Woke up at 6:15 after a warm, cozy night’s sleep. Had a long, luxurious shower (must’ve been 20 minutes for the two of us). Discovered problem #2 with the cool bathroom, no shelf in the shower. No worries, plenty of floor space. Problem #1 is that the toilet paper is rather inconveniently located. Made up for by the clever sink/counter design, which packs a big sink and lots of counter into a small space. Went down for brekkie; Jer found that Vegemite, while good, is not as good as Marmite (Jess thinks both are gross). In true modernist fashion, the “kitchen” was part of the dining room.
Had a lovely cab ride to the Auckland bus depot with a chatty Maori taxi driver. He has 4 children: 1 in Vancouver, 1 in Australia, 1 in Hamburg, and 1 just returning from 5 months in Afghanistan. The cabbie said that he had seen his son several times on TV!
Caught the bus to Hamilton, then on to Rotorua. Bus requires us to wear seatbelts! Animals seen from the bus (in addition to the ubiquitous cows, sheep, lambs and horses): farmed deer, highland cattle, llamas, ostriches and Shetland ponies. Scenery wasn’t spectacular, but it was pleasant. Had lunch at a mall across from the bus depot in Hamilton; Jer had a falafel kebab, Jess a tempura-ish chicken sandwich.
What they say about Rotorua is true, you smell it before you see it! Sulfur. Flowers thereof, not oxides — that is to say, rotten eggs, not brimstone. Quite soon, though, we saw it, great clouds of steam billowing out of everywhere. We arrived in the center of town, got a bus map, and headed out walking to our hotel, the Regal Palms. The hotel is very far out, and we were quite encumbered. Eventually got to the Regal Palms, which looked quite nice (with the exception of the über-expensive snacks and drinks with which they load up the fridge). Did some planning, then decided to head back into town for some sightseeing and hangi. Way back was much shorter, after ditching our big bags and cleaning out Jess’s little bag. Stopped at St. Faith’s, an Anglican Maori church in Ohinemutu (by Lake Rotorua), which was quite pretty. It faces a lovely marae (Maori meeting house), but these are not open to the public. After that, we went to a park that had walkways over Lake Kuirau, which was boiling away. Very pretty. A bit eerie, but very cool.
We tried to make reservations for tomorrow’s dinner, but our chosen restaurant (Bistro 1284) was fully booked. So we wandered down by the lake, past the Polynesian Spa, the Blue Baths and the city museum. If all goes well, we’ll be back tomorrow.
Finally, we headed over to the Tamaki Tours office, where we boarded our bus to take us to our Maori concert and hangi. Each waka (canoe/bus/bicycle/airplane/submarine/space ship/etc.) is meant to represent a tribe, and Jer was (of course) chosen as our chief. [We were sitting in the front of the waka.] When we arrived at the Maori village, all six chiefs were subjected to the challenge, where the village’s fiercest warrior performed a war chant and dance, then laid down a stick. Our chiefs were to watch impassively, then one was to pick up the stick, as a sign of peace. Jer was chosen to pick up the stick, probably because he was so stoic. Jess was very proud. The war challenge is cool, the home tribesman basically throws up gang signs, tells jokes about yo momma, and is all “east side, what” at you. If that doesn’t provoke you to attack, then you really do come in peace. Anyway, having come in peace, we were ushered into the village, where were shown yarn spinning, poi spinning, singing and war dance training. Then we were taken into the meeting house, for a cultural show. In addition to song and dance, there was a brief explanation of the activities, instruments and customs. Finally, it was time for the hangi — meats, veggies and fish, baked over hot stones in an earth oven. The dessert was steamed pudding with custard, tropical fruit and whipped cream; not authentic, but tasty. After a hangi-building demonstration and a walk around the shops, the Maori sang farewell songs, and we got back on the bus.
After a torturous singing bus ride, we arrived home and collapsed into the spa bath. Very nice and unwinding, though very loud, with no speed control. Crawled into bed at 11:30, much past our bedtime.