After Hobbiton, we headed to Rotorua. Rotorua is a cultural center for New Zealand's indigenous Maori people. The surrounding area is full of geysers and mud pools, fueled by geothermal activity, making Rotorua the second largest geothermal activity area, Yellowstone being the first. We were in Rotorua for less than 48 hours, most of that time it was raining...which was a really nice excuse to sit in our incredibly quiet hostel and watch Shark Tank. During my time in New Zealand, I rarely watched TV or movies. My brain was easily sucked into this addicting show, for hours afterwards, we talked about deals, stakes and what inventions we would make. It was a moment *cough* day *cough* of much needed weakness.
The sun did shine eventually though. The morning before we left, we headed to a little park that was filled with mud pools. It brought me back to when I was 14 years old, hating the smells of Yellowstone National Park and refusing to get out of the car. Though it was smelly, it was pretty cool to see!
Part of the park we walked through
New Zealand is in the middle of their autumn, which was weird when my family kept talking about the snow melting and the leaves coming back on the trees.
I thought of my mom and brother when I saw this bike tree
We went to a Maori village in Rotorua as well. We had to watch where we stepped, the place was covered in hot spots and sinking grounds. At one point, I stepped into what looked like solid ground and my foot went 6 inches under....
The Maori people are rich in culture. Before they had a language, they used arts and crafts to communicate. Many sculptures tell different stories or represent spirits of the past. To learn more about what different symbols mean, click HERE.
The community or gathering center for the village. This is a sacred space, tourist were not allowed in.
Dejan and Pier really wanted me to take a picture of our rental car...so here it is
On Friday morning (May 15th) we head north to the Coromandel Peninsula to see Cathedral Cove and spend some time on a few beaches before heading to Auckland.
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