4th trip: rotorua [traveling]
so much free time last night and this morning as there is not much to do in matamata--a town known for breeding race horses. i could've really advanced in my reading "the hobbit". if only i didn't forget the book at the last hostel! oh well, it's a learning experience. don't be half-asleep when you get on the bus--make sure you have all your stuff!
today we got on the bus and got to rotorua in about 45 minutes. we were dropped off 1-2 blocks from the hostel we'll be staying at, base backpackers. i must say that the only thing they have going for them was that they gave us our shampoo kit which the aucklanders failed to give us! this place: hairdryer doesn't work in the bathroom, the internet facility is located within the reception office which closes at 7:30pm(!) so you're fucked past then for reception help or internet usage, they wouldn't let me connect my laptop to the internet instead of using their pcs (not that i tried this in auckland but i think it's bullshit if i'm a paying patron), the place doesn't seem that secure (in auckland the floor we were on required key entry), etc.
after checking in, we had to go back out to catch the bus again in a few minutes to take us to our activities for the day. this means that we missed lunch. we couldn't find anything to buy in the few minutes we had. we snacked on some fruit and leftovers we had. it didn't help much.
the first place we went to was a thermal park called te whakarewarewatangaoteopeauaawahiao. say that one three times fast! it's called te whakarewarewa for short and even just whaka by the locals apparently. it is also the location for the new zealand maori arts & crafts institute (te wananga whakairo carving school) where males aged 18-35 can learn the art of wood sculpture with both modern and old tools. maori carving is something to behold in person. some pretty fine stuff. every time i see an intricate piece, i think "that was a bitch to make".
a collage of te whakarewarewa
there's several geysers, mud pools, and geothermal activity in general. there is a maori village on site where they have shows and stuff. there's also a kiwi house with a male and female kiwi. they are named after the show "south park"! so very cool. the male is called colorado and the female is kenny. i can't figure that one out. why wouldn't they name it miss choksondik?
rotowhio marae at te whakarewarewa
the next place we went to was to ride a gondola and luge on mt. ngongtaha. this isn't what you would normally think of when someone mentions gondola and luge. it's a sky gondola. i'm horrible at nomenclature, can't think of the proper name. it's quite common at amusement parks to take you from one side of the park to the other. they have a lot of them in switzerland. alright, now you know what i'm talking about. you ride that to get up high on a hill. then you luge down and take a ski lift back up so that you can luge again. it's not a luge in the snow and ice. not a winter activity. this is a summer luge. kinda like a go-cart push-cart giant skateboard with a handle bar sort of thing. the handle bar can be pulled back towards you. in its resting position, it is in park. in the middle is neutral, this is how you "go". the very back is brakes. so when you want to slow down, you pull the handle closer to you. now you got the idea of how it works.
there are three tracks. the easiest is the scenic route. it's the longest and meant as a beginner course. you must ride this course as your first ride of the day. then there is an intermediate and an advanced track. you can go quite fast in some parts of the intermediate course. i didn't try the advance track. also, it is compulsory to wear a helmet.
an action shot while luge-ing (you know how difficult it is to steer and take photos at the same time?!)
sky swing
after the luge, i went on the sky swing. it's really just a giant swing. and you're in a cage sort of contraption. i figured, i'm here, what the hell. the kiwi experience discount is pretty good and where else will i have such a view? so might as well do it here. so that's just what i did. it was pretty cool. a small rush. i would've liked a bigger rush. that's ok. the bungy awaits me in the south island.
i just have to comment on the smell of rotorua since everyone seems to make such a big deal of it. they say it smells like rotten eggs all over the town, that there's no escape. this isn't true at all. only some parts reek of sulphur. those parts that i've encountered, so far, do not overwhelm. i've been to places where the sulphur smell was much stronger. here, it's more like someone just lit a bunch of fireworks. if you can tolerate that, you'll be fine.
