Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
On Sunday we packed up our stuff and said goodbye to Tim and Caroline, Max and Emma and Annabel and Taylor, who sent us off with a slap up breakfast and plenty of goodies. We were driving over to Rotorua today, but stopped en route in Taupo to finish off our sightseeing there. We first of all visited the Huka Falls, which we laid eyes upon at a viewing point on the surrounding hills before driving down for a closer look. We crossed a bridge over the surging chasm and then got various views of the torrents of water as they rushed towards their grand finale. Apparently enough water falls over the edge of the rocks every minute to fill five Olympic size swimming pools! Right next door to the falls was the Craters of the Moon, a geothermal park made up of steaming vents, noisy chasms and boiling mud pools. The weather had been fairly atrocious all day, but we got absolutely drenched on the 45 minute walk around the park, which literally put a dampener on things! It was really interesting however, and when the steam wafted over you, you got a real sense of how hot it must be underground. We drove over to Rotorua that evening and booked into the local YHA.
Yesterday we attempted to have a lie-in, which got destroyed by a tour group slamming doors continuously when they got up. We didn't head out until late though. Our first stop of the day was to jump inside a large inflatable globe and roll down a steep hill...zorbing! When we arrived and saw them going down, we weren't too sure whether we would enjoy it, as they didn't seem to be going that fast. But once we got inside they moved a lot, lot faster and it was amazingly good fun. Our zorb, which both Jo and I jumped in together, was filled with warm water, which ensured we got a soaking whilst tumbling about inside. You really couldn't control what you were doing, and had to go totally with the flow. That afternoon we walked through Kairau Park, which was similar to the Craters of the Moon, except on a smaller scale, but free. In fact, it was much smellier, and the mud pools were a lot more impressive. Rotorua seems to be dominated by an eggy odour, which Jo describes as a mix of the brine you get in tuna cans and cat food! Lovely! But the town is great, with lovely views and fun activities. We bought ourselves a little Maori carving as a souvenir, of a man with his tongue sticking right out, which means good luck apparently...Then we visited the Polynesian Spa and took to the waters which, despite the whiff, are rumoured to have helped cure arthritis and rheumatism in the past. The different temperature pools were set in a great spot overlooking Lake Rotorua, and we whiled away a few hours relaxing in the early evening.
Today another lie in attempt failed, and the girl we shared a room with last night kept us awake with her snoring! Mercifully we both didn't feel too tired, as we had an exciting day ahead of us. The morning was taken up with the Rotorua Museum of Art and History, which is housed in the former Bath House, first opened in 1908. The NZ Tourism Board had hoped to attract wealthy Europeans to take to the waters here and cure their ailments. One of the exhibitions therefore dwelled on the different rooms and their uses, and the different treatments available. The other galleries focused on Maori culture and the effects of the eruption of Tarawera Mountain on the area in 1886. The rooftop yielded some great views over the Government Gardens, the town and Lake Rotorua, allowing us to realise that they and us are all sitting in a large volcanic crater. In the afternoon we went to 'Skyline Skyrides', catching a gondola up the mountainside which, once at the top gave you the opportunity to jump on a really fun and quick way to race back down. The 'Luge' had three-wheel carts which you drove around different tracks, accelerated purely by the effects of gravity and momentum. Jo and I got really competitive and zipped around on our three goes, even screaming past one poor girl (who looked terrified), and then hurrying back on to the chairlift to start again.
This evening provided one of our best experiences of NZ so far. We got picked up by Mark, our bus driver, who was probably one of the funniest people you'll ever meet. He explained to us in 59 different languages the meaning of 'Kia Ora' ('hello'), without barely taking a breath. On the way back he must have gone round a roundabout at least eight times, over and over again, whilst singing 'the wheels on the bus go round and round' and tooting his horn. Once at Tamaki Maori Village, our 'tribe leader', nominated on the bus, had to gain us entry by showing we came in peace. We were treated to the full works of chanting and dancing, including the 'haka' with protruding tongues and bulging eyes. It was really mesmerising to watch and see all the traditional dress. We ambled around the village and chatted to the various 'villagers', who showed us different games, warrior training methods, tattooing techniques, etc. Afterwards came our hangi. This is a load of food cooked traditionally on hot rocks in the earth, and included lamb, chicken, fish, potatoes, kumara (Maori sweet potatoes) and carrots. It was like having a Sunday roast, especially when they added stuffing and gravy! Pudding was fruit salad, pavlova and steamed pudding with custard or cream. We got to learn about the hangi before some more singing and one final rendition of the haka, then it was back on the bus to Rotorua. We had loads of fun, and it was definitely one of our highlights of NZ!
Tomorrow, we get up really early to drive up to the Far North and the Bay of Islands, where we are really hoping against hope that we get good weather!
- comments