Morning ‘geyser’ run, quick shower, hotel check out, short walk downtown. Last day on North Island (for a week).
Add bicycle to my expanding list of NZ transportation. Happy Ewe Cycle Tours. Hadn’t been on a bike since I crashed out of Ironman Boulder, August 3rd 2014. Mangled bike still in the garage…completely serious.
Half day tour. 27 stops around geyser-rich Rotorua, one of NZ’s flattest stretches of territory.
Government Gardens. Specifically, Prince’s Arch and Gateway (built for the country’s first royal visit in 1901). Met our happy guide, Roger – then received safety info which stayed [with] us, our entire NZ journey. Hand up, formed an L. Left means Life. Driving British this holiday…yep, on the Left. Phrase stuck for 2 weeks. Few times my travel bestie drove ‘American’, I’d calmly chirp – “Left means life, left means life” – & she’d promptly adjust lanes. No worries. LOL>
Bike, check. Helmet, check. First stop: Ohinemutu, a living Māori village and the original settlement of Rotorua. Ready to roll. Hadn’t cycled in 2 ½ years, started out a bit spooked. I’ve got this! Thanks Dawn, for reintroducing me back to the pedal 🙂
Fave stop: Kuirau Park, in the heart of Rotorua is New Zealand’s only geothermal public park.
Churches, historical buildings, public gardens – but it’s Kuirau Park I’ll remember. Plumes of foggy sulfur obscured our ride over the swallow lake center. Bridge-biking over barren wasteland. Warm, humid steam billowed from the ground. WOW, just WOW!
Legend of Kuiarau: In the early 1800s, the small lake in the centre of the park was much cooler and was known as Taokahu. Legend tells us that a beautiful young woman named Kuiarau was bathing in the waters when a taniwha (dragon) dragged her to his lair below the lake. The gods above were infuriated and made the lake boil so that the Taniwha would be destroyed forever. From that time on, the bubbling lake and the steaming land around it have been known by the name of the lost woman, although the spelling has changed a little from Kuiarau to ‘Kuirau.’
Ended today’s ride in Government Gardens. Specifically, Rotorua Museum – former Bath House, now the town’s museum. Photo opp, goodbyes to our guide, then ride-shared to the airport.
Small puddle jumper to Christchurch. Tomorrow’s adventures start on South Island!
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- morning ‘geyser’ run — every day’s a run day (even in New Zealand)
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- Prince’s Arch and Gateway
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- back on a bike
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- Ohinemutu
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- Lake Rotorua overlook
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- bridge-biking over barren wasteland
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- plumes of foggy sulfur
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- “Left means Life”
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- Government Gardens
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- AWESOME ride – thanks Roger!
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- next stop: Christchurch
Kuirau Park (Rotorua NZ)
The haka is a traditional war cry, dance, or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment.
Ended day 2, bit rushed thru Te Puia & neighboring Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley.
Māori welcome, followed by a traditional Haka [cultural performance] in Te Puia’s marae [meeting house]. While native Hawaiians & Māori share Polynesian roots, their dance traditions are super diverse. The Haka is not your Momma’s Hula – comprised of warrior chants & postures…was never invited from the audience to join in. LOL>
The first Māori settled New Zealand 800 years ago, leaving their native Hawaiki on 7 long boats, Waka. The seven major tribes of New Zealand are identified by their Waka name.
Toured Te Puia’s woodcarving & weaving schools, then quietly stalked New Zealand’s iconic (& endangered) Kiwi bird. Nocturnal by nature, a tiny female inside Te Puia’s Kiwi House would be my only Kiwi claim this trip. Unfortunately, no pics allowed.
Remainder of the tour would be spent geyser-gazing…my third continent of geysers. Iceland, USA’s Yellowstone & today, New Zealand’s Pōhutu geyser – biggest geyser in the southern hemisphere. Mud pools, vapour jets soaring 30 meters high – AND of course, that distinct sulfur scent. FAAANNNTASTIC!
Māori culture & geysers – coupled with tomorrow’s bike tour, a top 5 MUST DO New Zealand experience.
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- traditional Māori welcome
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- not your Momma’s hula
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- traditional woodcarving school
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- tiny female inside Te Puia’s Kiwi House would be my only Kiwi claim this trip
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- first Māori settled 800 years ago, leaving their native Hawaiki on 7 long boats, Waka
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- gurgling mud pools
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- Pōhutu geyser
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- biggest in the southern hemisphere
Māori Haka
Pōhutu geyser
Plane, taxi…and now bus, Auckland to Rotorua. By the time I leave New Zealand expecting to use all forms of transport, except train. Ticket I pre-purchased, exchanged. All train travel on South Island shut down ‘til March 22nd because of extensive forest fires. Yikes!
Waitomo, Agrodome & Te Puia – 3 tour stops, then dropped directly at my hotel…not a bad way to travel.
Waitomo, home to New Zealand’s famous glowworms. Stalactites, stalagmites & limestone…typical cave stuff – but glowworms? Never have I ever. WOW WOW WOW! Loaded onto a long gondola, pulled forward via a rope pulley thru Glowworm Grotto [subterranean cavern illuminated by THOUSANDS of tiny glowworms]. No pictures allowed, no sound permitted. Magic.
Back on the bus, next stop: the Agrodome. Toured this working farm in an all-terrain vehicle. SHEEP, New Zealand SHEEP, that’s the reason one comes here. Watched a Romney being shorn, then attended a live sheep dog trail. BIG fan.
End of day, bit rushed thru Te Puia [Māori meeting house] & neighboring Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley. Luckily my travel bestie scheduled additional geyser viewing on tomorrow’s Happy Ewe bike tour. (Thanks Dawn!)
Hotel check-in. Early to bed? Heck no — ’cause every day’s a run day 🙂 Laced up, quick change-o-clothes. 10 minutes from The Redwoods, my first amazing NZ run (first of several). Massive trees, tropical vegetation & cicadas – the forest sang (12 mile FUN run).
Day 3 plans: morning run (geysers), bike tour (even more geysers) & a puddle-jumper to Christchurch (South Island).
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- stalactites, stalagmites, limestone & glowworms
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- cicada season, the forest sang
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- no pics allowed, no sound permitted — quiet magic
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- sheep shearing
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- newly shorn Romney
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- working sheep dog
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- all trail, 12 mile FUN run
Waitomo Caves — NZ cicada season (Dec-April)
Agrodome – Sheep Shearing
Agrodome – working Sheep Dog trial
