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Published: April 22nd 2006
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The carving skills of the Maori
were outstanding in the pre-European times, when they used clam shells and greenstone (jade) tools. Rotorua is probably the one place that most tourists make sure to visit when coming to New Zealand. This is the literal
hotbed of Maori culture, because this is the bountiful geothermic area that was so abundant in its riches for the earliest Maori people to arrive in New Zealand, more than 200 years before the Big Discovery made by Christopher Columbus.
Rotorua sits on the edge of one of the most concentrated volcanic areas in the world. It is surrounded by evidence of a wild geological past, extending back millions of years. The name of the town is comprised of two Maori words: Roto = “lake” and rua = “two”, the second lake of 15 in the area to be discovered by the Maori.
On our third visit to the city, we brought Erin, who flew up from Wellington to visit us while we were woofing in Te Puke, just outside Tauranga. It was her chance to meet Natasha, daughter of my first cousin, and her family, and to see a bit of New Zealand outside of Wellington. We went to many of the “touristy” spots, because it would be a shame not to see some of the
Cooking Pool
A pool that is constantly boiling furiously. See next picture. amazing landforms and geothermic areas.
Te Puia contains the Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve and the Maori Cultural Centre.Along the walking tour, New Zealand’s largest and most famous geyser, Pohutu, spurts up to 30 metres daily, at no fixed schedule. There are billowing clouds of sulphurous steam, boiling mud pools, demos of carving, weaving and crafts, and a kiwi house. As the kiwi is nocturnal, they are kept in dark houses during the day, so tourists can observe them foraging for bugs in the underbrush. They are asleep in our night time, when the dark house is bathed in artificial sunlight. The Te Puia kiwihouse is where we had our best look at the active kiwi birds, right up near the glass as we stood watching. It was fascinating!
We took Erin to a hangi, or traditional feast, at the Tamaki Maori Village. Several Maori groups put on these evenings of dance, song, and games of skill used by warriors to develop eye-hand coordination. There are less extensive hangis also put on by the local hotels, which abound in this tourism Mecca. The Hangi is the traditional Maori way of cooking, using a large pit filled with a wood
The cooking pool
This is at a constant rapid boil. Apparently, no sulphur taste lingers in food cooked here. fire topped by stones. When the stones become white-hot baskets of food are placed ontop and covered with damp cloths. The earth is then shoveled over to create a natural oven. The process takes about three hours, and the food flavour is lightly tinged with woodsmoke and is quite delicious. The tour guides use gently self-effacing humour throughout the presentation. We witnessed this humour frequently when attending various Maori events. It seemed to me that the commentary put into perspective a bit of racial tension that is ongoing between the two New Zealand cultures. The Maori are recovering their traditional ways and teaching them to the new generations, with a nod of acknowledgement to the advantages the Europeans brought for their use. Written language, for example,…
Because we purchased our tickets at the Tourist Information Centre, we got our pick of free tickets to other area attractions; we chose the Polynesian Spa. Located beside the Rotorua Museum, it boasts many pools with different temperatures. Some pools are more acidic, others more basic. At the spa and many tourist shops, the mud from the geothermic areas is gathered, packaged and sold as facial scrubs and other beauty products.
The
Kete
The Maori are very skilled at weaving the flax into many useful articles. These are used as purses. And are expensive! Blue Baths began as the first unisex pool in the country in the 1930’s. Today it houses a museum devoted to the history of the baths, an elegant outdoor hot pool which is still used, and a dining room erected over the filled-in former main pool.
We also visited the original tribe village of Ohinemutu, situated on the lake where it was one of the first Maori settlements in the area. It is not a historical site; people live there in modern houses today. The Europeans developed an Anglican mission there, and the church erected demonstrates a happy marriage of the two cultures. Many Maori people attend that church. The inside is ornate with Maori carvings decorating the pulpit, pews, altar, and other European trappings of worship. Even the stained glass windows have Maori designs. No pictures are allowed in the church. The graveyard outside the church is divided into the Maori side, situated right on the waterfront, and the ‘European, which comprises the front garden of the church. In the village, one sees steam rising from crevices in people’s yards. The church itself has, not a water drainage pipe, but a steam release pipe, which chugs away night
Tamaki Cultural Evening
Guests wander around a simulated village where the staff are dressed tradtionally and demonstrate traditional crafts and skills. and day venting the steam collecting under the church site.
We went to the Buried Village of Te WAiroa, which displays many of the ogjects unearthe after the Mount Tarawera eruption buried the small village of Te Wairoa in 1886. One wanders along a path between the excavated dwellings and looks at glassed displays of found objects carefully labeled. There is a pretty Te Wairoa Stream which is stocked with rainbow and brown trout. We fed them food purchased at the store. There is also a picturesque waterfall on the grounds.
On our last day we visited the Museum in the morning. The Rotorua Museum of History and Art was a former luxury spa. It houses permanent exhibitions on the eruption of 1886, the Te Arawa tribe of Maori, area geology, and the former spa itself. The craftsmanship of the inside woodwork and Royal Daulton porcelain tiles in the baths is something to behold. We had the same informative person called Brian on our tour with Erin that we had on my birthday, our first trip to Rotorua. One of the many interesting things he said was that the museum is The Most Photographed Building in New
More pattern examples
This is the type of swirling pattern one sees frequently in the MOKO or facial tatoos. Zealand.
After the tour we departed for Hamilton to put our first born on a plane for Wellington.
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