The morning we left Rotorua we stopped off at Te Piua a thermal activity park. We met Carla our guide and first she took us to see some wood carvers. They were busy making statues and ornaments with hammers and chizels. Next we went to see some weaving. Carla showed us how they make rope from a long green leaf of New Zealand Flax. The rope was really strong and only took a minute to make. We then went to see some traditional buildings. We saw a food storage house and a meeting hall. Then we walked through a Maori village and saw what they used to catch birds with. We went into a museum where we saw musical instruments and clothes.

It was then time to go and see the thermal activity. Behind the buildings you could see the hills steaming. Patches of steam rising up out of the ground. We walked down a path to get closer. As we got closer we began to smell the sulphur that comes out in the steam. We stoped near 2 geysers as they were erupting and shooting steam up meters into the air. You could see yellow on the rocks from the sulphur. Near by were some big rocks that Carla told us to sit on. They were hot rocks! They made our bums nice and warm which was doubly nice as it was quite a dull, chilly morning. We then went to see a mud pool. The mud was bubbling and once again steam was coming off it. Carla said it is just below boiling temperature. WOW! Our last stop on the tour was the Kiwi house to see a Kiwi. Now Kiwis are nocturnal so the room was very dark so they would think it is night and be awake. During the night they would leave the lights on so they would think it is day and sleep. The birds were awake and walking around. They are about the size of a chicken with a long beak. Our tour was now over so we got back on the bus and drove to Taupo.

We stayed at Base hostel which had an excellent view of the lake from the kitchen. It was very windy so the activities you could do like sky diving and the crossing between 2 volcanoes were canceled. (Not that I wanted to do either) So we had 2 nights in Taupo with not a lot to do. The first night we had the free BBQ in the bar and spent the night boogieing on the dancefloor. The next day I took advantage of not having a bus to catch by having a nice lay in. I then went to the supermarket to buy some supplies so I could cook myself a nice dinner. I walked around town for a while before going back tot the hostel. I made myself sausage and mash with carrots and brocolli. That evening ten of us met to organise buying England Vs Romania rugby tickets in Dunedin. They only tickets left were class A so we are gonna have really good seats on the halfway line. We also hired two 8 seater cars to get us there. So feeling excited we went to bed.