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Published: January 13th 2008
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Saturday 12th So, finally the first trip on a Magic Bus. It's a bit late, but the day seems to have time to spare. We stop almost immediately at Mount Eden to take some photos back over Auckland... And in the other direction of One Tree Hill (which was chopped down by a Maori in 2000). Soon back on the road through some awesome scenery - you can see how this is all formed out of volcanic rocks!
First major stop is Waitomo, where there's an option to do blackwater rafting or visit the Glowworm caves. I choose to see the GLow-worms. No photos allowed inside in case we scare the glow-worms (or maybe it's just the souvenir shop at the end). Quite an interesting tour (not that I'd do it twice), and the glow-worms are easy to see in the main cave as we drift in a boat outwards... And they take our photo as we come out.. Really not a good image! we head off to Curly's Bar for lunch, a quick look round the souvenir shops before we're back on the bus.
Next stop Rotorua... First signalled by the smell of sulphur (aka old eggy farts),
as we're in a geothermal area. Stay at the YHA here, and get a nice surprise. Have paid for a dorm, but have been given a double room all to myself! Don't have much time to appreciate it as a quick change and out at the front waiting for our bus to the Maori village. We head to the traditional 'pay station' and watch a couple of videos of Maori stories before getting back on the bus, picking Andre as our 'Chief' for the bus and heading to the welcome ceremony. The ceremony (including all the tongue wagging) has great significance for the Maori so we're warned not to try and imitate. The warriors come out, each trying to intimidate the visiting 'chiefs'. Andre is chosen to go forward and receive the fern before the women invite us to enter the 'reconstrcted' 1800s village, as they explain some of the traditions - and I get a chance to pose for photos with the warriors.
Soon, we're called into the meeting hut, where we're shown a number of Maori dances and songs... Including of course (part of) the Haka. Plenty of energy goes into these dances and we later find
out that in high season they can do this 5 times a day! After the dances we make our way to the buffet Hangi. We're not quite sure what a hangi involves except that the food has been cooked in a fire-pit in the ground. The food turns out to be roast meat and vegetables and we're later shown (with an electric fire) the process of heating the fire-pit and then cooking the meat and vegetables wrapped within the heated area for several hours. Tasty! Good food, good company, good entertainment - and when we get back to the YHA we carry on in the bar until it closes at 11!
Note To remember stalactites and stalagmites is:
stalaCtites = ceiling
stalaGmites = ground
Sunday 13th Wow, a whole 10 hours sleep - it's amazing how it helps that there's no one else in the room to disturb you! The joy of having my own room also means I take my time getting ready, but I want to try out the hostel's geothermal pool... I get in but it is 40 degrees and as I now feel rather faint I don't stay in there!
After a quick
lunch, I head into Rotorua past the free geothermal park. We pay to see one later so I just take a few photos of the free ones - quite impressive to see water bubbling in the lakes. Then head into town to see if I can see a church, but get side-tracked by the 2 dollar shop (sunglasses and a beautiful NZ purse, rather than a plastic bag!), and the internet café where I can back up my DVDs before heading back to jump back in the pool (still 40 degrees)... Chat to some American girls. Head in to chat to some others in the bar and early to bed!
Monday 14th Another lie-in and lazy morning until I'm ready for my lift to White-Water rafting at 1230. See some beautiful scenery en route, then get kitted up with boots/water jackets. Was expecting wetsuits but no joy... Now wish I'd bought boardies/rashie! Soon we're in the water, in some Grade II water where we can learn to run the boat, and the maneouvre we need to get down over the waterfalls. We're not the most co-ordinated team!
All too soon we're heading over the first waterfall - our
angle isn't great but we make it. Then through several more before we stop to psych up for the 7 metre, Grade V, waterfall. We watch 2 other groups go first, then we head over - great fun, and we make it in one piece. We wave up to the camera before heading down river with a chance for a swim. We're told to get back in before the rapids - one of the German women heard this as 'rabbits' so there was some fun there! Final stop is a photo shoot in some churning water before we carry the boat up, check out our photos, and get a lift back into town.
I head back into town - realise have mislaid my USB stick again - it's not where I used it, but later I get a text from someone who's found it (after last time I labelled it), and (s)he's going to post it to Taupo YHA. How fortunate is that? Afer everyone said 'what did you think of the lake?' I thought I should go to see it and had a great wander round town, including a stop at the famous Polynesian Spa... Not to go
in. Back for an early night/finish my book ready for an early start in the morning!
On Tuesday 15th, go to Taupo, and Wellington by Friday 18th.
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