New Zealand

Day 4: Maori Cultural Center, Geothermal Pools / Geyser, Kerosene Creek, Picnic, Drunk Marc, Pig & Whistle, Karaoke

In the morning of day 4 the group woke up to load the bus for a tour around the Maori (M-ow-ree) cultural center in Rotorua. Upon entering the Maori peoples sacred village, we received a tour of the traditional buildings that are still used today to hold regular meetings of all the Maori people in the area. The next stop was the onsite and governmentally funded Maori Art/Culture center where students are sent for 2+ years to learn all the traditional Maori art forms of traditional jewelry making, woodworking, canoe building, weaponry, weaving traditional clothing, and the iconic Maori tattooing. The statues are of famous people and the designs of the Maori carvings tell stories of the significant characteristics of the individual.

After school, we set out to see the national bird of New Zealand: The Kiwi. New Zealand used to be a part of Australia, but it was all under water. Once it separated and rose from the ocean, the only animals that could reach the land were birds. Without any natural predators or small vermin for the birds to hunt, they eventually evolved to become ground dwellers and lost their wings to feed on insects and worms in the group. They are surprisingly large and can be quite territorial. Still one of my favorite animals and second favorite flightless bird.

After the Kiwi sanctuary was the second to last stop of the tour: The sulfur geothermal pools and geyser. The mud from the pools is actually very popular for facial creams and masks as it tightens the pores and smoothes out wrinkles. The geyser is always shooting, but only truely erupts every 10-15mins.

On our way back from the geyser we walked through the Maori art museum and gift shop where you can purchase all handmade works produced by the students of the school to help fund its scholarships and building maintenance. This is where I got the fern necklace, bracelet and a golf ball.

After the Maori village, the group boarded a bus to find some hot pools along the kerosene creek known for its strong scent and warm running waters. This is also the group's first experience of Marc’s various solo wanderings as I was hiking further down the river for a good 15 mins before returning to both bothered and completely unfazed faces.

Once the group was sufficiently relaxed, we returned to the city where the rest of the day's free time involved a picnic in the governmental gardens, partying in the lads room with Nics rather unexpectedly great sense of music, and pregaming for a fun night out with the group. The pregame of course involved many flowing drinks and drinking games in the hostel, but was a great introduction into the different drinking cultures and styles of each nation represented. The Irish and Germans stereotypically went for beer, while the UK girls went for their vodka & wine. Meanwhile, the Aussies introduced the squad to another delicious take on pre-made cocktails called vodka cruisers. Let me just say that I am EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED that we do not have these in the Americas as they quickly became a staple drink on the trip. Finally, I felt like the odd one out, per usual, as I was regularly reminded how apparently gross straight whiskey smelled and tastes in my attempts to share and learn these brits a thing or two. Alas, more for me.

Then after a delicious night out with more drinks at the Pig and Whistle, we were escorted to what I can only describe as the local karaoke watering hole with a very eclectic group of locals who did not seem happy to have 19 foreigners showing up to their bar. So began one of the greatest nights of the trip as one after another our group put on stunning performances ranging from Nia rapping the entirety of “Gangsters Paradise” only to quite literally drop the mic and immediately break it, to Jay attempting to relearn spice girls lyrics, and, finally, my solo country performance which left everyone silent and staring, a sign that can only mean the beautiful beginning of their immediate dive into the beautiful, yet misunderstood world of american country music. Once again, I am filled with a teacher's joy of passing on beautiful pieces of enlightening knowledge. By the end of the night, we had made friends with just about every group at the bar and only left at the behest of the majority of the group whose vocal cords were beginning to strain. At least the next day would be a quiet one.Read more