Day 3: Rotorua, New Zealand

Thank goodness for strong New Zealand coffee...

I woke up at 3 AM and gave up trying to go back to sleep by 5. Lots of coffee helped me make it through the whole day.   

Some of the steam vents off in the distance.

Riley and Scarlett waiting to leave the hotel.

Agrodome

All the different sheep raised in New Zealand.

Our day started with a lovey visit to the Agrodome where we got to learn a bit about the 19 different types of sheep farming throughout New Zealand. Sheep farming is a big industry in New Zealand, especially for their wool.  We watched a demonstration on how sheep are sheered and the methods used for both the safety of the sheep and the sheerer.  They did a sheep dog demo as well, a baby goat feeding, and Scarlett even got to try her hand a milking a cow (she was successful)!

Scarlett milking the cow!

I managed to snag myself a bunch of nice merino wool yarns and some super soft baby alpaca. I almost bought a yarn blend made with possum hair. Yes, possum. Or "squishems" as they’re called here.  In New Zealand, they are the nuisance equivalent of our squirrels at home.  I have one that hangs out with my cats at home, so I felt bad that they are so unloved here!

Skyline Rototua

After the Agrodome, we rode a gondola on Mt. Ngongotcha up to Skyline Rotorua. The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking - reminded me a bit of Ecuador with all the lush greenery. Twice we did the Skyline Luge where we raced down the mountain side in what I thought looked like mini karts. What an adrenaline rush that was! 

The only protection we had - helmets!

Scarlett ready to go down the mountain.

The different tracks available at Skyline Luge.  We did the intermediate track.

The first time down I ended up racing my brother (just barely losing...).  Scarlett ended up way behind me, so I waited at the bottom near the lifts for her.  I waited, and waited, and waited some more.  Worst case scenarios started running though my head - what if she's hurt?  What if she flew off the side of the mountain?  What if someone ran her over?  I must have had a horrible look on my face because a gentleman that had just finished the track came up to me and asked if I was looking for a little girl with glasses.  Apparently, she had stopped, and was walking her cart down nonchalantly.  When she finally arrived she shrugged and said she’d lost momentum and decided to walk.  Thanks for making me panic!  The second time down, she flew right along ahead of me laughing. She said it was just like Mario Kart!

Riding the lift back up the mountain.  You can see some of the luge racers coming down!

Twinsies!

The view from the top, overlooking Rotorua.

The gondolas bring people to and from the mountaintop. 

Photo-bombed by my brother, Jason.

Lunch at the top, such a gorgeous day!

There is so much to do up on Skyline between the Luge, views, a winery, mountain bike trails, zip-lining, and the gondola ride.  We only spent the morning here and wrapped it up with some lunch overlooking Lake Rotorua.

Well worth the visit!  Too bad we don't have anything like that here in the States.

Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve

Next up was the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve where we saw the Pōhutu geyser, the Ngā mōkai-ā-Koko mud pool, and all the other thermal vents. The Pōhutu geyser is the largest one in the Southern Hemisphere and can erupt up to 2 times each hour. The calcium deposits in some areas were black because of the sulfur and the lime green colors were a combination of lime mixing with the sulfur. Even the mud pools contained a lot of sulfuric acid. The crust is very thin in this area, so the ground is VERY warm. We sat on some of the warm rocks and one of the cracks even scorched my hand (so don’t touch hot rock cracks, they burn).

The Pōhutu geyser.  The smell of sulfur was quite potent.

The backside of the geyser.

The building in the distance was abandoned because of the geysers.  It began to sink and shift which made it unstable and unsafe.

The rocks were indeed very hot, especially along the cracks.

At the thermal reserve we also got to see a Kiwi, the flightless national bird of NZ, as well as visit the Māori carving and weaving schools. One of the trees being worked on was a redwood over 2,000 years old - massive is an understatement.

New Zealand Jade

After that, we swung by Mountain Jade to learn about NZ’s naturally occurring jade, pounamu. As the legend goes, there was a beautiful woman named Waitaiki who was kidnapped by a dragon-like creature named Poutini. When Poutini learned that the woman’s warrior husband was chasing after them, he knew he would lose and decided that if he couldn’t have her, then no one could. He threw her into the river but the gods could not let her beauty and purity leave this world. Instead, she transformed into pounamu in the river beds. According to Māori culture, you do not find jade, it finds you at the right time.

Different kinds of jade found throughout the world.

Tamaki Māori Village

As if there wasn’t enough to add to this day, we finished with a Māori Hangi feast and show as well as a tour of what a traditional Māori village once looked like. 

Culture and the rememberence of ancestors is very imporant to the Māori.  We toured the Tamaki Māori Village where they gave us a glimpse into the past of Māori culture with stories, demonstrations, songs, and dance.  Everything from the elaborate decor on buildings to their tattoos has special meaning and tells a story.  In one area of the village, Scarlett and my niece tried their hand at a coordination exercise that involved throwing sticks back and forth on command.  They did pretty well!  

After the tour was the Hangi feast.  The food for the Hangi is cooked buried in the ground using thermal rocks.  Our feast included carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, chicken, and lamb.  This is very similar to the style of the Hawaiian imu which is like an underground oven.

Such a wonderful way to start this trip!

We came here for a brief introduction to Māori culture before heading to the village.

One of many carved canoes we saw while in New Zealand.

Each part of the village had demonstrations about important aspects of Māori culture.

Riley and Scarlett practicing some hand-eye coordination with throwing sticks.

Our food being laid out.

Food cooking in the ground.

Watching a traditional Haka dance - the dance of war.