Tuesday, August 5th 2003 – Day 168 – Irish Guy’s Round the World Trips

Tuesday, August 5th 2003 – Day 168

I was up at 7.00am. I have a wash and cursed my snoring bed fellow. He had kept me awake half the night. I had slapped him with my pillow around 2.00am and it helped for a while. I think he stopped around 5.00am. I had my bacon, eggs etc for the 4th time in the same cafe. I know the owner as Brucie now. He is institution in town and is well known. Its not a clean place… Pigeons walking around your feet etc but the food is excellent and you get some characters coming in. I got to the bus station which is right behind the Sky Tower early. It s bit disconcerting to see all the bus drivers in short pants and white knee socks. Especially true of the older guys. They were all nice thought and I boarded my 8.15am bus at 8.00am. I was tired from the lack of sleep and did not take much interest in the journey via Hamilton and Matamata . BTW, the Sky City Coach Terminal is on Hobson Street and it was an Inter City Bus.

I would take or leave Auckland. It is a very ugly city with little historic core or character. Its ay ounce city and I do not want to pour scorn on the place but its a poor mix of early century wooden building and new skyscrapers. Many of the houses are run down and are pre fabricated. I got very little sense of its sole or character. It just seemed like any other big city.

Back to Rotorua. I arrived at the city centre at 12.30 in the morning. When you enter this region, you quickly realize there’s something hard at work under your feet. Steam rises out of gutters and along roadsides, and you can never be entirely sure where the next hiss and roar are going to come from. Volcanic and geothermal activity has always played a major role in the landscape here, so be sure to experience it yourself. The visitor center has information on shuttle services to the main geothermal areas.

I walked straight to my chosen Hostel. I had rung this morning for a reservation. The hostel was called The Wall Backpackers, Rotorua, New Zealand. It was 20 AUS for a 4 person dorm. I had the dorm to myself. It is a massive hostel with bar, cinema, climbing wall, kitchens, 2 TV rooms, pool but there must be less than 10 people here.

After I visited the tourist office I decided to walk the 2.5km to Whakarewarewa Thermal Village, Tyron Street, Rotorua which according to the tourist office will give you insight into the workings of a modern, real-life Maori village set among geothermal activity.

Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve & New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute

The highlight of the thermal reserve is definitely the very effusive Pohutu Geyser. It usually erupts 10 to 25 times a day to a height of 16 to 20m (52.5-65.6 ft.). This steamy little valley is also known for its mud pools, which average 90??°C to 95??°C (194??°F-203??°F). The 1 1/2-hour guided tour is a good option, as you’ll get to learn about the culture and the thermal activity. It includes a look through a replica of a Maori village and the New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute, established in 1963 to foster traditional Maori carving and weaving skills. You’ll see carvers and weavers at work and ride the Waka Express train into new geothermal areas. If this is your first experience with Maori culture, I’d spend about 2 to 3 hours here and see one of the live performances as well–either the midday concert or the evening Mia Ora performance, which includes a full hangi (earth oven) meal.

I had to wait until 3.00pm for the 1 hour free tour. He was a good guide and answered alot of questions about his culture. The Gsyer was good though (as youc an see from the pictures). After the tour I walked back and wandered around on my own. As all the tour groups had gone, it was nice fo walk amongst the mud pools and steam. We also got too see the famous Kiwi bird. The Kiwi, of the order Apterygiformes-Ratitae, occurs only in New Zealand. Although primarily a bird of New Zealands native forests, kiwis also live in scrub and native grasslands. Because the kiwi is a semi-nocturnal, secretive bird, few New Zealanders have seen their national bird in the wild.

The kiwi is the sole survivor of an ancient order of birds including the now extinct moas. A flightless bird about the size of a domestic fowl, the kiwi has coarse, bristly, hair-like feathers

I Finally walked out at 5.00pm. It was a good 30 minute walk back into town and headed abck to the hostel. I did not do too much for the rest of the day. I watched TV at the hostel and read the New Zealand Herald which is a good reafd and has articles from alot of International papers.