Visiting Rotorua - Hot springs and Māori Culture

On Monday February 4, we took the Inter-City bus from Auckland to Rotorua.  We left at 9:30 a.m. and arrived in Rotorua at around 1:40 p.m.  We passed through some beautiful countryside on our way south.  It was another warm, sunny day with a high of 26C.

Rolling hills

Farms along the way

Waterway en route

Gorgeous corn

We stopped at a small town called Tirau to pick up some passengers.  It is a major junction in the state-highway network and has a number of buildings made of corrugated iron.  The information centre where the bus stopped is shaped like a giant dog.  As we pulled out, we saw the giant sheep building. Tirau has now earned the title of "Corrugated Capital of the World".

Corrugated Dog

Such a cute sheep

Finally, the real thing

The bus station at Rotorua is located right beside an I-Site, one of the 80 NZ Tourism offices located in the country.  We were a short walk from the YHA Hostel where we are staying.  This was going to be a new experience, but friends had recommended it and there really weren't any Airbnbs or other options for us in town.  It is in an excellent location near a large park in the centre of the small town.  We have a private room with a shared bathroom.

The communal kitchen when we arrived- all quiet and clean - it gets busy at meal time with folks cooking

View of the hostel

Rotorua has a permanent population of about 59, 500 and is located on the southern shore of Rotorua Lake.  It is renowned for its geothermal activity and Māori culture.  There are suphur springs, geysers, and hot mud pools.  It is a major destination for both domestic and international tourism.  Around 35% of the population of Rotorua is Māori.  The town was first settled in the 14th century, when the Māori arrived from Hawaiki, their original homeland.

We spent the afternoon wandering around the city.  We had been warned that there were not many good food options in town.  Most of the restaurants were located on a section of a street called "Eat Streat".

Sign for Eat Streat

Lovely flowers on a boulevard- town was very quiet, especially after Auckland

Lovely old building

Lots of Māori sculptures in town- Kete Ora- by Joe Kemp

Te Tui Nui

We walked over to the Rotorua Museum located in the Government Gardens.  It is a beautiful Tudor-style building that was originally an old Bath House building built in 1908.  In 1947, it was transferred to the Health Department.  It stopped being a bath house in around 1966.  There was a nightclub in the upstairs area from 1965 until 1990.  In 1977, the Rotorua City Art Gallery opened in the North Wing.  In 1983, there was a extension added.  In 1988, the Art Gallery and Museum was amalgamated.  In 2008, a South Wing opened.

Unfortunately, the building has been closed since November 2016, following the Kaikoura earthquake.  It needs earthquake strengthening on the old Bath House section of the Museum.  It may not reopen again until 1921.  Luckily, we saw a sign promoting daily free tours of the Government Gardens where the Museum is located.  We planned on taking a tour on February 5.

The Museum-- one can see the fencing blocking the entrance

We continued our meander over to the beautiful rose garden on the property.

I never promised you a rose garden

We saw a fabulous bird, which I later found out is the Purple Swamphen (known as Pukeko in NZ).  It has wonderful duck like feet.

Gorgeous blue stomach

We continued our walk along the lakeshore.  Lake Rotorua is very large and has a small island in the middle of the Lake.

View of the island

Very large lake

We passed an elaborately carved waka (canoe).

Te Arawa waka taua

Beautiful carving

We continued our walk along the lakefront.  There was a seaplane about to take off and a paddle boat, taking tourists out on a cruise.

Taking off

Paddle boat on cruise

After our walk, we went to the supermarket and got provisions for dinner, which we cooked at the hostel.  We had pasta with a fresh tomato sauce and a green salad.  Rotorua reminded me of some of the small British Columbia towns I had visited when I lived out there.  Beautiful mountain setting, quiet, with old buildings and not many food options.

Tuesday February 5 was another beautiful sunny day with a high of 26C.  After breakfast, we headed to a meeting spot in front of the Rotorua Museum for a free tour at 11:00 a.m.  Our guide was originally from England but has lived in New Zealand for over 50 years.  She was very good and we had a private tour with her.  The tours don't appear to be well publicised and we only found out because we had walked by the Museum and found it closed.

Our tour was of the very extensive Government Gardens, which is now a public park including many historical buildings.  The site is historically significant to the local Māori people, with battles having been fought there.  The Māori gave 50 acres of land to the British Crown in the late 1880s.  The Government of New Zealand opened a large bath house on the grounds in 1908 (the site of the Museum).  The Bath House was also used by returning soldiers from WWI for the restorative waters.  It closed in 1966 for bathing and was later turned into the Museum.

In 1933, a second buildings, the Blue Baths opened-- one of the first for mixed bathing.  It closed in 1982, but was restored and reopened in 2000.

