New Zealand Travel Guide: Rotorua to Taupo

Day Four

The bubbling mud.

Rotorua stinks. I mean literally, the whole place just reeks of sulpher. It comes from all the geothermal stuff going on underground, close to the surface. It’s the reason there are so many nifty mud pools and hot springs in town, but damn, the smell is overpowering.

That was one of the main reasons that I chose not to stay an extra day in Rotorua, although many people stay there for several days. It’s a hub of adventure and activity, from sky diving to 4-wheel driving to rafting, Hobbit tours and more.

Now that I’ve left Rotorua I do wish I’d had more time there so I could have Zorbed – I really wanted to Zorb – and maybe done a spa day with a mud bath and facial, and gone rafting,  or maybe absailing back in the Waitomo caves. Of course, it’s easy to wish that now that I’ve gotten the smell out of my hair.

Plop, plop.

But, Taupo was my next stop and there were things to do there as well. Things that smelled a lot better. It was also very rainy, so some of the activities in Rotorua could have been canceled nor delayed.

It also meant one more day on the bus with Driver Greg. I loved listening to him talk. I wish he would have just chatted and told stories for the entire drive, just so I could listen to his accent.

After a quick tour around Rotorua to show us some of the things we might have missed, Greg got us out of town and to our first stop, the Wai-O-Tapu geothermal area, where we had a closer look at some mud pools.

Although there are a lot of places around here were you can stop by the side of the road and jump into some mud or hot pools, Greg did say that most of these carry bacteria. The places you pay to go into do something to get rid of the bacteria, but in the wild you run the risk of getting more than just a soothing bath.

We stopped long enough to watch the mud plop and bubble for a while, then went just down the road to the Lady Knox geyser. You can see how this one went for yourself:

It's thinking about it.

Then they add the magic ingredient.

Now it's ready to go.

Pretty impressive, but not done yet.

And there's the money shot.

After the geyser went off we rode on to a place where you could do an optional walk out to the Champagne Pool. It was $24 for a ticket to this area, but if you’ve never seen anything like these formations before, it’s worth doing.

Because the rain was getting worse, many afternoon activities in Taupo were canceled so we went straight to our hostels. The Taupo YHA isn’t the best I’ve ever stayed at, but it wasn’t bad, and the showers were nice and hot.

After a fun trip to the grocery store (more on grocery shopping later) I stayed in out of the rain for the rest of the evening, doing laundry, checking email, and hanging out in the common ares, chatting with people from all over.

There were two students from Oregon studying wildlife and forestry who were in New Zealand for four months doing volunteer conservation work as part of a college internship. I also met people from Switzerland and Japan who had been studying English in Australia before traveling around, and a family with two young kids who were spending a month going all over New Zealand.

In fact, most of the people I talked to were traveling for a minimum of a month, and up to six months or a year. They couldn’t believe that Americans only get 2-3 weeks of vacation a year, and after a while I couldn’t believe it either. I think it’s time for me to go back to school and take a few months off in between.

Next: Jet boating in Taupo.

New Zealand Travel Guide: A Maori Hangi in Rotarua

Day Three, Part Three

The Tamaki Greeting Ceremony

If Wayne Newton had a long-lost Maori brother, it would be Wati, our shuttle driver to the Tamaki hangi.

A hangi is the method of cooking used to create a traditional Maori meal. If you see them advertised here then it also usually includes a show or demonstration of some kind, to teach you about Maori culture. 

Hangis are offered in several places around New Zealand. The Tamaki Maori Village hangi that I was on my way to was recommended by the Magic Bus, and Driver Greg, and since that means you save $20 off the regular price by booking with Magic, it seemed like a good time to go.

The Hangi Hottie

Two of the girls from my black water rafting trip, Maho from Japan and Elaine from Ireland, were also going and we all laughed as Wati selected one of the men from our rafting trip to act as our group’s chief for the night. Martin, from Mexico, had to get up and lead us all in a chant as we paddled our shuttle/canoe to the Maori village.

As soon as we arrived, the five shuttle chiefs were invited forward as the Maori chief and his warriors entered the meeting area. Then the story and show part of the evening began, as another warrior came forward, an outsider, and asked the chief’s permission to talk to him about a new weapon he got by trading with the Europeans: the musket.

From there, we walked into the forest to a traditional Maori village. Here, we were taught about how Maori men were trained for battle, about the weavings and carvings done in the village, and other aspects of Maori life.

