Rotarua-the forgotten post!

Opps! I skipped Rotarua somehow! Rotarua was an interesting town. It was on the north island, between Waitomo (glow worms) and Taupo (volcano crossing). Rotarua smells like rotting eggs, due to the sulfur that is seeping through the ground and has steam coming up out of cracks and holes in the streets. Rotarua is where we went to the Maori cultural evening. The Maori culture is a big part of New Zealand and it was great to learn more about the country. We learned about the villages they lived in, games they played, weapons they used, things that the women would do, and the men would do. The men learned how to do the haka, which is a war dance, it also is now used by the All Black rugby team before games. The scarier the face, the better.


We watched the Maori people do several different dances, songs, and chants for us. And then we were able to see how the Maori cooked their kia (food). Maori call it the hangi, which is when they put meat and vegetables underground to cook it. Due to the hot springs under the ground, it's hot enough to cook the food. After several hours underground, it's time for a feast! We had a great Maori feast to end our evening. It was great to learn about the culture and to find out more about those who first came to inhabit New Zealand.

The next morning we went to the geothermal park to see geysers, boiling mud, hot springs, wood carving, and craft room. The guide took eggs and put them in a basket, submerged them into the hot spring and 10 minutes later we were all eating hard boiled eggs! It was interesting to learn more about the geothermal activity in New Zealand.

Next stop was Taupo.

Bye for now <3