After Mt Manganui and the glow worms, we started to drive to Rotorua. It is quite easy to find, just follow your nose... 😂 It is a very smelly city because of the thermal activity. We hadn't found any accommodation for our stay there so the first thing was to find a good and cheap hostel. We had to go to few places before we found one with vacancy. Almost every place was fully booked. Luckily Planet backpacker hostel which we found, was both good and NZ-cheap so we took it. We were a bit early, so we couldn't check in before 2pm. It was a good opportunity to go for a walk to Kuirau park. It is in the center and free. It is full of steaming craters, mud pools and other thermal activity. We dipped our feet to a hot (just warm) pool for a while. Edda didn't like the smell that much, or she hated it so we didn't stay too long in the park.
We had decided to visit Tamaki Maori village. It is a village with workshops where one learns about the Maori culture, traditions, dance, games, etc. We went to their office to buy the tickets. The only available time was the same day at 5pm. It had been better with the later, but we wanted to go there. The woman at the counter told us that we should go and buy the tickets from Peterpans Travel to get them cheaper. From the Tamaki office the tickets were 120 NZD and at Peterpans it was 99 NZD. Then a lunch and some ice cream before going to chill for a bit before the tour.
The bus to Tamaki village left close to our hostel. We had a quite funny driver, Dennis. He was telling us the 20 minute bus drive about Maori culture and other things about NZ but also jokes. We had to choose one Chief from our group. When we came to the village, the chiefs from all the buses had to do a Maori greeting before we could enter the village.
We heard about the history, Edda practiced Poi, a Maori dance/game, Markus played a Maori game and danced Haka, the Maori war dance. We learned about the Maori tattoo tradition and how many died during a tattoo process. It is done usually with a bone and a hammer. First the skin is just tattooed without inc several times to make a bit like a scar, and after many times the inc was put there. Many times the tattooed area infected badly and lead to death or the tattooist hammered too deep and the tattooed died in blood loss...
After all the activities, we went to a Maori ceremony house where we saw many songs and dances. When the show was over, it was time for food! It was a Hangi dinner. First one digs a big hole in the ground, gathers a big pile of wood and puts big heat resistant stones on top of it, and then of course one lights it up. The stones have to be really hot so it takes around 3 hours to heat them up. The food is put on the stones, the ones that take the longest to cook are on the bottom, covered with wet fabric (so they won't burn) and then everything is covered with dirt. Usually it is left like that, but one can put a fire on the top of hangi to cook it from both under and top.
After the dinner we had a funny drive back to Rotorua with our hilarious driver. Dennis sang, told jokes, mostly about Trump and America, but also about Aussies. The whole bus also sang and Dennis drove at least two times around one roundabout. 😂 The night was an interesting and fun experience with quite a lot of information about Maoris.
Redwoods National Park was on our list the next day. It is a forest with huge trees. They can grow over 100 meters long and have a diameter of 9 meters. We walked in the woods for a while and enjoyed the sight of big and tall trees. We continued our walk out from the forest to a scenic walk. On one view point we could see many thermal lakes, steam "volcanoes" and other sights. It was nice to see some of Te Puia thermal park for free, because the ticket to the park was almost 50 NZD (35€ Jan. 2017) each. The park looked actually very nice from above! 😊 On our walk we also saw, or actually heard, millions of cicadas. They make a really loud and shrill chirp and ticking sound. 🙉 The route took several hours but it was nice and there weren't that many other tourists.
When we got back to the center, we went to Mountain Jade to see how the Maori designs and symbols are carved in Jade. One of the artists/carvers showed and told us about the process. Jade is a really hard stone and it takes about two years to learn just basic carving. We learned a bit about different jades and from where they come from. All the jades are a bit different depending from where they come from. Most of the jades are from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Russia. After the carver finished, the other staff told a bit more about jade and about the Maori symbols and their meaning. In Maori culture one has had to get the Maori jade necklace as a gift. It was a really interesting visit.
In the evening we went back to Redwoods for a evening run. It was fun to run under the tall trees. We saw also a Tui chick in the middle of the road.
We were eating breakfast when Edda suddenly remembered that we have to be at 10.15am at Lady Knox Geyser and it was already almost 9am. The drive was around 30 min. Luckily we managed in good time there, otherwise we would have had to wait until next morning. Prisoners found the geyser in the early 20th century. They wanted to wash their clothes in it so they used soap. the soap broke the tension between the hot and cold water so it erupted and threw all the clothes around. So there were few naked prisoners. 😂 The geysers natural cycle is around 38 hours so it is helped a little bit by soap once a day. Lady Knox spit the water up from 10 - 20 meters and last up to one hour. We think it was quite empty because it was maybe just 10 meters and lasted just few minutes, but it was really nice! 😊
After the geyser we went to Wai-o-Tapu thermal park. The admission fee was 32 NZD per person (around 23€). It is about 3km and from 30 - 90minutes or even more if you like to enjoy the views or take nice photos. It is a really interesting and beautiful place! Amazing! The best! Number one! Period!... 😂😜
We walked and enjoyed the views, but as in all places there's usually some not so nice things. In Wai-o-Tapu it is the smell. Edda had some small issues with smell, but they came to some kind of agreement so most of the walk went well even if they were in the same place. Luckily we had sun! It might not be as beautiful when it's cloudy. That's enough of explaining, check out how it looks there from the photos and enjoy. 😊
Next updates will be from Huka Falls, Taupo (hot springs), Napier and Wellington.
