Roturua
Travel Location: Rotorua,New-Zealand
7 January 2005 Roturua, NZ\r Taryn: As Dad reported, we had a great time surfing (and attempting to surf\133\133) on Tuesday. That evening we drove about 3 hours to the town of Tauranga to spend the night. Many of the places here have Maori names, which, while often difficult for we Westerners to pronounce, are interesting and somewhat of a nice change from typical English colonial names. \r
The next day, all of us went on another dolphin cruise, in hopes of seeing and swimming with dolphins. It turned out to be a quite different setup than the sleek new catamaran Dad, Alec, and I voyaged on in Auckland harbor; our vessel was an old, two-masted yacht, captained by a genuine “old salt” named Butler. We agreed that both had lots of character. We motored out (with two sails as well) into the ocean, where large swells made a number of the passengers somewhat seasick. Although we didn’t actually get to swim with the dolphins (wetsuits were worn the whole time anyways, just in case), we did get to see two separate pods. The first dolphins swam around the boat, much as the other dolphins had done in Auckland. In fact, we’d learned then that they weren’t merely playing, they were actually conserving energy by surfing the bow wave. It was a joy to watch them ducking in and around the waves, under the boat, leaping up, descending until they weren’t visible. \r
The next pod was much farther off, and we couldn’t catch up to them. However, it was incredible to see the way they all leaped in groups and clusters, at staggered times, giving the appearance of a giant sea serpent weaving through the ocean. It was somewhat disappointing not to be able to swim with the dolphins, but even so I enjoyed just being out on the ocean, with the wind whipping and the boat rocking in the swells. Also, it made us realize how lucky we’ve been with all manor or sightings and experiences- the animals in Africa, to name a few. \r
That night we drove another hour or so to Rotorua, a town that often smells of sulfur, due to the thermal mud, geysers, and hot springs located nearby. The next day, before visiting those, we went to a Maori culture center, where we learned about Maori history and culture through a sort of walk-through multi-media performance. It was very interesting, and well done. \r
After that we visited some of the thermal spots that make Rotorua such a big tourist attraction. There were two geysers that spewed boiling water into the air every fifteen minutes or so, venting foul, sulfur-y steam and mist; pits of boiling mud that bubbled and plopped rather like frogs jumping from lilypads, and various other pits and holes in the rock that issued steam or contained hot or boiling water. We wandered around there for a bit, then returned to our hotel for a short while. \r
For the evening’s activity, we were picked up by a coach bus, with perhaps 40 other people, at our hotel, to go to a Hangi, or traditional Maori dinner. Our driver informed us of the evening’s agenda, and told us about the Maori culture. Our bus became a waka, or canoe, as Maoris have no other word for other means of transportation, and we were the tribe of Waka 95 (our bus number). A brave volunteer became our chief, who would lead us in the ceremonies that precede acceptance into a Maori village. The coach arrived at the re-created Maori village, along with three other buses, and all the “tribes”, along with the four chiefs, gathered in the outside courtyard. Soon, a conch shell was blown, and warriors appeared, chanting and generally acting intimidating- which is what they’re supposed to do. We had been warned not to smile, laugh, or try to imitate them, as it’s considered extremely disrespectful, if not a full- blown sign that we had come to start a war. The same went for bending or kneeling, even to take pictures. One warrior approached the chiefs, and after a bit of stalking, crouching, twirling a spear-like stick, tossed down a twig as a peace offering. One of the chiefs walked forward to accept the twig, and thus our intentions of peace were made clear to the host tribe. A woman inside the village sang the traditional cry welcoming us in, and a Maori woman outside answered for us. \r
Once we had been invited inside, the warrior, then the chiefs led the way into the village. There, we could walk around the few huts and watch as the Maoris performed traditional songs and kept time with throwing sticks and twirled strings weighted with balls of cloth. Later, they performed some more traditional dances and songs inside a large theater-like building. \r
Finally, it was time for dinner, and we sat down to a sumptuous buffet of food, all cooked in the traditional Hangi fashion over the fire. It was delicious! After dinner, there was some more dancing and singing, and we could wander around the village souvenir shops. Then it was time to climb back onto our wakas and make the journey home. Our driver insisted that each country group on the bus sing a song on the way back, as apparently singing your way home is another Maori tradition. We did, albeit mostly very reluctantly. \r
Our family all agreed that it had been a great experience- it was all very well done, and well set up. The performing was very interesting, as was the cultural information, and the food was scrumptious! All told, it was a wonderful evening. \r
\r (Wow that was a long entry. Anyone who actually read the whole thing deserves to be congratulated.) \r
\r \r Geysers in Rotorua:\r \r \r \r \r \r \r
