorua isn't too far, and soon we were at our first port of call: the thermal area of Wai-O-Tapu. Here there was various walks one could do, so I settled on the shortest one whie my sister went rather further. It was yet another amazing place, with hot springs, craters and steam coming out of everywhere! After a light lunch here, we went on to our destination. There was nobody in at our B & B when we arrived, so we drove down to the lakeside and enjoyed the sun while investigating what we wanted to do. After a bit we went back to the B & B and this time the owner was in, a Scots - born South Korean with some charming eccentricities. Our room was rather small, with a bathroom opposite, but we had leopard-skin robes provided for wandering about in decency! The place had its own little geothermal pool, which we both tried: the water was very hot and needed stirring to mix the hot top layer with the cooler waters below before you could get in comfortably. We had a full day's sightseeing next day, and went first to Te Puia, another place with a mixture of local culture and geothermal activity. There was a mini-Maori Village, a Kiwi House where we saw, in the dim light of simulated night, one of these 
nocturnal birds that are the symbol of the country, and then the mud pools and the geyser. This last blew spectacularly while we were there, and I was able to get some good video of it. After Te Puia we went on to the Paradise Valley wildlife park. Here there were trout to be seen in very clear streams and pools, and a huge variety of other wildlife, though mostly in captivity. We saw alpacas, goats, wild pigs, wallabies and many more - a photographer's paradise! Again, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. But the best was yet to come: we'd booked on a Hangi, a traditional Maori feast. We weren't disappointed. We went by coach to Tamaka, a small village a few kilometres outside town that we'd seen on our way in. We had to choose a chief for our coach: this was Zak, a pleasant Canadian man who performed his duties on our behalf well enough. We watched the welcome rituals, and then were taken into the village itself to see examples of Maori craft and games. Then we went to the Marae, the Maori meeting p
lace, for a performance of song, dance and other traditional skills: and finally to the dining room for a sumptuous feast, some at least of which had been cooked in a Hangi oven over hot stones underground. It was altogether a lovely evening, and we felt we'd really been given the Maori hospitality which is an important part of their tradition. Rotorua, then, was certainly a place of experiences. Next, we were to visit the Waitomo Glow-worm gaves before heading for Auckland: and I'll put that in the next post.
From Taupo to Rotorua isn't too far, and soon we were at our first port of call: the thermal area of Wai-O-Tapu. Here there was various walks one could do, so I settled on the shortest one whie my sister went rather further. It was yet another amazing place, with hot springs, craters and steam coming out of everywhere! After a light lunch here, we went on to our destination. There was nobody in at our B & B when we arrived, so we drove down to the lakeside and enjoyed the sun while investigating what we wanted to do. After a bit we went back to the B & B and this time the owner was in, a Scots - born South Korean with some charming eccentricities. Our room was rather small, with a bathroom opposite, but we had leopard-skin robes provided for wandering about in decency! The place had its own little geothermal pool, which we both tried: the water was very hot and needed stirring to mix the hot top layer with the cooler waters below before you could get in comfortably. We had a full day's sightseeing next day, and went first to Te Puia, another place with a mixture of local culture and geothermal activity. There was a mini-Maori Village, a Kiwi House where we saw, in the dim light of simulated night, one of these 
nocturnal birds that are the symbol of the country, and then the mud pools and the geyser. This last blew spectacularly while we were there, and I was able to get some good video of it. After Te Puia we went on to the Paradise Valley wildlife park. Here there were trout to be seen in very clear streams and pools, and a huge variety of other wildlife, though mostly in captivity. We saw alpacas, goats, wild pigs, wallabies and many more - a photographer's paradise! Again, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. But the best was yet to come: we'd booked on a Hangi, a traditional Maori feast. We weren't disappointed. We went by coach to Tamaka, a small village a few kilometres outside town that we'd seen on our way in. We had to choose a chief for our coach: this was Zak, a pleasant Canadian man who performed his duties on our behalf well enough. We watched the welcome rituals, and then were taken into the village itself to see examples of Maori craft and games. Then we went to the Marae, the Maori meeting p
lace, for a performance of song, dance and other traditional skills: and finally to the dining room for a sumptuous feast, some at least of which had been cooked in a Hangi oven over hot stones underground. It was altogether a lovely evening, and we felt we'd really been given the Maori hospitality which is an important part of their tradition. Rotorua, then, was certainly a place of experiences. Next, we were to visit the Waitomo Glow-worm gaves before heading for Auckland: and I'll put that in the next post.
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