Day 8 - Flight to North Island

1 hour 45 minutes flight from Christchurch to Rotorua

Rotorua

KIA ORA is the magic word in North Island but when I said it to Murray (the North Island Coach Manager) he did not respond. Perhaps he wasn't in a very kia ora mood. Mr Beady-Eyes after the initial introduction told us that Murray loved beer and that he'd be delighted if we buy him a beer or two. He went on to tell us that the situation in North Island is different from South Island. Young Maori lads were inclined to break vehicle windows in order to retrieve the valuables inside. I wasn't sure what to think but I think it anyway.

I was amused with the above air sickness bag

Rotorua reminded me of Rolf Harris's Hurry, Hurry Home. It was a song we used to sing during our Guiding Days. (I was a Girl Guide, don't you know?) Back then, we sang without understanding the significance of the lyrics. Now seeing Rotorua for the first time, the song meant a little more. Alighting from the plane, we could detect a strong sulfur scent. This is due to the geothermal activity in the area. We saw steam shooting out from multiple spots in the rustic little town. Raw thermal energy was channeled into pipes and converted into electricity. Looking at the town around us, I wondered that the locals were being steamed on a daily basis, and that got me thinking about the miniseries Shogun, where the Japanese boiled the Englishmen in hot cauldrons.

Flowers outside the hotel

Part of Lake Rotorua

The bubbling lake

Birds drinking from the bubbling lake

Thermal Steam (behind Building)

Thermal steam from underground channeled through pipes and out this.

LUNCH AT THE SKYLINE RESTAURANT The selection of food at this restaurant (accessible by cable car) is pretty impressive. After lunch, we went for the luge ride which is a light toboggan for one person. We pulled the handle all the way towards us and then release it ever so slightly to create the initial inertia to move the vehicle. As the ride goes down a winding slope, the subsequent momentum kept it going.

Cable Car to Skyline Restaurant

It was pure thrill breezing down the slope between the trees. The man in a white jacket in front of me (Mr White-Jacket) slowed down for his wife to catch up. Her toboggan had come to a standstill.  I breezed past her nonchalantly. Meanwhile Mr White-Jacket, upon looking behind and seeing the impasse his wife was in, slowed to a standstill. The man behind me gave the standstill toboggan which I overtook a little jolt  in order to trigger the forward motion. Mrs White-Jacket was moving forward again. Meanwhile, the stationary Mr White-Jacket was still some distance ahead of me. I saw him lift his legs from inside the toboggan, place it outside and pushed it along a couple of times. (The Flintstones Leg Work.) Soon he was moving along until the end of the ride which was at the bottom of the slope.

Overhanging chairs which took us back to the top from the end of the luge ride at the bottom of the slope.

We pulled the toboggan to waiting hooks hanging on overhead cables, sat on overhanging chairs and was soon on our way back to the top. Along the way, I dropped my paua kiwi bracelet, lost to me for all eternity.

TE PUIA Natural Thermal Valley

Geyser, geyser everywhere. Someone pointed out a rainbow within the geyser so we oohed-and-aahed like that's the thing to do when you see a rainbow within a geyser.

The geysers were pretty impressive in magnitude and force. One could feel the insidious power of nature as one stood in the smallness of the me.

Mud Pool

"Is it instant death if one were to accidentally fall into the mud pool," I asked the good-looking Maori guide just because he's good-looking.

"Oh no! It will be a slow agonizing death," was his reply.

We were silent for half a minute to digest the gravity of his words. Without further ado, we proceeded to the museum where more oohs and aahs were forthcoming. 

The tour ended at the gift shop. While we picked up mud soaps, mud salts and mud masks (it's a muddy affair, don't you know?) Mr Beady-Eyes stopped us in our tracks by telling us that the products sold at the gift shop is 20 percent higher than outside. He promised to take us to another gift shop where the price is reasonable.

Thus ended our Te Puia tour. We went back to the bus and headed for the hotel where we witnessed once again in slow motion Mr Beady-Eye's Room Key Saga; the peering from the top of his spectacles into the piece of paper and the calling out of names. It was about 20 minutes later when the ritual was finally over. We retired to our rooms to freshen up for the Maori Hangi and Concert Dinner held below the hotel lobby by a heated pool.

The dancer (picture right) was a young Maori who was the spitting image of Keanu Reeves. They were performing the boat rowing Maori song. Meanwhile, Mr Beady-Eyes disappeared and returned half an hour later with discount cards. At the back of the discount card was a sticker with a special code. A 5% discount will be given when we present the discount card with our purchase.

After dinner, we headed for the gift shop Mr Beady-Eyes recommended. Someone compared the price and told the rest of us that the price tag in this gift shop far exceeded the one at the geyser gift-shop in Te Puia. Mr Beady-Eyes had pulled another fast one.

The kumara (sweet potato) does not speak of its own sweetness .....Maori proverb