Hey everyone! Lauren here with Part 2 of our time exploring Rotorua! Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity and Maori culture, and we packed all of that into one crazy busy day!
Wai-O-Tapu
Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is a hot spot of Rotorua’s geothermal activity. Our Airbnb hosts daughter worked there, so we decided to check it out!
Lady Knox Geyser
Gerrod and I planned on getting there by 10am, as they have a geyser eruption at the Lady Knox Geyser everyday at 10:15. We were running a little late as we had just done laundry and were busy putting it away. We ended up missing the presentation and beginning of the geyser eruption, as the geyser is actually outside of the geothermal park.
As it turns out it explodes for almost an hour straight! It erupts when soap is added to the geyser. This little trick was discovered by prisoners, who added soap to the geyser when they were trying to wash their clothes.
Geothermal Park
After watching they geyser explode for awhile, we headed into the geothermal park. There were tons of different geothermal features, with a super wide range of colors! There were colorful pools, sulfur caves, bubbling mud pits, and more. We also saw a stick bug on a tree! I think science and geothermal things are cool, so I found the geothermal park 10 out of 10 super neat!
OGO Rotorua Zorbing
After our visit to Wai-O-Tapu, we headed in town to do some zorbing! Gerrod and I both thought zorbing looked ridiculous and decided we HAD to do it, even if it was a little expensive. Zorbing is essentially rolling down a hill in a giant inflatable hamster ball. We decided to go with a company called OGO since it was started by the inventors.
OGO did not disappoint. We did the “wet” zorbing, which is when the giant ball is filled with water. OGO had four different ball rolling tracks – the world’s longest zig-zag Sidewinder Track, the smooth ‘n’ fast double Straight Track, the MEGA Track – the longest, fastest and steepest track in all the land, and the Big Air track. There were several different booking options, but Gerrod and I decided to do all four routes which cost 280 NZD total.
We started with the double Straight Track so we could do some racing. I asked the employee how to go super fast and kicked Gerrod’s butt. He claims it was because I got a head start. Those who know me know I am a little over competitive, and I may have rubbed it in his face a little bit too much.
The next three tracks Gerrod and I shared balls, which I thought was even more fun because it added an unpredictable element in how we would slosh around. I think the Sidewinder was my favorite, as we were rolling around everywhere! All of the tracks were so fun, and I couldn’t help but smile every time. It was for sure a 10 out of 10 experience!
Tamaki Maori Village
Since Rotorua is known for its Maori culture, Gerrod and I decided to visit one of the local Maori villages to learn more. We landed on Tamaki Maori Village based on positive internet reviews. We also found a discount on the Bookme site our Airbnb hosts recommended.
Getting to the Village
We started our Tamaki Village Adventure from the Tamaki Office in downtown Rotorua. Most people get picked up directly from their hotel, but since we were staying at an Airbnb just outside of town, that wasn’t an option. We actually passed the Tamaki Village location on our way to downtown Rotorua!
After checking in, we were assigned to a bus. We were on the Weka bus, and were told everyone on our bus was now in our tribe and we had to choose a leader. Apparently someone volunteered for the position, so we didn’t have too much choosing to do! Our “village” chief was named Alfred. He was an older man from Germany and spoke almost no English at all! On our bus ride to the village, Alfred was given some instructions on what to do. There was a woman acting as his personal guide who would translate for him, but he still seemed a little unsure about what to do.
Arrival at the Village
On arrival at the village, an ancient welcome ceremony called the powhiri took place before we could enter the village. Traditionally the powhiri was performed to determine whether visitors were friendly or hostile. Our powhiri began with a wero or challenge. Our chief Alfred, and the 4 other chiefs from the other buses stood in front as the Maori warriors came forward to look them over to further determine whether we were friendly or not.
We were informed beforehand not to laugh at the faces the warriors made, as it was disrespectful even if we may find them funny. After the warriors assessed our chiefs, the Tamaki Village chief came forward and laid down a token, which was just a small leaf, for our chiefs to pick up to show that we came in peace.
After the powhiri was completed, we entered the village!
Through the Village
There were several huts, and at each hut there was a station where we would learn about a different aspect of Maori culture.
I got volunteered to learn the poi in front of our tribe with a few other women. The poi is a rock or ball at the end of a rope that is flung around. Warriors traditionally used them as a form of strength training. Since it is no longer used, women now use a version of it to aid in telling traditional Maori stories.
Since I got volunteered for the poi demonstration, I made sure Gerrod got volunteered at our next station, the traditional Maori Games. He kicked butt at a game with some long sticks called poi rākau, which I can’t properly explain. You can watch the game in action 4 minutes and 36 seconds into our Tamaki Village highlights video.
Gerrod also got to learn the haka, which is a Maori war dance. We learned a lot at the stations, but I felt like they were a little rushed! After going through all of the stations and learning about more things such as arts weaving, wood carving and facial tattooing, It was nearly time for dinner! They did a big reveal of our hangi meal, which was cooked underground. There were lots of meats and veggies, and it looked and smelled delicious.
Music Performance
Before we got to eat our hangi, we went to an auditorium to watch some traditional Maori song and dance performances. The women incorporated the poi into some of the performances, and at one point they even sang a lovely song with the acoustic guitar!
Dinner Time
After the performance, it was time to eat! We sat at a table next to a nice retired couple from Boston. The couple had sold all of their things, and had been traveling for one year straight! They seemed to be traveling fairly high class, and planned on continuing their adventure for 3 years before returning to the USA.
Dinner was delicious. There were potatoes, carrots, lamb, and chicken. We got to enjoy some delicious pavlova for dessert as well! It was one of the best meals Gerrod and I had eaten in a while, and we definitely both went back for seconds.
Drive Back to Rotorua
On our bus ride home, our driver, Dennis the Menace decided to do a group sing along. He went through a bunch of different songs, including an altered version of Wheels on the Bus. At one point he literally drove around a roundabout THREE TIMES until the end of “Coming 'Round the Mountain.” It was definitely an enjoyable way to end our Tamaki Village adventure.
Rainbow Mountain Reserve
On our last day in Rotorua, Gerrod and I decided to do a short hike at the Rainbow Mountain Reserve. The hike we decided to do was the Rainbow Mountain-Summit Track which has great views of the surrounding countryside. The hike was fairly steep, but we got to walk through some native forest vegetation and see some beautiful colors in the rock along the trail. It wasn’t too difficult, and was a very enjoyable short hike.
After we finished the hike, Gerrod and I decided to relax the rest of the day in preparation for a busy day at the Waitomo Caves and Piopio which we will discuss in our next post!
I feel like Rotorua was one of the few destinations in New Zealand that Gerrod and I gave enough time to see properly. Of course there was tons more we could have seen, but overall we had a great experience with a wide range of activities!
Until next time!
Lauren (and Gerrod)
