Hotel Ibis Rotorua

... a Maori challenge, which determines friend or foe. We went into their meeting house for Waiata (songs), Poi dance, weaponary displays and the haka (blates). We then had a massive feast on a buffet of traditional hangi (which is cooked in the ground on hot rocks). Kai = food. Then we had snow!! Bloody cold stuff that should NOT be there. It wasn't just us who thought that: the locals hadn't seen snow in that area for over 60 years. Go figure.

... a lovely cup of tea by the roaring wood fire, possibly sharing with one of the 3 other hikers we had seen all day. 5 minutes later, just as we took our boots off, 2 groups of Nelson teenagers (20 of em) on a school trip turned up. Aaaaargh! Almost weeping, the boots went on again and we trooped another 4km to another hut. We had the place to oursleves and cooked up a gourmet pasta meal to celebrate before collapsing into bed for a 9 hour sleep. We made it out along ...

... the food was very good! After dinner they put on a concert with traditional Maori songs and dances and costumes and was also very interesting. That night was called Matariki. <br><br>The next day I went to a sheep farm about 45 minutes from Rotorua. This is the site of the last remaining movie set from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Hobbiton is where the hobbits lived in their little hobbit holes. The original ...

... seven hobbit holes were created with untreated timber, ply &amp; polystyrene but only seventeen now remain. The mill &amp; double arch bridge were built out of scaffolding, ply &amp; polystyrene &amp; then glued &amp; painted. The oak tree overlooking Bag End was cut down &amp; brought in from near Matamata. Each branch was numbered &amp; chopped, then transported &amp; bolted together on top of Bag End like a jigsaw puzzle (26 tonnes in total). Artificial leaves were then imported ...

... damp caves who then screamed relentlessly as we struggled to listen to the tour guide!? Once we got finished up in the caves and had some lunch we got back on the road to Rotorua. We arrived into Rotorua around 5pm and the first thing that hits as you enter the town is a particularly eggy stench. The town of Rotorua (aka Sulphur City) sits on the most thermally active area of NZ. There are Geysers, Mudpools and Hot Springs all over the place. Apparently this is ...

... discover the area.We really like Hawke's Bay!! The scenery is nice too!!  (We only managed 3 wineries in this area!) We did'nt  time the tide right to go to Cape KIdnappers, to see the Gannetts.(We did try Felicity!) Wed. we are now in Rotorua, having done a few of the thermals today, (Gosh they doo pong!) We might stay another night as  there seems to be lots to do. Fri/Sat had a few days on the Coromandel atWhitianga  Fri ...

... is free and, to adjust it, one has only to keep in mind that the deeper the hole, the higher the temperature. And since we've tried some of the food cooked in those ovens (a traditional Maori "hangi" meal that included chicken, cabbage, taro, etc.) we can testify that it is delicious. Not to mention the corn on the cob that is thrown in a pool of crystal-clear boiling water coming straight from the ground and then taken out well done 5 minutes later. After ...

... the air, it is time to think about the happy blending of the traditional style of Maori Cooking with the additions provided by today's society and surroundings. Method 1. SITE: The selection of the site will depend on - a) Access to water for soaking bags and cloths to create steam. b) Tillage of soil for ease of digging the pit. Arrange to dig your hole in a piece of land that can be utilised in another way when you have finished making your hangi. Ashes make good compost ...

... www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbl1keLZ 2Eg&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLFXUm97 zt0 Later on in the afternoon we rode a cable car up one of the mountain ranges that overlook Lake Rotorua and jumped on board a couple of luges and raced down the man made course which is cut into the side of the rock. Naomi being highly competitive in all that she does obviously beat me to the bottom both times, however I should add at this point, that I was the ...