Waitomo Caves & Maori Town in Mourea

Leaving Auckland with the stray bus the first sightseeing stop brought us to the Waitomo caves. Floating in a boat through a part of a dark cave it felt like in space with a thousand stars around you while you are actually surrounded by thousands of glowworms in the dark.

The next stop introduced us to Maori culture that is so obvious in most of the town names in NZ. We learned the welcoming (Kia Ora!), the poi dance (for women) and the haka dance (for men) and listened to traditional songs after typical Maori dinner. We slept together on the floor of the major Maori house, quite an experience.Read more