Geothermal Activity and the Maoris in Rotorua

Why haven't I been posting OR The strange limitations of Internet in Oceania:

This post is long overdue, but I blame New Zealand. Before I dive in to the beautiful nature in Rotorua, let me explain why this posts (and all subsequent posts) will be picture light (or free!). When we were in Africa, all we wanted was maybe to be able to check mail. Sometimes it would take 30 minutes to download one email and so, adding pictures was impossible. We daydreamed of the time we would be in NZ and Australia with fast 'first world' Internet. South America was better, with still slow snail like Internet that cut in and out, and 10 pictures could take an hour to load, but at least it was something. And now, here we are in Oceania, and even though the Internet is fast and reliable, it is a nightmare. There are bandwidth limits on EVERY SINGLE connection we make. Every hotel, every caravan park, even Starbucks and McDonalds (we had to try!). If you're in America or Europe, you're probably a stranger to bandwidth limits. You might pay for time and speed but not amount. But here the providers charge by amount, and so the hotels must as well. This might mean you get 100 mb, or if you're lucky, 500 mb. Once that's used up, the internet stops working.Trust me, when you're uploading content, especially good photos, that's not much. I just hope once I'm into Southeast Asia, the Internet will return in full force and I can retroactively add pictures, because my explanations don't do these places justice. Oh well, I suppose it's better than nothing...

And on to Rotorua:

After a day in Auckland to acclimatize, we drove to this action-filled exciting town just 3 hours south-east. Rotorua is known for many things, and when I visited with my parents last time, we went to a farm show and maybe some of the geyser parks (I can't remember, sorry mom!). This time around we had 3 days to try to take advantage of as many things as possible. Our first day we got in mid-afternoon and used to to wander the town and stop in at the famous pub (Pig & Whistle) then make use of the ensuite spa bath. 

The second day was action packed, and we got out of our motel early in order to see the geyser in Wai-O-Taupo erupt at 10:15. Both Paul and I wondered how it erupted in a 24 hour scale, and we soon found out that they 'encouraged' its eruption with a specially made block of soap that broke the surface tension between the hot and cold layers of water to cause the eruption. Legend has it that this was first discovered when it was only prisoners living in the area and they washed their clothes in the geyser (hey, it was free hot water!). Someone dropped in a soap bar and BAM! Their clothes were scattered everywhere by the eruption. The geyser we saw erupted for more than an hour, and though we tried to stay through the end, it just kept going. There was, after all, a lot of park to see. 

We we meandered down the windy path, stopping occasionally to take pictures of the bright yellow sulfur caves, dark muddy bubbling pits and an array of multicolored pools and lakes. Many of the pools were so hot, they were boiling! We took the hike all the way to the end in order to see the deep emerald colored lake. 

On our way back we stopped by the red-rimmed 'champagne' pool so called because of its constant bubbling. Yellows, oranges and greens dominated the actual pool and the steam rising from it made it challenging but fun to take pictures. 

 

On the way out, the best stop was the highlighter yellow pool. Seriously, it looked like a child had climbed in with a highlighter and colored all the water. 

After a short walk to our car and onto our next stop: Waimungu Volcanic Rift Valley! This valley is the site of the most recent volcanic activity in New Zealand created on June 10, 1886 by the eruption of mount Tarawera. The self-guided tour starts with a gentle downhill walk passing by several gorgeous lakes, one of which, Frying Pan Lake, is literally steaming. The swirls of steam are mesmerizing as they dance this way and that across the water. Paul and I took time to just admire the scene. 

Next we hiked next to a stream with many small geysers and boiling pools, up to Inferno Crater, which is filled with bright aquamarine water. 

More geysers and streams and steam vents later, we saw gorgeous red/brown terraces and finished just near a pond in time for the last bus back up the hill. We loved the geothermically-centered day, and took hundreds of pictures, not a single on which captures the beauty of the places themselves. Ah well. 

The second day was mostly bumming around and checking out possible future appliances for our house until it was time for the Tamaki Expereience. A bus shuttled us to the main site for our transfer where we shortly boarded a bus for the main village. Our driver told us a bit about the Maori culture and its beginnings, and told us he would pick a chief for the welcome ceremony. Luckily (or unluckily?) Paul was chosen to be our bus' chief mainly because he was sitting right behind the driver. This meant that after the opening ceremony he would bump his nose against the chief's 2 times as a welcome. 

 

Well, Paul didn't offend the chief and so we were welcomed into their village to explore a bit of their culture. We learned about games they played to increase listening and agility skills, training they did to stay fit, the meaning of their face painting, and the Hakka! 

Then we all gathered around the pits where our food had been prepared to learn about the method and see it taken out. 

From there, we gathered in a hall where we learned about various kinds of dances and songs, from those meant to intimidate to those meant to woo. The performers all had incredible voices and skill. 

   

Finally, we made our way into the dining hall where we had delicious food, more songs and speeches. By the end I really felt like I had learned a lot and had a deeper appreciation for Maori culture. 

Our last morning we took a short walk in their redwood forest. While not reaching even remotely the height or width of California redwoods, these towering trees and accompanying clear, still pools took my breath away. If we had had more time, I would have even taken a longer walk to enjoy a bit more of this peaceful, calm setting.

Rotorua is also famous for extreme sport fun - like Zorbing and zip-lining!- but these were expensive and short lived. We chose the more immersing and time -for-money experiences here and don't regret it. You could stay well over a week in Rotorua and still not get bored! But it was Time for us to move on to our next stop, so we packed up and said a sad goodbye to Rotorua. I'll be back!