Going deeper into New Zealand

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In our travels in New Zealand so far we hadn't encountered much of the Maori population, in fact in the South Island we hadn't encountered much of any population at all. But as we headed North the human presence increased, and historical significance of the Maori people became more evident.

We left Wellington and drove to Tongariro National Park where we hoped to climb within this volcanic region, perhaps even to the top of Mt Ngurahoe (aka Mt Doom). The land within this National Park was gifted to the New Zealand government by a local iwi (tribe) in 1887, who saw this to be the only way to preserve an area of spiritual significance. We were looking forward to the hiking, but unfortunately over night the weather took a down turn, clouds clogged the sky and rain teemed down upon us. Always ready to adapt we changed our route and planned to come back to this, the worlds fourth and NZ's first National Park. 

So instead of climbing a mountain we decided to trek underground, into the world famous glowworm caves in Waitomo. After our time in Australia where almost every town, park, or significant area is known by it's European name and Aboriginal language is all but ignored, it has been great to see Maori names widespread across the country. I find the language nice to listen to and like the simple formation, for example, Waitomo means WaterCave; Wai-water Tomo-cave. 

There are many tour operators who run trips into the mass of cave systems beneath this hilly green land. Our job in deciding was made less difficult when we found that the cheapest tour was also one of the longest and included the most different activities.

So we arrived at 'Rap, Raft and Rock' headquarters the next morning ready to tackle our caving adventure. First stop, sign our lives away and meet our group. A succinct six we were then herded to a ramshackle farm building by our Canadian guide who proceeded to hand out the wetsuits. By the time we'd wriggled and pulled ourselves into the tight items, and pulled on a harness and hard hat we were all laughing. The white wellyboots were the final touch and off we clumped to the cave. 

It's yawning mouth was fringed with trees and we snuck beneath them to gaze into the deep, shortly after we were descending. A 27m abseil was over far too quickly, it felt amazing to be suspended half way between the trees and the river running at the cave floor. It was significantly cooler at the bottom, as I stood waiting for the rest of the group to follow. Gradually they all arrived at my level and we all gazed around us, eyes adjusted to the dim light and aware that eels swum about our feet. We embarked into the darkness of the cave, with wet feet (the wellingtons were full of holes) we sloshed through the fast flowing cold water. Above was a planetarium of light. Glowworms hung their fly-catching lures from the rock above us and inside these tubes the caterpillar-like creature itself shone. Up close they were strange but from a distance, so very beautiful. As pupae they struggle to catch enough food to survive, the few who pass through to adulthood die within a few days anyway because in this form they have no mouth...it's a tough life to be a fungus gnat. 

Fortunately our guide had brought some snacks with him and so after we had scraped ourselves through some squeezes and floated down river in our tubes we had some hot orange drink and cadburys chocolate to keep us going. We trekked, crawled and rafted  approximately 2km around the Mangawhitikau cave system. In a nearby section of this great cave David Attenborough and his crew filmed the blue planet chapter on caves, featuring the mighty glowworms of course. 

Had there been a documentary of our adventure it would have finished with a rock climb back into the bright sunlight. It had been a great trip, encompassing all that a caving experience should and avoiding any of the horror story endings that at times crossed my mind! 

It had been a long day and our bodies ached from their exursions but the day was not yet done. A chance stop at a rest area led to a hilarious evenings entertainment, one of those great coincidences that happen in travels such as ours. 

The Operau roadhouse was a pleasant cafe-come shop-come wifi spot-come fuel stop and we were enticed into having a coffee and an internet browse. While we sipped and clicked, a stage was being built around us and presently a Canadian guitar playing duo began to warm-up.  It transpired that they were helping to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of Bill, the roadhouse owner. 

We got talking with this friendly bunch, bought Bill a birthday drink and very quickly were invited to stay for tea. It was an extended family occasion, all the staff joined the table along with the musicians and some friends. We were persuaded to take big helpings of the excellent buffet meal, helped with the washing up and stayed for the full concert. 

The fun didn't end there though, when Bill heard we were camping he insisted that we 'use his tent'. He showed us to the tent, an on site bungalow where there was a spare room within the staff house. It was so generous we were unable to refuse. One of Bill's mates was a raucous fellow, and he accompanied us and the Argentine employees back to the bungalow and proceeded to perform 'An audience with Keri'. This involved singing, story telling, swearing, lawn bowls and more swearing, during which nobody else could get a word in. We finally got away at 2am and fell into a deep sleep, amazed at the hospitality and entertainment which had been so kindly gifted to us. 

Yesterday had been a true example of kiwi kindness and it had been great to meet some local residents. In our talking last night we had confirmed that in a neighboring village a Kai Festival was taking place today. This Kai (or food) Festival is an annual event and involves many traditional Maori customs. We were excited to experience some of this culture which as yet we had not been introduced to.  

Kawhia (pronounced Mafia with a K) is a pretty town, it's black sand beaches front onto a vast harbor which is one of the biggest on the west coast. We could hardly see the sand let alone the harbor when we arrived as the misty rain obscured our view however as the day proceeded the sun cut through the cloud and we saw the stunning setting of this event. Stalls and queues filled the streets and tasty smells and sights caught our attention. We chose a Hangi, a meal consisting of various meats and root vegetables cooked in a pit dug into the earth. It was a rich meal and the earthiness of it's oven complimented the sweetness of the potatoes. As we picked at our portion, using the rewa bread to soak up the flavour, talented local bands played their instruments with gusto on the stage. People flocked to the park and as the weather got hotter and dryer more and more people arrived. There was a great atmosphere and we were received warmly by the largely Maori crowd. My highlight of the afternoon was watching a haka (traditional song and dance) performance whilst eating a watermelon sundae. 

Traversing east across the country we swopped the west coast for the western tip of the Bay of Plenty. A very popular beachside region where New Zealanders have holiday'd for generations. We chose the notably quieter western side and found ourselves at the Waihi beach just as an ocean rowing competition began. There is always something happening here it seems, we haven't had to dig very deep to find action around here. We reclined on our towels and watched as the canoes smashed out into the waves and then surfed them back to shore. 

The final segment of this blog comes from Rotorua. A town which contributes to the New Zealand culture both with it's rich natural bounty and it's coach loads of tourists. Obviously we weren't there to see the tourists, although we couldn't avoid them totally, we came to partake of the geothermal wonderland on which Rotorua sits. Some of the springs and geysers are sacred to the Maori and so are enclosed within special parks with hefty entrance fees, however there are some sights which are totally free. 

The constant smell of sulphur hangs in the air (a free gift not always appreciated) and mud pools bubble in a grassy recreation area. Small pools of scorching water simmer and steam plumes from the earth. It's a crazy sight to see in amongst a cityscape, but this is what we have concluded about New Zealand, it's always surprising, beautiful and friendly. 

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Photos

the free guesthouse
an audience with keri