Rotorua Day 2

As we survived the night without any volcanic eruptions, we visited The Buried Village of Te Wairoa after a lovely cup of coffee with a fruit slice. This set the mood for the day.

When Mt Tarawera erupted on the 10^th June, 1886, it wiped out many Maori villages (which are now 15 metres under mud), the pink and white terraces, plus destroyed Te Wairoa, either by burning or partially burying buildings. The site has a museum which tells the stories of the eruption and the people who were caught in it. The museum gave a very personal account of what happened. It also contained many photographs and household items that had been retrieved from the site. We found it a very moving experience. There was also a short bush walk in the valley to Te Wairoa Falls which were very dramatic and an unexpected extra to the visit.

Visitors who wanted to see the pink and white terraces stayed in hotels in Te Wairoa, either in a temperance hotel or one that allowed alcohol (it seemed to be livelier). They were then taken, by a Maori guide, down through a valley to Lake Tarawera where they boarded a Maori canoe which took them to Lake Rotomahana. They then walked to the terraces. Quite a trip!

We had lunch in the camper van, which we parked on a narrow gap between the blue and green lakes, which was also very impressive.

In the afternoon we went to Te Puia at Te Whakarewarewa (which has a much longer name – Te Whakarewarewatanga o te Ope Taua a Wahiao which means ‘The Gathering Together of the War Party of Wahiao’). The place has changed somewhat since I visited in 1964. For a start there are now fences to stop people from walking into the boiling mud and geyser (this was very comforting) plus there are now carving and weaving schools, interactive galleries, a kiwi house, Maori Village and Marae complex. There is also a circular entrance which consists of 12 carvings which reach skyward and are very impressive. The city now has spread out to Whakarewarewa. There was a guide who was very interesting and we still had time to explore the place on our own. The Pohutu Geyser put on a spectacular display as did the Prince of Wales Geyser. We also saw the boiling mud which looked like a pot of porridge bubbling away. The photo of me below was taken while I sat on the hot seat! And parts were too hot to sit on!

We are now at a Top 10 Holiday Park in the middle of Rotorua and it is full of motor homes (Britz, Maui, Packpackers, Jucy, NZ Motorhomes). It looks like motorhome alley. Tomorrow we are going to have a much cheaper day and visit all the free sights. Today cost a lot of money in entrance fees ($133) but well worth it.