Rotorua marked a 3 week point for us, and I think we must have all been a bit run down. A mild illness surfaced for some and thankfully didn’t last long. It did make our Rotorua visit a bit more subdued, but we still managed to see a lot even with bypassing the more active options.
The first morning we walked to a doughnut shop and that was superb; really legit sufganiyots. It was conveniently located between our hotel and the Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao Maori Village or Whakarewarewa for short or Whaka for shorter. The village was formed in 1325 and people continue to live here. The geothermal activity underneath the ground provides free energy for cooking and heating.
After a round of mini golf and some downtime we went to the Tamaki Maori Village for an evening of Maori cultural immersion. There are a lot of hokey tourist attractions in the world that are exploitative of indigenous cultures, but Tamaki did not give that sense at all. There was a sense of reverence and pride in the culture and an honest desire to share it with others. For kids it was definitely a more fun and interactive way to learn about the Maori.
The mini village was set in a beautiful forest of redwoods and at each dwelling the guides demonstrated a different aspect of Maori culture – games, food, carvings, tattoo, dance… The guys learned the haka, a war dance to get psyched up before battle (the All Blacks rugby team continue to do it). The evening was capped off with a traditional hangi feast.
Tamaki Maori Village
In the morning we soaked at the Polynesian spa in the geothermal mineral pools overlooking the lake – A very relaxing and therapeutic start to the day before our drive to Taupo.
Polynesian Spa
