University of Auckland--so we took a four day vacation
to drive around North Island and see some sights.
Lucy stepped outside to photograph the ferry's
approach to Auckland.
We rented a Nissan Bluebird sedan for the trip
and
started managing the drive south to Rotorua.
In this case, Dad accepted front seat and rear
seat drivers. "Left-left!" was a constant comment.
At any turn, Dad would say "left turn to left lane"
or "right turn to left lane" as appropriate.
When Benjamin asked why there are so many
round abouts here, Dad said the Kiwis prefer
to go places in a round-a-bout way.
There's a lovely view on this side of the road.
Lovely.
This ain't Texas. There are few straight sections
in the road. I drove the speed-limited turns
at the recommended speed and the locals
piled up behind me. I took the unrated turns
at 90-100% of the speed limit and left them
behind. Interesting. The drive from Rotorua
to Waitomo--no photos, sorry--was more
interesting. Over some peaks, across a valley,
and over more peaks. The valley road wasn't
straight. Driving was work.
We had a nice lunch along the way and found
another signature in the hot chocolate. Apparently,
every barista signs drinks in their own way.
We got to Rotorua in time to check in, walk about
town, and see the public hot spring park before
supper.
Emily at a hot pool.
The guide book says that Rotorua is not good
for people who don't like sulphur's smell.
Minor when compared to what we'll see on Saturday,
but this was our first boiling open spot in the park.
We arranged a dinner at a Maori feast house. This
was in town, not out at a Maori tribal house. Therefore,
the town wouldn't let them bury the food for cooking.
They had a stainless steel cooker. The gas burners
heat the rocks, then the cooks switch the burners off
and let the hot rocks cook the food. Water sprayed on
the rocks steams the food.
The stainless steel pit.
Fresh sweet potato, kumara, venison, and lamb.
Our Maori guide joined the table 1/2 way through
the meal to answer our questions about the Maori
in history and today. It was a great chat and he
was surprised that we asked so many good questions.
OK, Lucy asked most of the questions--she's read
so many books in advance--the rest of us were
a bit unprepared.
The women got on stage to dance and the men
did the haka. Yes, the haka. Videos shown
below--if you dare to press play!
NEXT POST: Wai-O-Tapu
Benjamin tries the wheel.
Emily trys the wheel.
Poi twirling dance.
Men's haka.
No comments:
Post a Comment