November
17, Saturday
One of our guides today
Our first stop within the grounds of Te Puia was to see the geyser.
Pohutu Geyser is the largest of several geysers in the valley; it erupts on average once or twice each hour and can reach heights of 30 metres (100 feet). It is just starting to blow now.
And "thar she blows !" Too bad there were so many clouds since it is hard to distinguish the steam and water coming out of the geyser, from the surrounding clouds.
After things settle down again there is a mist hanging over the area
Our Maori guide at the geyser explains the process as well as the history of his people in this area. He tells us that traditionally the Maori ladies often used the hot pools to cook their meals in. The fish, corn, sea food, eggs etc would be wrapped in leaves, the package inserted into a woven basket, tied to a rope, and the entire package was lowered into the boiling waters. Voila! Within minutes their meal was cooked. No slaving over hot stoves or fires.
As the mist clears a bit, we can see the yellow sulfur around the blow holes
As we walk towards the mud holes, and the rest of the mist clears, we can see that the rocks are covered with what looks like solidified lava flow
There are large boiling mud pools as well; Nga Mokai-a-Koko. Too hot to bathe in here, but they collect the mineral rich mud and produce soaps and paste for sale in the souvenir shop.
We stop at the Pikirangi Village for a visit. No one actually lives here, it is an area to show us how traditional villages would have looked like
how they stored their food in elevated structures and dried their fish, just like our native North American natives did.
The houses are really small and even I would have to bend to enter through the doorway
One of their carved canoes
We walked back towards the Te Aronui a Rua Meeting House
and went to visit the Te Wananga Whakairo Rakau National Carving School where the art is passed on to young trainees by skilled master carvers. Yvette: you would have loved this!
The Te Rito National Weaving School next door produces fine thread from flax fibre, which they then weave into garments, purses, and other works of art. They train students in the art and skills of traditional weaving so that the art can be passed on to future generations.
A flax leaf that is stripped is ready to roll up into a cord, or separated into threads.
One of the wooden sculptures for sale in the souvenir shop
It was pouring rain when we were greeted with a welcome dance at the Communal Meeting House
We then went to see a Maori dancing and singing presentation in the Meeting House before going in for our buffet dinner. All the guides and performers are Maori and very welcoming people. KIA ORA ! Means Hello, welcome, and we heard it and used it many times during the evening.
One of the ladies wearing a traditional feather robe
Got him! They all do this with their tongues. Meant to impress or scare their opponents. If you have watched any New Zealand football games, you will be familiar with the look.
Beautiful young girl who was also performing
Not great of the dancers, they were moving so fast, but you get a great look at the inside of the Communal Meeting House.
The men performing a dance
We watched as two men opened up and uncovered the underground cooking over. All natural thermal heating!
Kind of eerie looking isn't it.
As the evening came to a close we got back into the vehicles, rode back to the main entrance and on to our individual buses for the return journey to our lodgings. I was lucky, my motel was one of the first stops so I was back in my room and snug in my bed in no time at all.
It’s raining, it’s pouring…. I have decided to forego
sightseeing for today. Spent most of the
day sitting in that comfy lazy-boy chair, with my feet up, reading and watching TV. That felt REALLY good.
Finally got up and got dressed for my outing to Te Puia, a Maori
Cultural Centre and home of the world famous Pohutu Geyser. I was going for the “evening cultural
experience which included the traditional powhifi (welcoming ceremony),
cultural storytelling, dancing, singing and a delicious feast which had been
cooked over one of the hot vents. The
bus came to pick me up at the motel and after picking up other tourists around
the town, we headed south to Te Puia, just on the outskirts of Rotorua.
Te Heketanga a Rangi (Main Entrance) There are 12 carvings reaching skyward, each representing a celestial guardian in Te Arawa culture.
One of our guides today
It rained almost the entire time and I was thankful I had three layers of sweaters, my rain cape and my umbrella. It was still very enjoyable.
Rotorua is actually located in an ancient caldera, and it smells of sulphur everywhere you go because of all the steam and gasses coming out of the ground. It’s a smoking geothermal area.
Our first stop within the grounds of Te Puia was to see the geyser.
