A Taste of Culture

The guidebook highlights of Rotorua are the cultural heritage and the geothermal activity.Having more than spent our budget already we approached this city unsure what we'd be able to do.The weather was cold so we decided just to spend the day there and head to the Coromandel to sleep.

On quick inspection of all activities at the I-site we settled on our cheapest yet best value for money option - a living thermal village called 'Whakarewarewa' that gives guided tours and cultural performances - excellent! Met all of our needs and relatively cheap.

The village didn't let us down - we were shown around by a village inhabitant (25 families live in the small area) who explained history, cultural elements and way-of-life to us.We saw the geysers in the distance (watched from the other side as part of the expensive 'false' village experience) and saw steaming drains, hot village thermal baths and felt hot pavements.Hangi (traditional food cooked in the ground using the thermal steam) was cooked there and we decided to try some covered in pastry for lunch - we were in luck as we jumped in front of a Scottish group in the queue and got the last two.

Next came the cultural performance - Sam had been desperate to see the Haka performed for weeks and with it not being rugby season, this was his last chance.Again we weren't disappointed as descendants of the village sung and danced with sticks and poys and then the men performed the Haka.Much to Sam's delight (and mine) they wanted volunteers to have a go so you can guess who stepped up.

We didn't get to visit the spas or buried village but we had fun and a cultural history lesson in Rotorua (and had something other than cheese for lunch).

Speeding of towards sunnier weather we drove towards the Coromandel Peninsula to camp for the night.

Liz