November 10, 2015
54: Waitomo & Maori (Rotorua)
We got to the bus terminal at 7am and checked in with the tour guide. There was a full bus for where we were going today. We got a tour package with our Intercity Flexipass. We only paid for the attraction and the travel time was deducted off our pass.
During the ride, our bus driver gave us very interesting facts about Auckland and New Zealand. Apparently, it takes 3 hours via car to get into and out of South Auckland! He recommended Tip Top ice cream founded by two brothers in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand has a 6% unemployment rate. And I noticed that gas prices was $1.95 per litre of gas!
We headed to the Waikato area today, to see the Waitomo Glowworms Cave! Waikato region is surrounded by mountains. Waikato river is 450km long and is the longest river in New Zealand. Lake Taupo is the largest extinct volcanic crater lake. We learned that New Zealand used to have 76mil sheep and now only have 30mil sheep, so that's 7 sheep per person.
When we got to the Cave, we were taught two Maori words, wahini (female) and tane (male). So that we knew which bathrooms to go to. We couldn't take photos because the flash would hurt the glowworms. It would also take too long to set up a long exposure to capture the light from the glowworms.
We were given a tour through the caves and learned about how the caves were developed. We saw the glowworms and learned about their life cycle. Also, the tour includes a boat ride down the cave to see more glowworms! It looked like someone packed a lot of stars and threw them on the ceilings of the cave. It was a magical sight.
We got back on the tour bus and ate some of the food we brought. We arrived in Rotorua a bit later than planned. The driver was behind schedule and he dropped people off at the Agrodome next to Zorb.
I don't think Keri and I will be Zorbing. We don't have enough time! For those that don't know what it is.. You basically get into a large plastic bubble ball and you roll down a hill with or without water. It originated in Rotorua! Sounds fun, but we have a full day ahead.
We checked into the hotel and then we went around Rotorua to check out the local attractions. We saw the boiling hot thermal waters in Kuirau Park nearby. It was cool but the sulpher smell was really strong.
For the second half of our day, we had a full Maori experience with the Tamaki group. It was exhilarating. We left at 6:45pm and were given a bus ride into the Tamaki Maori Tribe's area. Each bus was nominated a Chief who will be a key role in several parts of the ceremonies and rituals.
When we got to the entrance, the Maori tribe did their challenge ritual where three warriors did their haka (kind of like a war dance/cry). The final warrior places a piece token and chooses a visiting chief. The chief then has to pick up the piece token and was granted in. This initiated the tour into the village.
We learned about the Maori tribe's past times like games, materials, drawings, weapons, fighting and food. We were given an authentic "hangi" dinner. Everything was delicious and awesome. The "haka" was thrilling to see. If you have the chance, I'd recommend seeing it!
The tour provided a complimentary bus ride to the hotel, so we were singing on the bus home. We got home around 10pm and then crashed for the night.