Being made an honoury Maori

Trip Start Jul 11, 2008
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Trip End Nov 24, 2008


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Flag of New Zealand  , North Island,
Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Hey peeps, well today I was up bright and early at 7am after last nights Tamaki Maori experience (and beer) so I was feeling alittle exhausted (actually that's a complete understatement!)

So I took an Eco Thermal Tour around Wai-o-Tapu, the Buried Village and the lakes around this area today.  I had the lovely Ben as my tour guide for 8 hours.  Ben is a cousin to Mark who was the driver from last nights Tamaki Maori experience... so it's a small world!  Anyway, myself and Ben got on brilliantly today and he taught me all about Maori culture and religion and basically answered all my questions.  He even gave me his email and told me that if I come back for the rugby world cup in 2011 (as I said I prob would) then I can stay with him and his family! Awesome! He had 2 lots of tours today and I was on both of them, all the other people only had half day tours so I got speaking to him alot one on one which was good.  He told me I was now an honoury Maori as I had been speaking at length with not only him but Mark and another Maori guy who did the buried village induction as well.  For that I am honoured!  Even did the nose thing when we said goodbye.

The tour itself was brilliant.  I got to see the Champagne Pool and all the geysers.  Learnt about what happened in the buried village as well so I had a really fun day.  I'm knackered now though!  I really need a full nights sleep and tomorrow I hope to relax for the day before heading to Taupo on Thursday.

I got back from the tour just after 4pm and I've been doing menial things like hand washing clothes, sorting my backpack out (I now carry dried museli and noodles with me) and getting dinner.. actually no I treated myself tonight and had instant macaroni cheese, it was horrid!  But food is just a survival thing now, I cant afford to eat out much here.  I'll maybe eat out in Wellington come the weekend.

Tomorrow I've booked myself into the Polynesian Spa for a half hour massage (bliss) and I get to use all their pools, which I'm told is many.  Add that to a mud pool too and I'm very happy!  As I said, Thursday I go to Taupo for the day and stay the night before going to Wellington on Friday.

So I'll have to bid you goodnight as it's 8.30pm here and I'm ruined from all the hiking today.
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