Rotorua, Tauranga NZ Feb 5th

Another day in NZ, just at a new location.
This port on on the Bay of Plenty. It is the arrival place of the Māori indigenous people to New Zealand. They have a very old and rich heritage and are very strict in their ways and customs. You have to ask to come onto their native lands and be granted permission.
We had a long bus drive to get to our excursion, which was the Ancestral Lands of the Maori. We thought this would be a good cultural exposure trip.
Along the drive, our driver showed us the Kiwi fields and explained that there are actually 3 kinds of Kiwi fruit. The green that we usually see, yellow and just recently they have a new red Kiwi fruit being harvested. The green kiwi grow on vines like grapes. The yellow kiwi grow on vines, but are suspended in a pointed stand to help them grow since they are different. We did not see any red kiwi fruit. To help the fruit be protected from the wind and elements, they plant rows of trees that are trimmed and are about 100 feet tall.
Once we arrived we were greeted by the Māori and given a demonstration of their native dance, the Haka. The New Zealand All Blacks rugby team does one of these at every match. They had the words in native Māori and the translation for us to help understand. You can find the Haka on YouTube to watch. Then they showed us the meaning of their native weapon and it symbols carved into the sharpened wooden 'stick'.
Then we had a native lunch or Hangi which means 'earth pit'. Hot rocks are put into a pit and then the food is placed over it in baskets to cook. All of this is then covered with earth / dirt to hold in the heat and steam the food.
Then back on the bus for a long drive back to the ship.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints with the trip we were not able to go down into the caves on the way back to see native Māori illustrations on the walls. Scott was not happy. Back on the boat as we sailed away we past an active volcano, white island. You could see the smoke billowing from the top of the volcano.Read more