Tauranga + Whakawerawera thermal village

We arrived in Tauranga this morning and went to find the tour we’d booked privately. It was a group of 11 with a couple from Baltimore and the remaining passengers from Australia. Our driver/guide Adrienne was knowledgeable and energetic and offered interesting commentary as we drove around the port town of Tauranga and a couple of other points of interest before heading to the main attraction: a thermal Māori village.

Whakawerawera village is a popular tourist destination that incorporates an astonishing geothermal site with an actual living
Maori village. Some 500 hot springs and 65 geyser vents make up the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley in a caldera. The Māori Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao people have lived here for about 200 years. Today, about 20 families still live in the village and use the hot springs for cooking and bathing. It was remarkable, even with the strong smell of sulphur.

We also learned a great deal about kiwi fruit. Brad and I had both naïvely assumed kiwi grew on trees. Hardly! Kiwi grow on vines much like grapes. Who knew?Læs mere