Still hot.

It was somewhere in here that I noticed the guy I started to call the Hangi Hottie. Is that culturally insensitive? Because he was beautiful. Fit, toned, passionate about his culture, quick on his feet, just really enjoyable to watch. For me, having a few holiday crushes is part of the fun of traveling, and this guy was very crush-worthy.

The next part of the evening was the conclusion of the history lesson about the Maori acquiring European weaponry, but this was mostly done through song and dance.  The style of the songs and dance reminded me a lot of the performance I saw at the Polynesean Cultural Center in Honolulu years ago,

Muskets for sale.

and I believe that among the Pacific Islands there are many cultural similarities. This dance was more forceful than a Hawiian hula, appropriate for a culture that had known a lot of war. It was beautiful though, very enjoyable.

Finally, we got to the dining part of the evening. It was 8:30 by then, about nine hours since the bus stopped for our meal break and five hours since I’d had my cup of soup after the black water rafting. I was ready for a real meal and this didn’t disappoint. The buffet included tender chicken and beef, vegetables, something similar to stuffing, salad, bread and then a whole table of desserts.

As I mentioned before, the meal was prepared in a hangi, a pit dug into the ground and filled with red-hot rocks. It takes more than three hours to cook the food, but everything came out just right, from the meats to the puddings.

New Zealand's Best Dance Crew

We were all stuffed and tired, but the staff treated us to a few more songs before the evening was over. I didn’t realize that “Blue Suede Shoes” and “My Bonny” were popular Maori songs, but hey, they were performed with gusto, which is what really counts.

Back on the bus, Wati had Martin pass the microphone around so each person could share something from their culture. The Russians sang in Russian, Maho sung “Do Re Mi” in Japanese, Elaine sang “Happy Birthday” in Irish, we tried to get the Swedes to sing ABBA, but they were having none of it, and then it was my turn.

And still hot.

I was going to explain that America doesn’t really have “culture” so much as we have “the Internet” and “Britney Spears”, but as soon as I said I was from California, Wati belted out “If you’re goinnnng to San Franciscoooo, be sure to weeeear some flowers in your haiiiiir.”

I thought I was off the hook, but then he asked me to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Fair enough. I know that one. I figured if I really had to come up with another American song I could have sung the Brady Bunch theme too.

We ended the night back at the Kiwipaka hostel, and I slept like a log, with dreams of glowing worm poo dancing in my head.

Next: Get me to Taupo!

New Zealand Travel Guide: Welcome to the Magic Bus!

Day Three

“New Zealand begins where Auckland finishes.”
- Kiwis who don’t live in Auckland

The problem with most big cities is that they’re all about the same. They have different art in their museums and different skylines, but mostly they all offer shopping, dining, cafes, more shopping, some statues, a park or two, several Starbucks and more shopping.

Some cities still stand out. I would never tell anyone to skip Paris, or New York City. But most of the time, I think one full day in a city is enough. After that, head out of town and start to see the rest of the country, which is exactly what I was ready to do.

There’s nothing like starting the day with a bus ride and stroll through town with 50 pounds of luggage strapped to your body. Well, maybe 20 pounds, but at 6:30 in the morning, everything is heavier.

Hop aboard the Magic Bus

I was on my way to the Magic Bus office on Albert Street, ready to get out of Auckland and see more of the North Island. My Magic driver, Greg (pronounced “Grig”, just like Bret is pronounced “Brit” – I freaking love those Conchords), picked people up at several hostels, then drove us up to the top of Mt. Eden, an old volcano, for a full panorama of the city.

Once you’re on the Magic Bus, the driver passes around lists of activities for the day and accommodation for that night. Prices for everything are listed, and the Magic price for most activities is $5-10 cheaper, sometimes more. You sign up for whatever interests you and your driver makes the booking. Want to catch a cultural Maori show? Do some whitewater rafting or bungee jumping? The driver can help you decide what you can fit into your schedule and budget.

Just sit back and relax.

In the busy summer season it’s not a bad idea to book your own accommodation ahead of time, especially if you and a friend really want a room to yourselves, but if you just need a dorm bed, you should be ok waiting to book until that day. Your driver will let you know if you should book in advance for a town a couple of days down the road.

After a quick snack stop in Hamilton (birthplace of the Rocky Horror Picture Show – I’ll bet you didn’t know that) it was on to Waitomo for black water rafting and glow worms.

Next: Tell me about the glow worms!