Mitai Maori Night

I'm told this is the best 'hangi' night in New Zealand, It does offer a great insight into the Maori way of life and their culture, the show itself is a bit rough around the edges to be honest, but I can't fault their attention to detail and their witty approach on things. We were also shown the glowworms in the forest after the Maori food was served, lamb and chicken hi kauri (sweet potato) and other dishes I'm almost certain the Maori never ate.

Polynesian Spa

Right in the heart of Rotorua, what better way to finish a day then to relax in some hot thermal pools, the 42 degree pool is pretty hardcore and I barely lasted 10 minutes in it..I have no photos from inside the spa for obvious reasons!

Wai-O-Tapu

We made our way to Wai-O-Tapu for 10:15am for the Lady Knox Geyser eruption, a staff member throws some soap flakes into the geyser and 2 minutes later it's exploding about 10 metres in the air. We then made our way back and made out way around the parks many small lakes and thermal pools that have an abundance of colours (and smells).

The Road to Rotorua

Off to Rotorua today, it's a 450km Drive which doens't seem alot but to but into perspective it's a equivalent of driving from Dublin to Galway twice (and back to Ballinasloe on the third leg).

The first stop was a short 20kms away to KawaKawa to see the Hundertwasser Toilet, they say it's only worth seeing if your passing by. The guy must of been on drugs when he made this!



Next stop 80kms further down the road is the Wharangei Falls, an absolutely stunning waterfall


The next 500kms or so are a scenic drive, pretty much a carbon copy of Ireland, but thats not necessarily a bad thing it's a very picturesque country.

Arriving in Rotorua you'll no doubt smell the place before you see it. Hydrogen Sulphide from vents in this regions thin crust means the smell of rotten eggs lingers in the air, after while you barely even notice the smell.. Time for a well deserved drink!

Cape Reinga

First stop we told of the Kauri tree (and it's plight and how it's now a protected tree in New Zealand. As you can see in the photo these trees grow to a colossal size. The Possum is considered a pest over here (It's a protected species in Australia) and they eat around 21,000 tonnes of vegetation each year.

We then went to the '90 mile beach' today , this beach is actually only 55 miles and is considered a public highway although we were told we wouldn't be insured if we wandered onto it with our rental, but our bus is no ordinary bus it's a Scania truck chassis with a bus shell so it's well able for the beach the driver showed us some of the 'skeleton' cars that weren't so lucky in getting off the beach before the tide came in, A solo seal decided to come over to the bus and say hello. I decided to do some sandboarding (Tina wasn't as brave) It's basically going head first down a sand dune on a plastic board, fun stuff indeed except I landed in the stream at the end of the dune and got soaked. It's lambing season and I thought one of the lambs chasing the bus were going to end up under the wheel!

Next stop and final stop is Cape Reinga It's about 500kms from Paihia, It;s a sacred place for the Māori people and they ask you do not eat or drink here.The name of the cape comes from the Māori word 'Reinga', meaning the 'Underworld'. Another Māori name is 'Te Rerenga Wairua', meaning the leaping-off place of spirits. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.

Off home and some world famous 'Fesh and Cheps' as the Kiwis prounounce it on the way back.

Waterfall Priaha

A nice scenic walk just off the beaten track..we didn't see any Kiwi's on our trek, but I'm told you've a greater chance of being struck by lightning then seeing a Kiwi in the wild.

Paihia - Russell

Arrived in Paihia village, it's very nice [especially export gold extra cold beer!] (you know it is when the locals tell you it's ok to park illegally)...We got the ferry to Russell..had a wander around and sure enough the island lost power.......nothing to do with us of course!