Rotorua Christmas Eve

Started the day visiting Wai-O-Tapu Themal Park including interesting but smelly thermal pools of different colours, Lady Knox Geyser (see it blowing on a video) and some cool Mud Pools.

After some quick Christmas Shopping in Rotorua and a great value burger at 'Gormet Burger' (Recomendation!) we arrived at our Homestay.

We were lucky enough to be staying with Chris and Dave at Panorama Homestay, who made us feel like part of the family!

Had a brilliant Christmas eve as we went for a Mauri cultural show and meal at one of the local Mauri villages. Highlights were the multi-lingual bus driver, Nick getting chosen to be the chief of our bus, the scary welcome/challenge by the Mauris, dancing, chanting, Hangi food, talking to the village people and the closing speech/Haka. Really good experience, if a little comercialised for all us tourists!

Finally made it back to the homestay and spent the rest of the evening looking over Rotorua Lake from the hot tub with a bottle of bubbly.

Excited like little kids about Christmas tomorrow (nothing to do with the bubbly!)