Smelly mud pools
Edda always finds an ice cream place 😊
The bus to Tamaki village left close to our hostel. We had a quite funny driver, Dennis. He was telling us the 20 minute bus drive about Maori culture and other things about NZ but also jokes. We had to choose one Chief from our group. When we came to the village, the chiefs from all the buses had to do a Maori greeting before we could enter the village.
We heard about the history, Edda practiced Poi, a Maori dance/game, Markus played a Maori game and danced Haka, the Maori war dance. We learned about the Maori tattoo tradition and how many died during a tattoo process. It is done usually with a bone and a hammer. First the skin is just tattooed without inc several times to make a bit like a scar, and after many times the inc was put there. Many times the tattooed area infected badly and lead to death or the tattooist hammered too deep and the tattooed died in blood loss...
Maori watching the welcome ceremony
Edda learning Poi
Markus running after a stick and dancing Haka (Ko Mate Ko Mate)
After all the activities, we went to a Maori ceremony house where we saw many songs and dances. When the show was over, it was time for food! It was a Hangi dinner. First one digs a big hole in the ground, gathers a big pile of wood and puts big heat resistant stones on top of it, and then of course one lights it up. The stones have to be really hot so it takes around 3 hours to heat them up. The food is put on the stones, the ones that take the longest to cook are on the bottom, covered with wet fabric (so they won't burn) and then everything is covered with dirt. Usually it is left like that, but one can put a fire on the top of hangi to cook it from both under and top.
Our dinner dug up from the ground
Haka show
After the dinner we had a funny drive back to Rotorua with our hilarious driver. Dennis sang, told jokes, mostly about Trump and America, but also about Aussies. The whole bus also sang and Dennis drove at least two times around one roundabout. 😂 The night was an interesting and fun experience with quite a lot of information about Maoris.
Redwoods National Park was on our list the next day. It is a forest with huge trees. They can grow over 100 meters long and have a diameter of 9 meters. We walked in the woods for a while and enjoyed the sight of big and tall trees. We continued our walk out from the forest to a scenic walk. On one view point we could see many thermal lakes, steam "volcanoes" and other sights. It was nice to see some of Te Puia thermal park for free, because the ticket to the park was almost 50 NZD (35€ Jan. 2017) each. The park looked actually very nice from above! 😊 On our walk we also saw, or actually heard, millions of cicadas. They make a really loud and shrill chirp and ticking sound. 🙉 The route took several hours but it was nice and there weren't that many other tourists.
Edda in Redwoods
Markus found a stick insect
Te Puia from above
The noisy cicada
When we got back to the center, we went to Mountain Jade to see how the Maori designs and symbols are carved in Jade. One of the artists/carvers showed and told us about the process. Jade is a really hard stone and it takes about two years to learn just basic carving. We learned a bit about different jades and from where they come from. All the jades are a bit different depending from where they come from. Most of the jades are from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Russia. After the carver finished, the other staff told a bit more about jade and about the Maori symbols and their meaning. In Maori culture one has had to get the Maori jade necklace as a gift. It was a really interesting visit.
Jade carving
In the evening we went back to Redwoods for a evening run. It was fun to run under the tall trees. We saw also a Tui chick in the middle of the road.
We were eating breakfast when Edda suddenly remembered that we have to be at 10.15am at Lady Knox Geyser and it was already almost 9am. The drive was around 30 min. Luckily we managed in good time there, otherwise we would have had to wait until next morning. Prisoners found the geyser in the early 20th century. They wanted to wash their clothes in it so they used soap. the soap broke the tension between the hot and cold water so it erupted and threw all the clothes around. So there were few naked prisoners. 😂 The geysers natural cycle is around 38 hours so it is helped a little bit by soap once a day. Lady Knox spit the water up from 10 - 20 meters and last up to one hour. We think it was quite empty because it was maybe just 10 meters and lasted just few minutes, but it was really nice! 😊
After the geyser we went to Wai-o-Tapu thermal park. The admission fee was 32 NZD per person (around 23€). It is about 3km and from 30 - 90minutes or even more if you like to enjoy the views or take nice photos. It is a really interesting and beautiful place! Amazing! The best! Number one! Period!... 😂😜
We walked and enjoyed the views, but as in all places there's usually some not so nice things. In Wai-o-Tapu it is the smell. Edda had some small issues with smell, but they came to some kind of agreement so most of the walk went well even if they were in the same place. Luckily we had sun! It might not be as beautiful when it's cloudy. That's enough of explaining, check out how it looks there from the photos and enjoy. 😊
Edda and Waiotapu smell didn't like each other
Next updates will be from Huka Falls, Taupo (hot springs), Napier and Wellington.
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