WEEK THIRTY TWO, HAKA, HANGI, HAPPINESS
Trip Start
Mar 14, 2007
1
32
44
Trip End
Jan 16, 2008
Whananaki,
New Zealand
Thursday, October 25, 2007
This week started on a bad note, which was the weather, it was so bad that our skydive got cancelled! So instead of moping and hanging about we headed up to Rotatrua where all the Maori cultural shows and museum's are and booked in to the New Zealand version of River Dance! We went to a Maori village saw how they lived thousands of years ago and learnt all about their way of life and arts and crafts and weapons and canoes and then we were shown their song and dances and then they did the Haka. The Haka is awesome! Really scary and sends shivers down your spine when it is done right, and this was done right! We then went and had a Hangi, which is a traditional Maori meal of Lamb, Chicken and veg and kumra, which is sweet potato and it is all places on rocks taken from the river then placed in a huge hole dug in the ground and the rocks are heated the food put on top and then covered with a cloth and left to cook for hours and hours. Oh my God it was
amazing and as soon as I smelt it my vegan-ism went out the window! For one night only! It was delicious! It was a really good night and afterwards me and Claire found a lovely car park to sleep in!
Next day we went to a thermal village, the Earths Crust is really thin in this part of the world so all the water is boiling and lakes are full of sulphur and other minerals from the earth and it looks like the Jurassic period! We even got to see a geyser erupt which was cool. we have made loads of videos of all this stuff which we will try to put up soon.
The next few days were spent in Auckland sleeping in Brian's single bed and floor and sofa! We did some sightseeing and spent a lot of time chilling out drinking coffee and reading magazines! We then picked up a new rental car, a bloody tiny economic mini like thing! Big difference from the luxurious camper we had been driving. In fact we had to leave lots of our stuff behind cause it wouldn't fit in the car!! We headed off on the final leg of our road trip up North via the East coast stopping off along the way on some glorious deserted white sand beaches and spent our days walking along the old fashioned wooden piers having spontaneous picnics by waterfalls, under shady trees on beaches and on soft green grasses in flower filled meadows. It was pure bliss and so relaxing and a wonderful way of life. At night we would park up by beaches and streams and lakes and fall asleep to the sounds of the possums. birds and underneath the dark night sky with the stars as our blankets! This really is what happiness is all about!
