Rotorua and the geysers

April 6, 2010


Our destination today was Rotorua via Lake Taupo. This area is highly volcanically active and one of the centers of modern Maori culture. It is known for its geysers, mineral and mud pools and for its Maori arts, crafts and history. The drive itself is not all that inspiring you clip along at 110 kph through sheep and cattle pasture or clear cut lumber operations. Compared to the South Island the North is busier, faster and less interesting to travel through. We made Rotorua for lunch and headed downtown (in the pouring rain) to visit the museum. The museum is in a beautiful sprawling spa that was built in the early 1900’s as a commercial venture and was the first tourist destination subsidized by the NZ government. Rotorura was already a tourist destination for the thermal springs so they capitalized on it and the wealthy as well as the sick and injured from all over the world came to take the waters. We were a bit rushed here as we were booked on a thermal geyser tour and Maori evening for 4:00. This turned out to be a great night of fun, food and facts.

Central North Island is highly volcanically active, always undergoing earthquakes and has been subjected to several devastating events over the last hundred years, including the destruction of this area in the 1800’s. Lake Rotorua itself sits in an active volcanic caldera. New Zealand sits along the ring of fire where the Pacific plate is being sub ducted under the Australo-Indonesian plate (I think) thus lots of volcanism and dangerous volcanism at that. The beach at Lake Taupo is all volcanic pumice a testament to the explosive nature of the volcanism in this area – and it isn’t over yet.

Our tour by a Maori guide started out a bit slow – I was fascinated by the history of the Maori people but the boys found it tedious. The Maori are essentially Polynesian in origin this is where their language comes from and they can trace their ancestral history right back to the first boat that arrived 1000 to 1500 years ago. Genetically they are Mongolian specifically from the Singapore area. They were great seafarers however and because they brought the small purple sweet potato with them on their immigration they must have travelled as far as Chile where it originates. The Maori remember Kupe the first navigator/priest that visited and mentally mapped the island then returned to central Polynesia – Hawakii to pass on his knowledge and start the immigration process. The Maori had no written language until European contact and thus all this information has been handed down orally. The term Maori is simply one given by the Europeans to describe the indigenous people of NZ, just like our aboriginal peoples however the Maori refer to themselves by the tribe they are affiliated with (100 or more main tribes). They base their carvings and art on the important figures in their tribe and each carving is of a dead ancestor and the events in their life. Thus the stories that go with their carvings are really a local history of the tribe and help them to remember it. A Maori is expected to recite family history backwards to the creation of the tribe if possible. We also saw demonstrations of carving and weaving both still important in Maori culture.

We then went into the dark house to see a breeding pair of Kiwi. All over the country there is an effort to protect and repopulate the Kiwi. Originally it is estimated they numbered over 10 million, they were down to 70,000 two years ago and now estimated at 50,000 or less. They are flightless and nocturnal and introduced stoats (think of a weasel), dogs and destruction of habitat are decimating them. They are very light sensitive so they are kept in a dark house. They look like a furry or feathery football with two legs, a long thin yellow beak on a long neck with almost no head. The female is larger than the male as she carries an egg that is 40% of her body mass, she lays the egg (probably walks a bit funny after that) and the male broods it for about 100 days. They are very picky about their mates and bond for life so captive breeding programs are hit or miss at best. It was interesting to watch them root around with their beaks and have a bit of a sparring match with them when they tussled.

Finally it was time for the geysers! Regardless of the rain we ventured forth to see the hot mud and mineral pools but the geysers themselves were the real show. They erupt at variable times depending on the outside temperature and whether it is raining (this slows them down as the cold water that seeps down needs time to heat). The whole area smells of hydrogen sulphide and the geysers themselves spout out of a terrace built up of sulphur, gypsum and other deposited minerals. They shoot meters to tens of meters into the sky and the whole area is surrounded in a warm steamy fog making it difficult to get good pictures. The sound of bubbling and hissing is marvellous in places you can hear it underground. Many battles were fought amongst the Maori for control of this area as the hunting was good and they had a way to cook their food, on the hot rocks of the thermal pools.

We then took part in a traditional Maori dinner and ceremony called Te Po (the night). It started with a blessing at Te Heketanga-a-Rangi (The Heavenly Origins) honouring the guardians of the 12 heavens (the 12 storehouses of knowledge). We than assembled at the waharoa (gateway) for a traditional Maori welcome where we were challenged by a warrior who drops a bough as a peace offering which must be accepted without turning your back on the warrior. The women greeted us with a karanga (call) and we were invited into the marae or the meeting house for some traditional Maori song, dance, music and the Haki or preparation for battle (lots of stamping, slapping, bulging eyes and sticking out of your tongue to intimidate the enemy). Finally it was time to eat and we partook of the Hangi which is cooked over the thermally heated rocks and natural steam of the area. Steamed corn on the cob followed up with New Zealand Mussels and smoked eel. The main was a selection of rock roasted pork, lamb and chicken with steamed potatoes, pumpkin and Maori purple sweet potato (really starchy). The Maori have a traditional toast that wishes you leave the table with your belly button sticking out and we did. We ended the evening with a return visit to the hot springs and geysers lit up at night warmed by a mug of cocoa. Home to our camp happy, stuffed and wet we turned in. Tomorrow it is off to the caves of Waitomo.