Kia Ora!

North Island
Auckland - Waitomo - Rotorua

The flight from Sydney didn't even begin boarding until well after it was supposed to depart, yet we arrived in Auckland 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Hmmmmm. Strong tailwind, I reckon.

Our stay in Auckland was only an overnighter, but we did get out for a nice walk down to the wharf and got a bite to eat along the way. It appears to be a very nice city and we will have to add it to our list of places to go again sometime. We made an early night of it as we had an early pick-up the next morning for the ride south.

All of New Zealand is rich in Maori heritage and North Island is especially so. The driver for the ride to Waitomo had a Maori and Scottish background plus a great sense of humor and it made for a very entertaining and fun trip. Waitomo means water falling through rock and that is exactly what it was... a huge cave with water dripping through to an underground river. A short boatride on the river and a look up to the ceiling of the cavern and we saw what we came to see... about 25,000 glow worms. Pictures were not allowed inside the cave - sorry.

From Waitomo, we worked our way through the North Island countryside which was very lush and green and nice to see, even with the ever-present gray skies and occasional drizzle. Part of the route to Rotorua passed near where portions of the Lord of the Rings films were shot. I have never seen them, but I may have to give a look just for the scenery alone.

We also passed through a town, the name of which escapes me, whose claim to fame is artwork done in corrugated metal. They even make art of entire buildings. This one is a depiction of a sheepdog. The building just beyond it (and not visible in the photo) looks like a sheep.



Rotorua is in an area of intense geothermal activity (similar to Yellowstone) and has the smells to match. Unlike Yellowstone, development abounds and they do make good use of the hot water by heating their buildings and swimming pools with it. Our tour there consisted of a trip all through the region including the thermal features as well as a visit to a village that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886. The re-established vegetation after the desolation in the relatively short time since the eruption was incredible.

Mud pot

Champagne pool

The valley today

We also got to see a geyser erupt. This one goes off every day at 10:15 am. Not that it's more predictable than Old Faithful... They had discovered years ago, when some prisoners used the hot water from it to wash clothes and it erupted, they figured out that the soap they were using broke the surface tension of the water down inside the nozzle of the geyser, causing it to blow. So... now, every day at 10:15 in the morning, they chuck in 300g of soap powder and, voil

à!





The next evening, we went to the Tamaki Maori Village for dinner and a presentation on Maori culture. It was truly an evening to remember. The food was great and the presentation was most impressive. It consisted of an in-depth explanation of how the Maori came to New Zealand and how they lived here. It was quite a change from their tropical earlier home to a place that gets pretty cold in the winter.

The concert included Maori songs and dances as well as the Haka... what is widely considered a war dance, but it really is more like posturing and feigning, along with the hope that the opponent will give up and go away. If they do... fine. If not... then war it shall be. This picture was taken during the Haka demonstration. Sorry its so blurry, but those fellas don't stand very still during it.



Rotorua marked the end of our visit to North Island and the next day had us heading further south.