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Published: June 26th 2008
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Up To Rotorua
Following our Bungy in the rain, we headed into town and picked up a few gifts before heading back on the road for a short journey to Rotorua.
Rotorua is a city on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region, and is well known for its geothermal activity with a number of
geysers and mud pools located in the city. The area was initially settled by Māori of the Te Arawa iwi and today there are still many Māori's in the area as well as a number of Māori villages.
Arriving in Rotorua we parked up the van and headed to the information centre. As we walked through the streets there was a very prominent smell of sulphur emerging from the drains. The information centre was busy and as with everywhere we have been in New Zealand there is countless activities and sights. We spent some time in the centre perusing over the various brochures before deciding on a Māori Village Night and Zorbing (more on that later).
Having booked our Māori Night for later on in the evening we headed back to the campervan and searched for a campsite.
We parked up at Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park, made our lunch and decided to make use of the free thermal pools for the afternoon before showering and getting ready for the Māori evening.
Māori Cultural Night
As the evening drew close the temperature began to drop, and our pick up was late. After a 30 minute wait, and a pair of cold toes, I decided to phone the company to check that they were coming. Someone had forgotten to change our pickup location and the bus and missed us, however a short time later another minibus picked us up and rushed us off to the check-in area where we were given Māori bone carvings as a way of an apology for forgetting about us.
We were provided with an information sheet, detailing the procedures for the night, the history of the company and a number of Māori words which we were encouraged to use throughout the night. During the bus ride, one member from the bus was selected to be our 'Chief' for the evening, he was in charge of our tribe and would be welcomed and challenged by the Warriors at the start of the evening.
We also now know where the orange juice drink Kia Ora gets its name from; it's the Māori word for "hello".
Following the traditional welcome and challenge we walked around the Māori Village, gaining an insight into some of their beliefs, and how the villagers lived and cooked. Due to the freezing temperature, we moved swiftly into the auditorium where we learned about the history of the Māori people right up to today through dance and song, including the well known fierce war dance, the Haka. The Hongi, touching of the noses, was also performed here between the chiefs and the local Māori, symbolizing the sharing of the breath of life, bringing the two people together as one. It was a really enjoyable show and the amount of passion they put into it is amazing considering most of them do the same thing every evening.
Following the entertainment we entered into the dinning room for some traditionally prepared food. There was a buffet consisting of various meats and vegetables which had been cooked in the traditional fashion, beneath the ground on hot volcanic rocks, known as the
Hangi. Following the meal we were taken outside to the Hangi
Thumbs Up!!
After our Zorb!! and shown how it was constructed. The food is cooked only from the hot steam and not actually the burning of the rocks, but these rocks are chosen due to being able to withstand tremendous heat. It certainly gives the food a unique flavour.
Heading back to town on the bus, the chief was ordered to make everyone on the bus sign a song from their country, resulting in some very poor karaoke acts. Being the first stop we were praying that they would not get to us, being that we were the only people from Scotland, so had nobody to back us up. Unfortunately the bus driver was too clever for that and made us sing a song before we could get off the bus. Unsure of what Scottish song to sing, Gary ultimately decided to sing I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), and a number of other people on the bus joined in while I hid in my seat!!
The Fun Of Zorbing
The following morning we headed off to
Hells Gate, Routorua's most active thermal park. For more than 700 years “Hells Gate” or Tikitere as it is known to the Maori, has been a special place
of wellness from the medicinal sulphur lake to the curative waters and muds of "Hurutini" (name of a geothermal pool). The special qualities of the muds and waters of Hells Gate Tikitere, have been sought after for a number of years, with many documented and medically certified cures being effected. The Hells Gate name was from George Bernard Shaw who had visited the place in the 1930s.
Hells Gate offers a number of attractions including mud pools, various hot geothermal springs and the only mud volcano evident in a thermal park in New Zealand. The mud volcano is already double the height of normal mud volcano's and is set to continue to grow. The park was similar to that of 'Craters Of The Moon', in Taupo, however there was much more activity going on throughout the walk around with much clearer views.
We headed back into town for some lunch and internet time in order to catch up on our blog before heading out to the Agrodome for a unique New Zealand experience!! The Zorb!! Zorbing consists of getting inside a huge plastic ball and rolling, head over heels, 200m down a hill.
We decided to try
the Hydro Zorb, their "awesome wash cycle", where we entered the ball together with some hot water before rolling down the hill. The experience was great fun, however it was slightly cold when we got out of the ball. Some people have described the act of exiting the ball to that of a 'cow giving birth', checking out the photos in the shop afterwards we could see why!! The other Zorb option was to be tied into the side of it, thus remaining static for the roll, which to be honest didn't sound as much fun. In any event, it wasn't running on the day due to high wind.
Later on we headed back to the campsite for some dinner and much needed warmth.
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