Havana Motor Lodge Rotorua

... echtes Hangi, mmh schmeckten die Kumara Kartoffeln und das Fleisch (wo ist das Gemüse) lecker, so erdgedämpft. Das war wahrscheinlich die Idee zum Dampfgarer, mensch. Und trotzdem ist es noch leckerer, wenn die Kanten dezent schwarz sind!<br><br><br>Einige Tage später, saubere Backrohre, WC's und Badewannen weiter, kam ich dann, aus schierer Langeweile, auf die Idee, beim Homeschooling zu helfen. Na gut, ich durfte Kunst geben. Und am nächsten Tag gleich wieder, auch für die ...

... inducing gorges and up mountain passes. Headed up the west coast to yet more glaciers and beautiful scenery. Magic!<br>Then it rained for a couple of days and our van roof started leeking. The van we were given was about 15 years old and from the start had its little, shall we say, idiosyncracies. Magnetised draws that don't shut properly and fly open on afore-mentioned mountain passes. A fridge that is either off or frozen. Utensils made entirely from plastic. And ...

This was the worst day of rain, we got all wet and still <br> decided to go for it, we wanted to see volcanic activity <br> with our own eyes. Rain was strongly pourring, we got all <br> wet but what an unbelievable place to see, mud pools <br> bouilling, hot water springs and burning vapour cracking <br> through the heavy rain above the forest, it was simply <br> fantastic to at last share this with a fantastic woman :-)

... from the land out of geothermal pools. On the way we stopped at Huka Falls. It was a beautiful sight. The river was so powerful and the water was a gorgeous ice blue. We arrived at the Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park during daylight hours for once and enjoyed a couple of relaxing hours before heading to the Maori concert and dinner we were attending that night. (See next entry for Maori concert and dinner)

Rotorua is a small town with a rich Maori culture. One third of the towns population is of Maori descent. The journey from Taupo to Rotorua was only short which gave us the whole day to explore the area. The town is famous for its distinctive smell thanks to the sulphur caused by the geothermal activity underground. We walked to a small park which ...

... artists tried to share some of their skills with the public and the men in the audience where invited to learn a few haka moves. It was incredibly funny to see grown up men from all over the world sticking their tongues out and making funny faces, while trying to replicate the moves of the Maori dancers. They succeeded in making the female audience laugh to tears, although, as one of the Maori artists pointed out, "the goal is to scare the enemy, not kill them ...

... the Hangi Flatten out the rocks as much as possible and place the basket on the stones. Get the wet mutton cloths or sheets and lay them over the basket allowing the edges to go down the sides of the hole. Immediately before doing this though you need to give the stones and basket a quick spray with the hose to create some steam, then immediately place the cloths over-top. On top of these cloths, place a potato. This is used as a kind of indicator for later to tell you whether ...

... It has also claimed notoriety amongst mainly people due to it being one of the most thermally active areas in the world. Engulfed in a think stench of rotten eggs due to the continuous outpour of sulphuric acid it does not deter the curious tourist. With a myriad of bubbling mud pools and sulphuric multi coloured lakes it truly is an amazing place and hence my delight in being able to show Naomi. We arrived in a very wet and windy Rotorua just after midday ...