Skylift and Maori culture (9th Feb)

The view from the top of the gondola



After the cave visits yesterday I headed off to Rotorua, a two hour drive away and this time I filled up with petrol before I set off, I also have a map now that I bought in the Bay of Islands, it’s marginally better than the free one but it seems to be working, at least at the mo.





Rotorua is where all the geothermal action is going on, it’s also very rich in Maori history and culture and is the best place to get a hangi, traditional Maori fare where the food is cooked in an underground pit.






Thermal activity at Kuirau Park



I stared they day off with a trip to the gondola and did my usual. So there was the option of just going up the gondola, having a look around and then coming down again…….OR……. there was the option of going to the top in the gondola, going on some kind of sky-swing and having a couple of goes on a luge. So after some deliberating, which started off with me thinking that just the gondola sounded like a plan, I ended up booking onto a combo package all in!






The gondola ride to the top was fine, very sedate and relaxed; they bring American cruise ship passengers up here so very calm. At the top I took a look at exactly what it was that I had signed myself up for, it seemed that the first part was going to involve sitting with three other people in a large metal swing, being hoisted up even higher and then just being let go. So with that in mind I headed off to take in some of the sights whilst gearing myself up for the experience.

The luge



The swing is a 3 seater and by the time I headed back to it I was going to be sharing a ride with two loud, large Australian guys with me in the middle. As soon as I was strapped in I was thinking, what am I doing and what on earth possessed me to sign up for this! I‘m sure that wont be the first time on this trip I think that but when they haul you up to the lauch point you really do think, why?? The guy in charge gave me the rip cord (!) not quite sure how I managed to get the honour but by the time I got it I did wonder if I was going to be able to pull it once the time came. Fortunately I did, otherwise we would still be up there, and we went hurling out towards Rotorua lake, after the initial gasp of OH MY GOD! It was great fun, maybe this is a sign of whats to come.

Next on the list was luge, this is like a little go carty type thin g that you sit in and head off towards the bottom of the mountain to then just get on a chair lift and do it all again, it was good fun though, theres three tracks you can go on, easy, bit harder and a bit more harder. You have to start off on the easy one but after that you can go on any of the others so of course I went for the hardest, relishing the description of the 'big dipper', which I hasten to say I never actually saw, maybe I was just going too fast!

In the evening I headed off to a Maroi concert and hangi meal, the food was really delicious and there was so much of it. The concert and storytelling was very good as well made even more so by our entertaining coach driver. I had seen some great Maori displays when I was in the Bay of Islands for Waitangi day so although what I saw in Rotorua was really very lovely it was also pretty touristy and although I am of course a tourist I feel that what I saw in Waitangi was the real thing.



Mmmm maybe I'll never come home!!