Rotorua, known as “sulphur city”, is a popular tourist area because of its geothermal features and Maori cultural activities. Tom and Maureen suggested that we visit the Agrodome, which was a great choice for a rainy day. We attended the Sheep Show. The presenter described the 19 breeds of sheep as they took their places on stage; he explained their origins and the products for which they are famous. Then we watched a sheep shearing demonstration.

Finally there was a good explanation of the various functions of different kinds of sheep dogs. The Huntaway dogs are the barkers that can move more than a thousand sheep, and the Strong-eyed Heading dogs can work the livestock just by giving them “the look.”

Bob wanted to try Zorbing but we decided that our bones are too brittle for tumbling down a hillside inside a sphere.

The Rotorua Museum of Art and History is an impressive museum. The building was constructed to be a luxurious bath house and hospital and is being restored. One of the early treatments involved sitting in a tub of hot water with an electric current running through it. Sounds horrible, and I don’t know if it ever cured anyone.

We watched a great movie with special effects about the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera (our seats were shaking to simulate the violence of the explosions). Then we took a guided tour of the museum with Anie who knows about all of the exhibits and obviously loves being a docent.