Exploring Australia&NZ Day 19

Day 19 - Wednesday, May 4, 2011 – Flight from Queenstown, Christchurch and to Rotorua; Short Tour of the City; Ohinemutu Presentation

We left the hotel at 8:30 for our short drive to the airport and then the 10:00 flight to Christchurch and on to Rotorua. When we arrived we found that because of fog and bad weather our plane coming from Christchurch had not arrived.

While we waited at the gate we all talked about not having to go through any security at all for this domestic flight. Evidently we are in a very trusting country!

Our plane landed about 15 minutes after we were supposed to board. Amazingly within 20 minutes the crew unloaded and loaded the luggage, and we boarded our ATR 72-500 Turbo-Prop Air New Zealand flight at 10:20 for our 65 minute flight to the North Island via Christchurch.

Even though the crew would fly with us to Rotorua, we had to get off the plane and change aircraft. We boarded our Turbo-Prop and flew another hour and 45 minutes to Rotorua on the North Island.

Melanie suggested we have a light lunch at the airport. We met our driver John and at 3:00 we left for a tour of the small village. He told us that tourism and forestry are two of the major industries of the island along with fishing and agriculture.

There is a distinct smell of sulphur in the air as there are thermal hot springs, geysers and mud pots everywhere.

Our coach tour took us past the Polynesian Spa pools, the government gardens and the Rotorua Museum of Art & History. The Gardens have a Victorian Tea House, heated pools, lawn bowling, and a cricket pitch.

We checked in at our hotel and then at 3:50 met Melanie for a walk to the Ohinemutu Village.

Rotorua is the spiritual home of the native Maori people. Our guide, Shaloh Mitchell, or Te Rango Arikinui Tuawaru Mitere led us through the original village settled by the Maori when they came from Polynesia thousands of years ago.

The grandson of the last chief of the village, Shaloh is now the historian of his tribe. He works to maintain the Maori culture and language of the 300 residents of the village.

As we walked Shaloh gave us information about the customs of his people and the significance of the carvings and the Ancestral House, the Tama Te Kapua.

We could not go into the Ancestral House, but on the steps he conducted a ceremonial greeting to Mitch, our designated leader and to Gennie the representative of the women. This traditional welcome called Hongi or pressing of the nose is a sign of trust and peace to visitors.

We walked a short distance to St. Faith’s Anglican Church. The Maori readily accepted the Christian Missionaries from Europe and America. There are three Christian churches in this small village.

The church is a beautiful parish worship center with spectacular carvings done by the men of the village and traditional weavings done by the women. An etched glass window looks out on to the lake giving the appearance of Christ wearing a Maori cloak walking on the water.

I was able to speak to several young men who where playing a pick up game of rugby out on the lawn of the church. Like so many young people of this age, they had never been off the island and they could not recognize the beauty of their own backyard.

Dinner was on our own but we had such a late lunch at the airport that we decided to stay in to get caught up on our photos and the journal.

Accommodations: Royal Lakeside Novotel - - - Meals: Breakfast

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