Boiling mud at Wai-O-Tapu

Kia Ora from the North Island

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May 3rd 2005
Well, I said goodbye to Elizabeth in Wellington Monday morning. She flew to Sydney to catch a flight back to L.A. while I flew north to Auckland just in time to catch a 4 hour bus ride to Rotorua. Rotorua is a natural spa destination with lots of opportunities to learn about the Maori culture and volcanic activity. Steam escapes from cracks and crevices in thermal parks, streets and gardens-it i ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Rotorua

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more