Exploring Australia&NZ Day 20

Day 20 - Thursday, May 5, 2011 – Rotorua Museum; Duck Boat Tour of the Lake and City; Thermal Reserve; Maori Cultural Center and Meal

Heavy fog greeted us when we got up at 7:00 this morning. By the time we had breakfast the sky was clear blue and it promised to be a great day. The temperature was 56º with 93% humidity.

After breakfast we walked down to Lake Rotorua to watch the fog crawling over the water. We saw black swans as well as many other species of ducks and geese.

Melanie met us in the lobby at 10:00 for a tour of the beautiful Rotorua Museum, once home to the British Government City Baths. Our guide Peggy explained the exterior of this beautiful Elizabethan building and told us a bit about the gardens surrounding the baths.

The building was constructed from 1905 to 1908 with many of the supplies brought from England. It was modeled after the design of those in Bath, England. The woods used in fabrication were local to New Zealand and hand carved by the Maori artisans.

Rotorua, the lake, and the baths were on the Grand Tour, wealthy people from all over the world would come here to take the cure in the 1900’s. Mud baths, sulphur baths, and massage were all part of the treatment.

After WWI many wounded soldiers were brought to the hot springs for medical treatments. There was also a large American Military Hospital in Rotorua after WWII. That building is not as elegant as the Bath House but it is still in use today.

The baths were closed in the 1960’s and are now housed in another building. The Rotorua Museum now occupies the historic building.

A great deal of the museum is dedicated to the Maori People but no photographs were allowed in this area. A wonderful map displayed the route taken by the ancient Polynesian sailors to Hawaii, Easter Island, Tahiti, Samoa, and all the way to New Zealand. Recent DNA testing has found that these people were originally from Taiwan.

After our tour I was able to talk with Peggy and ask her a few questions about the role the Maori played in World War II and the similarities of the Maori and the Moai People we met in Easter Island.

We took our time walking back to the hotel. We stopped for a bite to eat and then looked at a few tourist shops.

At 2:00 we met Grant, the driver of our optional Duck Boat Tour of the City of Rotorua and the Lake Regions. We were all issued a duck call and we were on our way.

The 90 minute tour took us around the city and into two of the lakes on the outskirts of town, Lake Tikitapu and Lake Okareka. Every time we would see people on the streets, it was our responsibility to give them a quack or two!

These boats were originally WWII amphibious craft and have been restored to give travelers a first hand look at the spectacular landscapes. Our conDUCKtor, Grant told us stories of the past and cultural connections to the Maori people.

The top speed of the boat was 5.9 mph on the water and 48mph was our maximum speed on land and that was going downhill with all of us leaning forward! What a difference in speed from the jet boat ride we took on Tuesday!

Grant got us back to the hotel at 4:00 just in time so we could change into warmer clothes. We left the hotel 4:15 to drive to the Te Puia Thermal Reserve and New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute.

Our guide was a Maori native AJ who gave us a tour of the 160 acre grounds. We stopped at the Carving School and then walked around the Cultural Center. This Reserve has one of the few Kiwi Houses, a light controlled habitat for two kiwis, New Zealand’s national bird.

The birds are not only very shy but they are also nocturnal, making them almost impossible to see except in a controlled environment. Many times they hide in their surroundings, but tonight we were lucky and were able to see both the male and female.

AJ took us on a walk to see and feel the Pohutu Geyser. At this time of night it is usually pretty quiet, but tonight it was erupting in full form. The smell of sulphur was very strong.

At 7:15 we met together to be welcomed into the Ancestral House for a Maori Presentation. We had to leave our shoes at the entrance and the men of our groups were welcomed into the hall to sit in the front rows of chairs. As is custom in the Maori society, all of the women sat in the back of the room.

After several demonstrations of Maori Warrior dances and music, we were welcomed into the dining room for our meal which consisted of vegetables; corn, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin all steamed in the thermal pools. The meat; chicken, pork, and lamb were also cooked underground.

At 8:15 we met our driver John who took us back to the hotel. After preparing the journal and the photos, we packed for our early departure for Auckland in the morning.

Accommodations: Royal Lakeside Novotel - - - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

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