Day 07: Waitomo - Rotorua - The Maori experience

While still in Waitomo we went to visit the Ruakuri reserve...as with everything else in Waitomo...everything has to do with caves and this walk was no less. This is the place where you can find the Ruakuri and Aranui caves.

Apparently back at the beginning of the 20th century (1900s) this was a very popular touristic destination although people used to break off stalagtites to take home as souveniers and wrote their names on the cave walls... To prevent that they installed lights and security doors which altered temperature airflow and humidity conditions affecting the cave's plant and animal life.

Then we were dropped off at our accomodation and a few of us went to the lake to spend the afternoon

The first thing you notice when you get to Rotorua is the sulphur stench that invades your nostrils with every breath...

Then it was dinner time and for that we went to a Maori village where we would be having dinner and some local Maoris would tell us about their culture and how they used to do things...

I have to say this excursion was a mix bag...some good stuff with some very cheesy stuff... like these guys (our Maori hosts) dressing up in pelts and making jokes about X-factor. You either stay in character or you don't but that mix makes things look very cheesy and a bit of a sham.

First we were welcome to the village with a traditional Haka

Then we moved on to the village where on every hut there was someone explaining different aspects of their lifes...games they used to play weapondry etc...

This was the most interesting part for me...I even have a video of a Maori teaching me how to do a haka...but it' 5 minutes long and it would take me too long to upload...so I'm sorry to say you wonn't be able to see me being ridiculous once again. ;-)

Dinner was prepared in the traditional Maori way...buried.

Then there were some singing and dancing but that was a very cheesy part of the trip too... I mean...if you play the Maori don´t get a guitar and start singing! the guitar it's not very Maori...but the Polynesian songs were quite cool (although I haven't included any below)

The food was really good and we were all stuffed, but just as we were ready to get back to our accomodation the bus refused to start so without anyone getting off the bus only 7 "volunteers" ended up pushing it up the hill...let me just say that pushing a bus full of people up hill with a full stomach is not a very nice experience...

If you forget about the bus bit, it was a so so experience... in my case the jury is still out on whether I would recommended  it or not...I think every person would have a different opinion about it...



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