Pohutu Geyser is the largest of several geysers in the valley; it erupts on average once or twice each hour and can reach heights of 30 metres (100 feet). It is just starting to blow now.
And "thar she blows !" Too bad there were so many clouds since it is hard to distinguish the steam and water coming out of the geyser, from the surrounding clouds.
After things settle down again there is a mist hanging over the area
Our Maori guide at the geyser explains the process as well as the history of his people in this area. He tells us that traditionally the Maori ladies often used the hot pools to cook their meals in. The fish, corn, sea food, eggs etc would be wrapped in leaves, the package inserted into a woven basket, tied to a rope, and the entire package was lowered into the boiling waters. Voila! Within minutes their meal was cooked. No slaving over hot stoves or fires.
As the mist clears a bit, we can see the yellow sulfur around the blow holes
As we walk towards the mud holes, and the rest of the mist clears, we can see that the rocks are covered with what looks like solidified lava flow
There are large boiling mud pools as well; Nga Mokai-a-Koko. Too hot to bathe in here, but they collect the mineral rich mud and produce soaps and paste for sale in the souvenir shop.
OH… and I found out that there was an earthquake here
yesterday! Our guide told us that
although there are many earthquakes miles below the surface, they do not
normally feel them. This one was
different: “Geonet reported the earthquake struck at 5.06
pm and was a magnitude 2.4. The website reported the quake was at a depth of
9km and was 5km southeast of Rotorua.” Although not a strong earthquake, people reported that
their houses shook. I was in the motel
by then, but did not feel a thing.
He then told us that a geyser that had been
dormant since the 1960s has suddenly shown signs of life. Definitely something happening underground. Ever get the feeling that you’re in the
wrong place, at the wrong time? I’m
getting that feeling right now.
Our guides were all from the nearby Maori village and
have lived in this area for many generations.
Strange looking statue near the Kiwi House. He looks like he's trying to eat his spear.
I also FINALLY got to see a kiwi…. A real live one! Wow, they are quite big and look more like an opossum than a bird. Sorry, once again no photography allowed. In any case it was another darkened area behind glass since they are nocturnal.
how they stored their food in elevated structures and dried their fish, just like our native North American natives did.
The houses are really small and even I would have to bend to enter through the doorway
One of their carved canoes
We walked back towards the Te Aronui a Rua Meeting House
and went to visit the Te Wananga Whakairo Rakau National Carving School where the art is passed on to young trainees by skilled master carvers. Yvette: you would have loved this!
The Te Rito National Weaving School next door produces fine thread from flax fibre, which they then weave into garments, purses, and other works of art. They train students in the art and skills of traditional weaving so that the art can be passed on to future generations.
One of the wooden sculptures for sale in the souvenir shop
It was pouring rain when we were greeted with a welcome dance at the Communal Meeting House
We then went to see a Maori dancing and singing presentation in the Meeting House before going in for our buffet dinner. All the guides and performers are Maori and very welcoming people. KIA ORA ! Means Hello, welcome, and we heard it and used it many times during the evening.
One of the ladies wearing a traditional feather robe
Got him! They all do this with their tongues. Meant to impress or scare their opponents. If you have watched any New Zealand football games, you will be familiar with the look.
Beautiful young girl who was also performing
Not great of the dancers, they were moving so fast, but you get a great look at the inside of the Communal Meeting House.
The men performing a dance
We watched as two men opened up and uncovered the underground cooking over. All natural thermal heating!
The buffet dinner was delicious, diverse and plentiful. Lots of shrimps and oysters as well as all their traditional dishes.
After dinner we all got into a series of motorized vehicles and headed back to the geyser area for a night time viewing. We were served hot chocolate and listened to more stories of the Maori people. It was great. We were sitting on the rocks near the geyser and were not cold at all since the rocks are all hot because of the hot gas and hot water in the area. Actually you had to watch out that you weren’t sitting on rocks that had cement mortar because if the mortar had cracked away from the rock you would get burned by the steam that was coming out. I had to move a few times to find a comfortable warm spot.
As the evening came to a close we got back into the vehicles, rode back to the main entrance and on to our individual buses for the return journey to our lodgings. I was lucky, my motel was one of the first stops so I was back in my room and snug in my bed in no time at all.
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