The day started gray and rainy...
We walked off early, for a independent tour ( no little flourescent stickers with a picture of a ship, and a number so you knew which bus to board) rain gear ready, but ultimately unneeded...
We wanted to see the geothermal area at Rotorua, 40 miles or so inland...
Off the ship, find our guide, with sign with list of names, through a warehouse to our bus (not the regular routine, normally it was through a gate to a beach area, but today they were holding a triathlon, and the beach exit was blocked... So we got a chance to view the interior of a cold storage warehouse, thankfully, not cold)... Into our van... (there were 11 of us)... I got lucky, and was offered the seat next to the driver... Tina and Karin were in steerage, in the back of the bus.
Being touists, on a bus, we of course should expect to visit tourist sights... This part of New Zealand is known as the Kiwi Fruit center of the country, so of course would visit Kiwi fruit 360 , aka Kiwi Fruit world, with its 20 meter tall slice of kiwi fruit, demonstration kiwi fruit growing area for us to explore (Did you know the Kiwi Fruit was originally known as the Chinese Gooseberry, that the plants are male or female, and they plant one male for every five females, that they are harvested once a year, in April (at least in NZ) and held in cold storage, There are three kinds cultivated... Etc... Etc....) a chance to taste kiwi fruit wine and of course, a gift shop, a large gift shop, mostly a gift shop... Of course, there were other tour busses visiting Kiwi 360, and little flouresent stickers could be found in abundance...
Having visited Kiwi Fruit 360, we headed off to Rotorua, New Zealand's geyser belt, with geysers, mud pots, terraces and vents. It is said to be the largest geothermal site in the southern hemisphere... )
Compared to Yellowstone, the basin was compact, even tiny, and unlike Yellowstone, is in a relatively developed area, with hotels and motels ringing the canyon that contains the geysers and mud pots... The three major geysers are in a terrace area, the mud pots a short ways away... All were active while we were there. This central area is owned by the local Mauri, and is operated as a combination park and cultural center, Te Puia, so in addition to the geothermal features, they have Kiwi birds (being nocturnal, they are indoors, in a dark environment, lighted artificially at night, so they can be viewed while active (which they were...) They were bigger than expected... Very cute... Tina thinks they are penguin like, but I didn't make that connection.
The site also includes a recreated Maori village... Where tradition ceremonies and dances are offered on a regular schedule (for tourist... (Who would have thought...). I was chosen to be the chief of the visitors, stepping forward to receive the challenge, standing stoically, while a warrior waves his war spear, sticks his tongue out, chants and advances. He drops a fern leaf, which symbolizes peace, then retreats, allowing me to advance, pick it up, then retreat, keeping eye contact with the warrior at all times... The group is then invited into the marae (meeting house). I lead, sit at the front, too be called on stage, to grasp the hand of each of the men present, then touch noses twice, all while maintaining eye contact, and keeping a serious face...
Having responsibilities, I handed Tina my camera and participated, rather than observed. In reality, it was just a tourist show, and I was just the rube chosen from the audience, but participating was very different than observing...
The show finished, we went to the carver's and weaver's workshops, followed by a visit to the gift shop... A large, very nice gift shop, before retiring to the bus, for the short drive to a nearby lake, and lunch... The drive though town, on tree lined streets, lined with motels... for tourism is the local industry... After a nice lunch of fish and chips and a bit of time to look around, again, we reboarded the bus, and drove around the lake shore, past Queen Elizabeth Hospital (specializing in arthritis, presumably using the local hot springs as therapy). Past the Blue Pool, the local public pool, through the public park with lawn bowling, their rose garden, and the grand Queen Anne Rotorua Museum of Art and History... The Town of Rotorua is build on top of the geothermal field, and steam vent are visible everywhere... In back yards (many tapped to provide household heat) rising from storm water drains, in little fenced areas in the parks... Everywhere.... Also everwhere are tourist attractions... Mini golf, a tram way to the top of a local mountain, with a restaurant and luge runs... if this had been the US I would have expected an IMAX theater... But this was New Zealand, so none was in evidence...
Back to the ship, via a different route, through a landscape of forests (mostly Monterey Pines from California, considered a wonderful lumber tree here...) sheep farm, deer farms, Alpaca farms, dairy farms, and eventually the suburbs of Tauranga... The beaches, and our ship.
Back aboard, it was now happy hour... A couple of beers, and an hour and a half later as Tina retired to our cabin, and I went ashore for a walk... The beach was lovely... I walked about a kilometer to the base of Mt Maunganui, a local land mark nearly surrounded by the sea... then once around the mountain on a track (hiking path in American English). The sun was setting... The ocean was soothing... There were sheep grazing (fire control)... I crossed several large shell middens, presumably marking Moiri Pa s, their fortified villages tha Capt. Cook reported were abundant here, leading him to assume plentiful natural resources, and so the name, "Bay of Plenty"
Back aboard in time to change for dinner... Then wander the ship a bit before bed...
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