Biology Lessons with Chel - Part III

It's simply amazing the range of topics our good old Drs. Chel is knowledgeable about. Today she has a special treat for us straight from Wai-O-Tapu thermal reserve just under Rotorua, NZ. Drs. Chel, the stage is all yours...

Taupo & Napiers, NZ

After Rotorua, we drove (imagine long stretches of green mountains, green plain, green trees, and white sheep) 27 kms further down to the coolest thermal wonderland called Wai-O-Tapu. Here they had the lady Knox Geyser (which spewed up to 15-20 meters high after the park ranger threw a bar of soap in it) and some really cool thermal lakes and mineral deposits. Just check the pics and further on, Drs. Chel's cool lesson about the so-called "Champagne Pool" with its bright orange/red mineral deposits alongside its edges.

After this exciting visit, we headed towards Taupo were we visited the Craters of the Moon (another thermal reserve with only warm craters) and the Huka Falls (one of the most potent falls around). Just check the pictures to get an impression . Again, the town was small and dead but we actually wanted to come here to make NZ's best one-day hike: the Tongariro Crossing. Unfortunately, the weather gods were not on our side (c'mon people, keep up the naked dancing!) and we had to find an alternative for the weekend (which ended up being the earlier mentioned sites). Because we heard the town of Napiers (on the East Coast) should be nice we went there. There were some nice Art Deco buildings but that was about it (although Sois found a place were he could get a real "friet speciaal" and even "kroketten" so guess it wasn't all for nothing then ;-). From Napiers we arranged to do the Tongariro Crossing on Monday the 11th of December as it would be our only chance before we would take the ferry from Wellington to Picton on Wednesday. We booked a lodge as close as possible to Tongariro National Park so we could be as early 6:00 AM on the mountain. Now that was an adventure... so keep checking and you won't be disappointed!

Visiting the Mitai Maori Village (show)

As impressive as thermal activity is, we also came to Rotorua to get up and close with Maori culture (the first inhabitants of NZ which came from Hawaii and Polynesia in big double-hulled canoes). You know, the guys with the great facial tattoos and the funny faces. You can laugh what you want, but this all serves a purpose. We had the chief of the village explain to us all that you only get those tattoos if you have achieved something (for instance, as a warrior). Men can earn a kiwi, a bat, parrot, and ehmmm... ok, we forgot (sorry!) which combined covers their entire face. Women can get an owl on their chin. The chief also taught us other rituals, beliefs, and protocals of the Maori culture. It was fascinating, especially the warrior poses where the men scream very loud and make strong facial expressions to intimidate the enemy. Check out the video and freak out (and giggle)!

In addition to this class-act, we also had a traditional Maori dinner which is cooked in the ground on warm stones plus a bush walk explaining about what natural resources the Maori use and what is considered holy in nature. All in all a very nice experience, especially because the chief was a very engaging man who seemed to have a sincere interest in furthering the understanding of his people. Great culture, great traditions, great tattoos, plus some of own Maori warrior screaming made this a nice visit (check out http://www.mitai.co.nz" as well). Keep an eye out for more babbling! Greets!

Rotorua, NZ

After Hahei and HWB, we drove straight down along the cheesily named "Thermal Explorer Highway" of the North Island towards Rotorua. This place is famous for its thermal activity and strong Maori heritage. There are several parks were you can see thermal activity up close and personal (and smell that damn rotten-egg smell of the sulphur pools and deposits. First up was a visit to Te Whakarewarewa thermal reserve (full name: Te Whakarewarewa o te Ope Taua a Wahiao which means "The Gathering Together of the War Party of Wahiao.. pfeww!). The main attraction is the Pohutu geyser and of course some bubbling mud pools, sulphur lakes, etc. Just look at the pics to get a good idea.

We also went to a place called Hell's Gate were we again explored a thermal reserve but also got the chance to dabble in some of the mud in their worldfamous spa (which were just concrete basins with mud and mineral baths but an experience nonetheless). I think we still have mud coming out of all our bodily cracks and it wasn't probably the best idea for Chel's bladder as she was just recovering. On top of this, we also went to Te Puia which is yet another thermal park full smelly activity and bright colours you would normally only see in your Chemistry books from high school. They also factored in some Maori cultural exhibits and shows but we already had a great share of this when we visited the "Mitai" Maori Village (see Mitai post).

Finally, about Rotorua itself, there's nothing really to mention. They have some famous spas but everything is very small (even smaller then Mestreech) and closes early. However, before leaving Rotorua, Sois still wanted to "Zorb" (for those interested, just type "zorb" into google.com") but the wind was too strong and he didn't want to take the "pansy" alternative (not the he would go bungy or anything anyways). Finally, from this thermal and foul-smelling wonderland, we headed on to a place called Taupo. And what happened there, lieve kijkbuiskindertjes, you will get to know in another post...

Hahei & Hot Water Beach, NZ

So we've started driving through NZ and the first more distant location was situated on the Coromandel Peninsula. The places are called Hahei and Hot Water Beach. The first one is famous for its beautiful white sandy beaches, limestone formations, very large marine and island reserve, and one of NZ's greatest snorkling trails. A nice fact about Hahei is that the islands off its coast are so well protected that no one is allowed to anker within 50 meters of them. The islands' ecosystem are untouched and still the same as 100s of year ago. You will plants and animals there that are no longer found in the "mainland" of NZ. Just look at the pictures and be convinced by the natural beauty (and you guys thought, including us, it was mostly going to be sheep, hills, grass, and g'day mate all the time. Well, guess again... simply stunning. Yep!).

We moved a few kilometers further to Hot Water Beach were there a spot on the beach alongside some rock formations were you can dig a hole in the sand and it will be so warm you can build your hot water pool with the help of the incoming tide. NZ still has so much geothermal activity (more on that later) which makes quirky things like this possible. We didn't a hole ourselves because we had to head back to Auckland later that day. More info soon!

Kia Ora to New Zealand !!!

After a relaxed 3-4 hour flight from Nadi, we landed in Auckland, New Zealand. Those guys have a nice airport, we rented a red RAV4 after some bickering with the rental companies. and we got a cheap place to stay in the city center. Needless to say, we were now hooked up for our 23-day adventure in probably our furthest destination (as compared from the Netherlands). There was only one little thing... these people drive on the left side of the road. Wew! It was a little awkward in the beginning to drive on the left hand side and Sois drove like "bompa" in his later driving days.

Auckland is the country's largest city with over 1 million inhabitants. It wasn't much to look at so we just strolled around the next day. In the meantime, Chel had gotted her bladder/urinary tract infection back. So we set out to get a doctor and had to skip any activities including water and too high exertion. We decided to go to Hahei and Hot Water Beach the next day instead of the Waitomo Caves as our old faitful Lonely Planet (well, this edition is rather crap) informed us that glowworms were abound in NZ. Finally, we were so busy with the doctor, laundry, etc. that we didn't get to update the blog so sorry for the long wait (plus these guys here close really really early. It's like being back home). Oh, and before we forget.. our first impressions of NZ are nicely summed up by Sois during our first drive: "Man, this place is SO green, it makes me wanna eat grass!" (Little did we know what beautiful surprises those damn "Kiwi's" (that's the nickname of the people here, btw) had in store for us). And on that bombshell, we're ending tonight's post. Keep visiting our site and discover NZ along with us. Thanks and goodbye, your dynamic (left-driving) duo! (and watch out for those damn Kiwi's crossing the road)