Apologies for the lack of photos yesterday. My app decided it was going to error for ages, then magically decided to work this afternoon! Yesterday’s photos can be found if you scroll to the next post under this one.
Today we headed out earlyish to Whakarewarewa - the working Maori village. Turns out we came here when I was a kid, but all I can remember is taking a photo of the meeting place hall and chopping the top off. That was in the days of film cameras, so i didn’t find out until we got home!!
The Maori village’s name means “the uprising war party of Wahiao” (a previous Maori chief). These people have been living here since the early 1500s, and more from slightly further away in Tarawera moved here after the volcanic eruption in 1886 that sadly buried their village and killed about 150 people. Nowadays, around 60 Maori people still live in this village and use its geothermal springs for bathing and cooking. Apparently placing a pig or chicken in the 120 degrees Celsius Korotiotio (Grumpy Man) spring for just 30 seconds helps to easily remove hair and feathers.
The reason we chose to come here and not to the other villages nearby (Mitai and Tamaki) is because it’s an actual functioning village. Families live here and you get to experience their everyday lives. The others look good, but seem way more touristy and like a big dinner and show experience. They’re also about double the price!!
We got a great deal. For about $50, we got a one hour tour, a cultural performance and a Hangi pie lunch. We arrived fairly early and had the place virtually to ourselves in the morning. We explored some walking trails and the mud pools ourselves, then joined our tour. By this point about 40 other people had appeared, so we had a huge group!! Our guide’s name was Keish and she lived in the village for 26 years, before recently moving out with her kids. She said working and living surrounded by family all the time was pretty full on.
We saw kids diving for coins, which is apparently a tradition off the bridge here. Then we found out that the meeting place is used for banquets, funerals and lots of other ceremonies. I made sure this time to take a photo without the top cut off!
We also saw a cemetery and a couple of geysers erupting. Then we went and got a front and centre spot for the cultural performance which we enjoyed!
Afterwards we had our included lunch. It was delicious!! Cooked underground in the steam pits using the geothermal heat, we had Hangi pie with salad and then a steam pudding with custard for dessert. It was very hearty and we loved it.
Then we drove to the Agrodome. Rob had gotten confused and thought the farm show we booked was at 1.30. I knew it was at 2.30, but followed his lead about when to get there as he had been before. I just assumed there must be 1.5 hours worth of stuff to do before the show. So we arrived super early, but it ended up being a good thing. We got to help one of the workers carry ducks to get them ready for the show, and look around the farm. We saw alpacas, lambs, ducks, and sheep. Then we got ourselves a front row seat and used the good wifi to book the shotover jets and canyon swing for Queenstown next week. Woohoo! (My bank account isn’t saying “woohoo”. But you only live once!)
The farm show was really good. We saw 19 breeds of sheep, apparently there are 27 in NZ. We saw a sheep get sheared, and found out that a professional shearer can shear about 250-300 sheep in an 8 hour shift. They also told us that once a sheep is sheared, the fat under their skin reacts by doubling in thickness to compensate for the insulation lost.
We had a look around the shop and at some highland cattle afterwards and now we are having a rest in the room. Tonight we are going to a pub for dinner, before a driving day tomorrow.
The plan is to visit Kerosene Creek nice and early to avoid crowds, then a thermal springs park, followed by Huka Falls and Taupo. Eventually we will end up in New Plymouth, where Rob’s Nanny and family live. We are staying with his Nanny.
I might not have Internet the next couple of days, so if there’s no post you know why :) See how we go.
Love to all
Claire
Xoxox
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