Last entry from NZ?...

Kia Ora, ladies and gentlemen! This could be the last time I write you from NZ... Wow. Hard to believe I'm leaving to australia in 2 days! But it's for the best - time for some desert and beaches! :) Well, for the last few days:

01 Hangi meal cooking in the ground

ROTORUA

The main attractions in Rotorua are the volcanic activity in the area (the ground is only about 5 meters thick!), and the Maori cultural events, usually including a concert with dinner.

I first whent to a Maori concert, 'cause the first day just rained cats and dogs. All the staff and performers were local Maoris, and it was great. First we went to take a look at dinner (sorry for the blurry picture - it's the best I could take). The meal is called Hangi, and it's cooked by digging a hole in the ground, high enough for the steaming vaporised hot water fumes to come up, and just put the food in and cover it. The food is cooked at about 150 degrees for a couple of hours. Pretty amazing in my opinion.

02 A maori wooden sculpture.

Then we went to see them paddle a traditional canoe through the small stream they have there, and then to the concert, which also included a part when the audience's chief was supposed to make peace with the Maori tribe, and a lot of fighting, dancing and explanations about the cultural custumes and stuff. Very interesting. A movie should be up soon with some of it. :) All in all a great experience, and the food was pretty good as well (though I didn't fall off, as you'd say).

The next day was for the volcanic activity. They have some thermal villages over there, where maoris still use the local hot mineral springs for their everyday lives (bathing in public [after visiting hours, of course], cooking, laundry, etc.), and live in that manner just like old times, only with sattelite television and cars. :) There are lots of mud pools (more interesting than it sounds), hot springs much like natural spa pools, and of course - geysers!

03 The maori fighting dance

WAITOMO

My next stop was Waitomo caves, a series of caves where you go Black Water Rafting (as opposed to white water rafting, which is usuall name for stormy water). The main attraction in that activity is tubing (abuvim) through underground rivers, and seeing lots of glowworms above - lots of green light dotts that look just like galaxies passing over you! It also included abseiling (snepling) down to the cave (27m), lots of caving through little tunnles, and rock climbing back up (20m). Lots of fun indeed. :)

AUCKLAND

Now I'm in NZ's biggest city, about to leave for Australia on the 7th. It's not as bad as most people told me it is, 'cause I like big cities, and I only have a short time to investigate it. I saw a good movie here yesterday - "Derailed". You should see it! :) And that's about it. The next entry will probably be from australia, so - so long, NZ!

04 Hot springs

Thanks for reading, guys! :)

05 Me with the maoris in the thermal village

06 The show introduction

07 The Pahutu geyser

08 Abseiling down the cave