In Rotorua we started with a visit to a Maori cultural centre where there is a village replica. There we attended a "hangi" (feast). I was "Pressganged" into the role of representative for the bus. As such myself and 3 others from 3 other busses were lined up in an open area infront of the village and ut through a ritual to assess our suitability to enter the village (I'm the one on the right in red). dont be fooled by the grass skirts those guys are wearing, they are each about 6 foot 4 and built to play rugby for the "all blacks". They did the equivalent of a haka in front of each of us, they then choose one to accept an offering before letting everyone in the village. The other pictures show a lot of Maori carvings. Thre is a lot of geothermal activity in the area and a lot of hot springs and mud pools.
June 2007 / 25 images
