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Published: November 20th 2006
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Maori Performers
Performers in the Waitangi Museum We have been to the Bay of Islands in the North which is very picturesque. It is also the place where the Waitangi Treaty was signed between the Maori people and Britain in 1840. We visited the centre there which is really interesting. There was a cultural show which was brilliant and I even had a go with the poi (balls on a string which are used to strengthen the wrists). It was really hard but the Maori women are so skilful and make it look really easy!
We then had a guided tour with our Maori guide and he was brilliant. He explained all about their culture and the Marae which is their meeting place. He was also really welcoming, the Maori people are very spiritual and really genuinely welcome you to their country, it is fantastic.
Next day we went on a jet boat tour to The Hole in the Rock, an island with a hole in the middle and we went through the hole, the skipper even turned the boat around in it and it only just fit! We got totally soaked as well even though we had on our trendy red suits!!
From the Bay
of Islands we drove to the Coromandel Peninsula which has some amazing beaches. There is a beach called Hot Water Beach which has thermal activity and you can dig your own hole which fills with hot water! The best part of the Coromandel for us was Cathedral Cove. It is a stunning beach with rock formations and lovely white sand. It was a 40 minute walk to get there but definitely worth it. We have also been really lucky here as it is not too crowded yet, the main holiday season is only just starting. The weather is a nightmare though; it can literally change in about 10 mins. On the walk to Cathedral Cove I set off in my raincoat, hat and everything as it was cold and rainy and by the time we got to the beach it was hot and sunny! (Obviously Sven was only wearing a T shirt as he is a polar bear!)
From the Coromandel we drove on to Rotorua, the main thermal region. It absolutely stinks all the time of sulphur (like bad eggs). It is really interesting though. We visited a village called Te Whakarewarewawatanga o te Ope Taua a Wahaio,
which thankfully is shortened to Woka! It is a Maori village which has been on the site for centuries and the people who live there bathe in the thermal pools and cook their food in the thermal pools and the steam from the ground (obviously they use different pools for bathing and cooking!). They live in normal houses but still use the ancient methods for the food etc. It is amazing, we had some corn on the cob cooked in one of the pools, it was lovely. The sulphur and everything doesn’t affect the food so it just tastes good! They also put on a cultural performance and Sven had a go at the Haka - the warrior dance, check out the pics!!
We also went to a thermal wonderland called Wai o Tapu. Science Geeks pay attention - sorry if this is boring to everyone else! It is mega!! It is a large national park area which is very thermally active and some of it is open to the public. There are boiling pools, the most famous is the Champagne Pool. It was really quiet when we were there and a bit spooky, full of mist and you
can hear the water bubbling as it boils. Around the edge of the pool is a bright orange ledge which is caused by the deposits of minerals in the water.
There are also large craters which are caused by the hot water eroding the rock until it eventually collapses. This creates massive holes in the ground with hot water and mud pools at the bottom. A lot of the land is yellow from sulphur deposits and there are bright yellow sulphur caves.
The best part of it was the coloured lakes. There are blue, green and yellow (a real bright yellow almost like a highlighter pen!). The different colours are caused by the different minerals again. (for the science geeks the different colours are: yellow/primrose-sulphur, white-silica, red brown- iron oxide, orange-antimony, black-sulphur and carbon, green- colloidal sulphur/ferrous salts and purple- manganese oxide).It is amazing, like a different planet.
After spending a couple of hours there though we both felt sick (overdose of the sulphur smell which is really bad!). We drove South through the Tongariro National Park which was the setting for Mordor in the Lord of the Rings but didn’t see that much due to the
Whakarewarewa Village
Home to a community of 59 Maori's aged from 2 to 96! weather. It was raining heavily and had a really low cloud cover like a mist. Hopefully it will be better on the way back!
We have now crossed from Wellington and to the South Island. Weather in Wellington was awful, poured down with rain all the time. We got the ferry on Saturday night and it was rough. Whatever you do NEVER go on a ferry with Sven, in all the time we have been together we have been on loads and the weather is always rough! Weather in South Island has been much better already. We are now in the Abel Tasman NAtional Park famed for it's golden beaches and turquoise waters. It is beautiful and we are booked to do a two day sea kayak trip tomorrow which goes up to a marine reserve. Hopefully we should see some seals! Basically having a fab time - will keep you informed when we can!!
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