Rotorua

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Well we eventually arrived after a stay in Hamilton and found that it was nearly impossible to find anwhere to stay on Easter Weekend. After asking at 10 motels, we found a hotel that had one room so the budget was blown...again!

We spent the afternoon visiting Te Puhia where there are amazing themal springs, hot mud pools and geysers spraying steam and water out of the earth. It was amazing...if not a little smelly. We decided to leave all our waterproofs in the car and so of course we experienced our first rain. Matt quickly chatted up a lady giving umbrellas to the tour guides so we were ok and stayed pretty dry. After a long walk around we experienced our first Mauri welcoming celebration. Before meeting the warriors we, the visitors, needed a chief who was handsome and brave. They searched and could not find anyone so asked if Matt could do it. This of course went straight to his head and now everyone has to call him chief. He had to greet the tribe by touching noses and face a warrior doing a haku...aparently quite intimidating but we only have Matt's word for that and he is a bit of a wuss!

After our visit we made contact with Judy and Gregor who suggested we went to another Mauri experince but this time with food so Matt was of course all for it. As we got on our coach the same thing happened and he was made chief...again! He really is unbearable now and I apparently have to do EVERYTHING for him.

The next day we met Judy and Gregor for coffee in their LOVELY hotel suite and Gregor kindly took us out for a day hike through the volcanic valley at Waimangu. The place was beautiful and he even brought lunch with him...bonus!

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