Maori Village Cultural Night- YES. Tour of Hobbiton- skip. Evening Sail in Lake Taupo- YES. Skydiving- ha no. Tongariro Crossing- YES (in converse…my poor feet).
Do you see how for every activity I say yes to, there is another to say no to? I’m not even mentioning all the activities offered- just the big ones. I’d say though, as painful as shelling out all that money was, it was well worth it.
Day 3: Waitomo to Rotorua
I ended up on the mini bus today because I was one of about ten people who didn’t sign up for the Hobbiton tour. $100 for a tour of a movie set for a movie I haven’t seen. I’m ok with my decision. Those of us who didn’t go had the afternoon free in Rotorua. We walked around a local farmer’s market and then hung out on a dock for a while. A pretty relaxing afternoon.
Around four, our bus driver Mangee (more on him later), brought us to the Tamaki Maori Village, where we got carrot cake and biscuit and settled into our room. Surprisingly, they made a 20-bed room feel spacious and super comfortable (two pillows!!).
From there, we played a game that involved chanting and passing (throwing) these wooden poles around a circle. It got very competitive and just a little dangerous (you had to pass yours oneway while looking the other way at the person passing it to you). We also used shells to get the fiber out of flax and make a rope with it.
We were joined in the evening by more people for the cultural show and different exhibitions of how life used to be for the Maori people. This was followed by a delicious dinner, and Aidan’s jacket getting accidentally set on fire.
While most people left, those of us spending the night had the chance to hang out by a big fire.
Day 4: Rotorua to Taupo
After breakfast in the village, we picked up the rest of the group and stopped at a geothermal reserve. It was pretty disappointing for $31 but we did get a hardboiled egg cooked in a hot pool and free wifi.
We then headed off to Taupo. It was from this point on that I was lucky enough to never have to worry about room arrangements in hostels. Charlotte, Natasha, Rachel, David, Ryan, Aidan, and I got a room together, and whoever got to the front desk first would sign us all up. If they didn’t have an 8-bed room, we split up into two. When Natasha and Ryan stay behind in Kaiteriteri (later), and we combined with the mini bus, we started getting a room for 6 with Shona. It worked out perfectly.
In Taupo, a lot of people went skydiving. Those of us that didn’t got to hang out for the afternoon, and Natasha, Aidan, and I stocked up on food and water for the Tongariro Crossing the next day. Thank god Natasha is so organized because I would have just ignored the advice to bring three liters of water and tons of food.
That night we went on an evening sailing trip around Lake Taupo. It was a fun chance to just hang out and watch one of New Zealand’s stunning sunsets.
All the guys went out afterwords that night, while the girls went to sleep. We wanted as much rest as possible before our 6am departure for the Tongariro Crossing.
A Year of the New 