From whitianga to There are many long and winding roads here in new zealand and on a slightly uncomfortable stomach it can be a little harsh and nausea inducing. But much relief and astonishment was had when we found 5 people on the bus who had never seen Top Gun, which I beleive is a criminal offencce in several countries
Our destination today wasRoratoa, check out eh link for all the back ground info. But essentailly this whole town... and the surrounding area is a Sulpher stinking pit! It reminds me of the smell of my feet sometimes.
Myself, Stacy and Chantal where hunting around town for a opticians but they eventaully got sucked into a tourist tat shop in town. Even I got tempted by something but It is present for my Dad, that is winging it's way home.
The afternoon was spent at The New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute » where amoungst all the thermal mud pools and cool geothermal sceneary and Maori wood carving demonstartions I Learnt o do the Haka with all the boys on the Bus... Video to follow. when I get a place I can really upload all of my photos and mini video's. Surrifce it to say it wasn't too bad. But whetehr we scared our enemies... the women in the audience is another matter...!
The Girls you see are not allowed to do the Haka so they do a dance with poi it wasn't as energetic as ours but fun to watch none the less. realise we only learnt the Haka in 15 mins...
We went to a traditional Maori festioval which is for the benefit of the tourists $70 we saw the professioanls doing dances for us and also welcoming us into their "village" but most impotantly we atre food froma sground stone oven known as a hangi and it was a eat as much as you can buffet!! strangely enough all us back packers on the bus went up for several servings. Bizarelly I felt a wave of sleep hit me in the midlle of their dance performance for us and I had to pull myself together.
Any way more memories and tales later on.. stuff to do here in New zealand. It was on this night that I bumped into the person who would join us the next day Lesley...
G out of here!
