Another whole day in the bus , as we cross almost the entire Northern Island. Luckily the scenery is still enjoyable, as we see a couple of impressive mountains situated near lake Taupo: Mt. Ranpehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe. This last mountain featured in the Lord of the Rings movies as Mt. Doom. This region is well known for the vulcanic activity, and these mountains are in fact still considered to be active vulcanoes.

Also the stories of Wes and Paul make sure that the drive is not too boring. Besides all this we practice singing our "morning song": every morning we sing a song to start the day with, and we are going to sing this song tonight for the owners of the Marae (= traditional Maori house) where we will pass the night.

Before arriving in Rotorua we stop at Huka Falls. A very impressive waterfall, not especially due to the height, but more due to the enormous flow of water.

When we finally arrive at the Marae we have to undergo a traditional entry ceremony to show our hosts that we are friendly visitor, rather than enemies. A part of this ceremony is singing a song and sharing the breath of life. This is done by touching the nose of the host with your own nose (two times). Care has to be taken with this, as touching noses three times means you want to marry the other person

After passing the ceremony we are no longer strangers but people of the land.

While dinner is being prepared we go for a scenic walk to the largest commercially rafted waterfall. We also see a cave that was created by a huge tree that was covered in lava.

After dinner our hosts learn us something about the haka and tell us some traditional Maori stories before it is time to sleep.