Bad smells and Zorbonauts

The journey to Rotorua began with a stop at Mt Eden in Auckland which is one of many old volcanoes in the region. It also gives a pretty good view over the city. While here our bus driver told us a deadly story about some students who played an April Fools joke on the city's residents. They climbed the mountain in the middle of the night (the night before April fools day) and threw some old couches and tires into the cone of the volcano then set them alight. So the people of Auckland woke up to the sight of black smoke billowing from what they knew was a volcano. It caused widespread panic throughout the city for several hours before somebody realised what day it was and took a walk up. Best April Fools ever! Also on the way to Rotorua was the town of Hobbiton where we took pictures of a Gollum statue and the Hobbiton sign. Apparently with the Hobbit film coming up the place has been rebuilt too. It was afternoon by the time we got to Rotorua and we paid a visit to one of the Maori culture centres for a brief introduction to some Maori folklore as well as visiting a jade factory before we got dropped off at our respective hostels. I was in town for 4 nights (just the way the buses worked out) so I would need to space my activities out. Thus my first night was spent curled up on a couch in the common room with some hot chocolate watching a film courtesy of the hostel.

After a good night's sleep I was ready to see what this little town had to offer. First of all it is a highly geothermal area and there are bubbling mud pools and hot springs all over the place. It also seems to be constantly under a cloud of steam/sulphur which escapes from said geothermal sites. If you are unfamiliar with what sulphur smells like then I can tell you it isnt a pleasant smell, kind of like boiled rotten eggs.... but you get used to it. I got up close and personal with this smell and with the mud and springs as I walked through one of the parks which is full of fenced off areas so you dont fall into the mud and get boiled alive. Not happy with my sulphur dose for the day (or getting used to the smell quite quickly) I took a scenic walk along the lake beside which the town sits and paid a visit to the aptly named 'Sulphur Point'. The smell was quite pungent here so I think im going to be off eggs for quite some time! Later on I paid a visit to the local night market which was small but nice (im spoilt having been to night markets in asia) and chilled out in the hostel for the evening.

Up early the following morning for my big activity day. I booked one of the Maori cultural experiences for that night and set off on a walk to the Redwood Grove here in Rotorua. I followed the directions from reception at my hostel which promptly got me lost. They failed to mention a vital turn..... Supposedly a 45 minute walk it took me several hours to find my way to my destination, the Redwood Visitor Centre. Once I did eventually arrive here they told me there was a bus I could have taken. Oh well I did get a hell of a lot of exercise and a brisk hike through the forest before I found the Giant Redwoods. To be honest it was worth it to see them, they are pretty spectacular trees. After all this walking I got the bus back to town (5 minute trip grrr) just in time to shower and change and get taken out for my Maori culture experience with Te Puia. First off was a tour of the grounds where they gave us a heap of information about the Maori people, their history and heritage and tried to teach us a few bits and pieces. They are very proud of being Maori and happy to share their heritage and beliefs with everyone. We also saw a kiwi and two natural geysers so it was a nice little tour. Then we had a bit of free time before our guide for the night arrived and we began the real cultural experience. First of all he greeted us in Maori (Kia Ora) and informed us all that for the night we would be treated as a tribe visiting his tribe's home. As such we needed a chief to take part in the welcoming ceremonies and assure his tribe we came in peace. Guess who got picked out to be the chief? Only the biggest, most Maori like guy in the group: me..... I guess saying hello back to him at the beginning was the clincher. This meant I had a few duties for the start of the evening. The first of these was to be greeted by a Maori warrior. Basically I stood on the path to their main meeting hall ahead of everyone else and had to stand my ground as this huge Maori guy in full costume charged towards me brandishing a very threatening looking stick. He was basically challenging me if I was there for a fight but by standing still I showed I came in peace. Once he had made his challenge and I made it clear I had no intention of getting the crap kicked out of me he laid a leaf on the ground. I then walked forward (slowly) and picked it up and backed away. Success! Me and my tribe were safe, for now at least. Then we were brought inside the hall and the hosting tribe began a show for us. The sang and danced for one song and then I played the second part of my role as chief. I had to perform the greeting ritual which involves shaking hands while saying “Kia Ora” and then touching our noses together twice. I had to do this with three warriors and then my chief duties were done. Then they performed a couple more songs and dances which are loud, energetic and pretty cheerful. They had to crowd participation moments as well. The girls had a go at using the 'poi' which are basically balls on string and seem to be used in dances and as a way of maintaining hand dexterity. The guys got to try the Haka. This was enormous fun and is trickier than it looks especially the bit where you bulge your eyes and stick your tongue out because you just feel ridiculous. To them it is a statement of “look how big and scary I am”. Once all the performances were done we had our 'Hangi' meal. This is a traditional Maori feast whereby they cook all their food in the ground using steam. This was by far the biggest meal id had in a bloody long time but I felt it was a tad rushed. It was good though. The night was finished off with a visit to the geysers and a cup of hot chocolate. They look superb in the darkness as the bright white of the steam contrasts against the darkness of night. We also sat on the 'hot seat' which is a stone bench heated naturally by the geothermal activity below. All in all it was a really cool way to spend an evening!

My last day in Rotorua began with a visit to the museum which complimented my previous night's adventures quite well as I got more info on the Maori culture of the tribes in the region and some history of the town. Then in the afternoon I paid a visit to the adventure side of town. I had a look at doing something called a 'Schweeb” which is a like a bicycle in a pod hanging from a monorail, but in the end I chose the NZ original: Zorbing. Here I became a zorbonaut which involves climbing into a 12 foot inflatable globe which has some warm water in it and then rolling down a hill. It was mental craic and totally worth it if a bit pricy. Later that evening I relaxed in the hostel's hot tub and got an early night. Next stop Taupo where I would do my skydive!