Rotorua & Wellington

Thermal Marvels
& Capital City

After our high flying adventure in Taupo, Mike and I were pushed by external forces (a large bike race in Taupo that sucked all the accommodations dry, and severe weather which closed the Tongariro National Park) back north into Rotorua. There we stayed at a decidedly character rich hostel called the Funky Green Voyager. We made friends with some girls from Hamburg, Sonja & Kathrin. Together with them and the freedom of Sonja's car we ventured to explore the nearby Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland [TOP LEFT: Mike and I below a thermal waterfall].

The geothermal park was small by Yellowstone standards, but cool just the same. Unlike Yellowstone the surrounding landscape is lush and green. It was seemingly unaffected by the potent sulfur and harsh minerals emitted from the thermals. The park also displayed some amazingly vibrant mineral deposits [LEFT: Neon green cracked mud in a thermal hot pool] and a modest geyser. Overall though it is nothing compared to the Yellowstone I grew up with in my back yard, but it made for a great day trip.

The next day Mike's parents showed up in Rotorua and picked him up to head off on their fishing trip. Or at least I presume so since I never saw Mike's parents, but Mike disappeared. I spent the day hanging with Sonja and Kathrin again. We took advantage of the opportunity to do a Rotorua classic and go Zorbing. Simply put it entails getting into a giant inflated ball with some water and a friend or two, and then rolling down a big green hill. I feels like a moving waterside and is a hilarious experience.

From Rotorua I caught a ride with Sonja down to Napier. Napier's big claim to fame is its Art Deco buildings. A vast portion of the town was destroyed in a major earthquake which happened right in the middle of the Art Deco hay day. Thus, when the town was rebuilt they utilized the theme of the day and created a surprisingly uniform Art Deco theme in the city. As much as I like architecture, the Art Deco did not really strike my fancy; thus the next day I pushed on down to Wellington.


The weather was great in Wellington, if however characteristically windy [ABOVE: Me overlooking the city; photo by passing tourist]. I spent my full day there exploring the wonderful botanical gardens (see the rose pictures in my last post) and wandering for hours on end in the amazing Te Papa museum. My favorite exhibits dealt with the Maori people [BELOW: The inside of a Maori hut]; their intriguing history and the complex conflict/relationship with the British settlers who landed here. In particular the miscommunication that was built into the Maori vs English translation of the Treaty of Waitangi, and how it continues to shape the politics of the country.

New Zealand, may be a relatively new country with limited depth of history (at least compared to Europe), but their history is still rich with with conflict and complexity. Understanding even a little about it helps to shed light on the inner working of this magical place.

As always,
-Russ

[Pictures from
ROTORUA & WELLINGTON]