Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
after a drive via lake Taupo, i stopped at what was to be an unexpected highlight of my tour of NZ - as i was driving towards Rotorua, i saw the sign "the crater of the Moon" and decided to investigate.
in the late 1950s, a large area of land northof Taupo suddenly began to get hot and emit steam. Craters ofboiling mud emerged, along with other geothermal phenomena. and so the Craters of the Moon was born. this was triggered by the lowering of underground pressure by the nearby geothermal power station. super heated water rose to the surface, escaping through any vent it could find.
when you arrived, it seems like bush fires everywhere until you realise this is not smoke but steam - and the great thing is that you can wonder around on wooden walkways but you are warmed not to leave the path as boiling mud or steam can appear nearly anywhere! clouds of slightly sulphurous steal swirl all around you - its unusual and great fun to witness.
on my arrival to Rotorua, you couldnt escape the smell of sulphur and guess what� - its everywhere in town - even in your bedroom! LOL it stinks like roten egg... i was told you get used to it, but i wouldnt stay there to prove it - as two days later i would drive further north.
�there is only one thing to see in Rotorua and its Te Puia which is a museum on Maori culture with its carving and weaving schools and its geysers - some are constant while some others are every hours - famous one being Pohutu geyser in the Whakarewarewa thermal reserve shooting up to 30m high!! - it s an impressive one!
around Rotorua, you can find some typical Maori villages with some amazing carved buidling - Ohinemutu was once the main Maori settlement in Rotorua and is within few minutes drive - A popular attraction is St Faith's Anglican church on the edge of Lake Rotorua. the focal point is a stained glass window depicting Christ dressed in Maori chiefly attire, placed to create the illusion he is walking on the lake's surface - other interesting fact is the graveyard where graves are above water level and bodies arent buried as such, due to the heat from the ground.
while we could think that Maori culture could be wiped away by the English way, i was pleased to see that they kept most of their rights and for examples control most of the land and lease it to the "pakeha" - maori for europeans - meaning white ghost! despite representing 10% of the population, the maori people have a strong influence in the NZ culture - a lot of this is the result of the Watangi treaty that was signed in 1850.
i am now arriving to the end of my NZ trip, and its been 4 fantastic weeks of stunning landscape and a great drive through south and North island - i know i will be back here sometimes but now its time to see John again in Japan! hurra
- comments