ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

                                        A Maori Village

       There is a great deal of Maori influence in New Zealand. In Rotorua our hotel almost bordered on a massive thermal area known as Whakarewarewa. This is one of the most accessible thermal areas in New Zealand.

      Entering our room I said, “Look, you can see the steam rising from the steam vents everywhere. It’s looks rather mystical from here.”  

      Whakarewarewa is called Whaka by the local people and is pronounced Faka. In Maori the wh is pronounced f. This thermal area is one of the most extraordinary sights in the country. After breakfast one morning we had an extensive tour of the village which exists among all the steam vents.

      Everywhere you turn the earth bubbles, boils, and spits. The hydrogen sulfide order of rotten eggs hangs in the air. Whaka gives one an extensive insight into the Maori culture.

      At the entrance to the village we picked up a local guide who told us, “There are many paths in the village that wind around bubbling mud holes and steam vents. Straying off the paths can be very dangerous!” 

      The Maori cook in a natural steam oven called a hangi. Strategically placed, the Maori never need worry about building a fire; they have steam twenty-four hours a day. As we passed a hot water pool the guide said, “We also cook vegetables in these pools of boiling water. We wrap the items to be cooked in cloth covered with burlap, tie them, and submerge them in the pool.”

      She pointed out pipes that lead from the cooking pool down to large communal bath tubs. Because the tubs are lower than the pool the water flows by gravity.

      At the tubs she said, “The water is always crystal clear. The tubs are filled each morning so that by evening the water has cooled enough for bathing. The tubs are emptied each night, scrubbed and cleaned.”

     There was a large volcanic eruption in 1886 which wiped out three tribes. The few people who survived made their way here so the inhabitants of this village are descendents of the survivors of that eruption. Pa is the name for a walled village and it is always high on a hill with a lookout tower.

      She added, “The twenty year war, in 1863, really lasted only a year, but guerillas continued to fight the Maori occasionally for twenty years.”

      Stopping by a geyser we learned, “This geyser is called  Pohutu meaning big splash because this geyser shoots 80 feet into the air. Of late it has been a little erratic but it performs several times a day.” While we stood there we were lucky to see it shoot high into the air. It was quite a sight!

      The cemetery of this village is above ground as one finds himself in very hot water if you dig very deep into the ground. The docent continued, “Each of the seven Maori tribes also has a sacred hill cemetery. Why seven tribes? Well, there is one for each canoe that sailed from Hawaii many years ago. These people called this place Aotearoa, meaning land of long white cloud, which is what New Zealand looks like on the horizon. The Maori are one race, but there are traditional differences between the tribes regarding language, rituals, arts, crafts, and protocol.”

      Standing by a large dugout canoe we were told, “Years ago the totara tree was used to make such canoes. Termites do not bother this wood. Today this wood is used for the many wood carvings that are seen everywhere.”

      The guide concluded, “Today most Maori are involved in business, political and social activities. The Maori have always had a sacred relationship with the sea and land. Modern environmental concerns reflect the values Maori people have held for centuries. “

     I’ve always been intrigued by the Maori culture and I found this visit most interesting.  

MT COOK, NEW ZEALAND

                                                Awesome

      Mt. Cook, at 12,346-feet, is the highest peak in New Zealand, and is called Aoraki by the Maori.  The mountain wears a permanent crown of snow and ice.   The Southern Alps are bigger than the Swiss, French, and Austrian Alps all put together, and run the whole length of the South Island on the west coast--80% of the South Island is mountainous, the rest of the island is plains. New Zealand is 1000 miles north to south, and is half way between the equator and the South Pole.

      Leaving the city of Christchurch we drove through rolling hills, much of it pine covered forest mingled with blooming yellow Scottish broom-weed making for a picturesque drive.  Late

afternoon we stopped in Mackinze to see and read the dog statue which pays tribute to sheep dogs. It was then a short brisk walk in the cold wind to the small church that is a memorial to Mackinze County.

      Beautiful lupines in several colors lined the road for miles. Legend is that some farmer’s wife found  the road   a boring one, so she threw lupine seeds all along the way as she went to town

      It was cold, windy, and misty  when we arrived at Mt. Cook National Park.  Our accommodations were pretty basic—not unexpected—but we had a heater and a fabulous view from the picture window. 

     We enjoyed a fantastic full buffet at the main lodge where it was cozy with fires burning in the fireplace of each room.  A full wine bar was included.

     A little trivia picked up at dinner:   All native trees in the country are evergreen, all deciduous trees have been introduced. New Zealand is 1200 miles from Australia. The north and south islands are very different. The Maori are very evident on the north island and almost nonexistent on the south island. New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote (1893). There are more golf courses per capita in New Zealand than any other country. There are 12 sheep for every person. Tongariro National Park was the second established in the world. (Yellowstone was the first.)  New Zealand also has the only alpine parrot, the kea, and the only flightless parrot, the kakapo.

      The flightless kiwi is the oldest bird on earth. It is monogamous and suffers a complete role reversal as the female is larger than the male, and it is the male that incubates the egg, which takes 80 days to hatch.

     Along the way we made an unusual pit stop. The clean public unisex toilets were all push button. A button was pushed to close the door. Another button was pushed to dispense the TP. The toilet flushed only when the sensor activated soap and the faucet was in use! A forced cleanliness? One must push a button to open the door. BUT a sign on the opposite wall from the toilet warned that at 9 minutes you will be given a warning and at 10 minutes the door will automatically open!

     We ran into another similar toilet at the botanical gardens in Queenstown.