Our guide explained the history of the structure at the entrance of the Government Gardens.  It is the Prince's Arch and Gateway, which was built for the 1901 royal visit of the Duke and Duchess of York-- this structure is now unique in New Zealand.

Shaped like a royal crown-fabulous structure - 1901

Guardian at the gate

A Māori Soldier who fought in the Boer War

View of the Museum and grounds

Our guide showed us detail on the wonderful sculpture unveiled in June 2001 to mark the new millennium.  It was created by master carver and Rotorua artist Lyonel Grant.  It is entitled "Waitūkei".  His inspiration was the people of this area and the rich melding of Māori and European culture.  We had seen the sculpture our first evening, but hadn't looked at the back of it, where there was all kinds of inscriptions-- cars and maps of the future.  

Waitūkei (Y2K)-a man and a woman

Inscription on back of sculpture

The artist likes cars

We then walked over to Sulphur Lake on the Government Grounds and saw a number of sculptures.  This is called Sculpture Trail.  Every two years since 2014, a groups of sculptors have been chosen to come to Rotorua for two weeks for a Sculpture Symposium and create works based on a theme.  A number of them remain around the lake.  The theme for 2014 was The Returning Soldier, for 2016 it was The Energy Within (to capture Rotorua's unique geothermal and cultural environment); for 2018 the theme was Waters of Rotorua.  There were some excellent pieces on display.

Anna Korver- The White Mouse -done to honour Nancy Wake, the "white mouse", New Zealand's greatest WWII heroine who was on the Gestapo's most wanted list. Winner of the 2014 Sculpture Symposium

Jamie Pickernell - Cant, 2018

Trevor Nathan-Synergy, Winner in 2016

Rory McDougall- Ghost Soldier 2014

Another geothermal pool

Our guide was very knowledgeable about trees in the Government Gardens.

These trees were imported from Japan

Norfolk Island Pine-- one of my favourites so far

Lots and lots of very big fern trees

An old band rotunda

Beautiful flowers

Blue Baths-- now a swimming pool and hot springs pool 1933. Spanish mission style bath house

We passed by a Māori memorial to fallen soldier in WWI.

Details of the signing of the 1840 Waitangi Treaty above the cross.

This side has traditional Māori weapons above the figures

1903 building-formerly a tea house-now used for events on the grounds

After our tour, we went for a bite to eat at a small café at The Arts Village- a community centre with exhibits and classes.  As the WIFI was down at the hostel, we got the laptop and returned to the café to check mail and I worked on the last blog.  Lovely spot and very nice people.

Outside The Arts Village

A beautiful fresh tomato sandwich at the café

Late afternoon, we headed to the Polynesian Spa about a 10 minute walk from where we are staying.  It is located on the shores of Lake Rotorua-- and has a number of geothermal pools of varying temperatures. People have been coming to the waters since the 1880s.  It has been a spa since 1908.

We did the Adult Pool package which had five pools of varying temperatures (38C-45C)  along with a reflexology walk and beautiful views.  For $30 each, we could spend as long as we wanted at the pools.  We were there from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  We had access to the Priest Spring water in one pool.   It is slightly acidic and relieves tired muscles, aches and pains.  The spring is named after Father Mahoney, a Catholic priest "cured" of crippling arthritis after bathing in the waters in 1878.  We also had access to a pool with water from the Rachel Spring, said to bless bathers with an ageless beauty. The alkaline waters nourish the skin and reduce swelling.  Bring it on!!

Outside of Polynesian Spa-- very popular with locals and tourists

The first large pool was the coolest, though still warm-- big enough to swim in

The source of the Priest spring- no one allowed in here-- over 212C!

Smaller, warmer pool

View of pool area and Lake Rotorua

Pool nearest Lake-- gorgeous

Reflexology walk in narrow water area- over strategically placed stones

Trying to take a selfie!

Getting Alain into the pools was hard- but once in, he wasn't leaving

By the time we were leaving, more folks had arrived-- the pools are open from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. at night

We aren't eating dinners out in Rotorua- as there are mainly fast food places.  We made chorizo, (which we found at an Italian grocery) and eggs, with a salad and beans for dinner.

Wednesday February 6 was a mix of sun and cloud with high of 27C.  It was Waitangi Day, a New Zealand public holiday commemorating the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi between the British and Māori chiefs from the North Island, generally considered the founding document of New Zealand.

Alain started his day with a 5.2 km run in the park beside our Hostel.

Our destination for the day was Te Puia -a Māori cultural centre located in a geothermal area with over 500 hot springs.  Before we caught the 11:20 bus, we stopped at Ahu, a store featuring the designs of a Māori designer, Adrienne Whitewood.  I had read about her in an article in the Toronto Star, originally from the NYTimes.  I bought a dress with a traditional Māori design.

Lots of interesting Māori designs by Adrienne Whitewood

Just outside the I-Site tourism office and bus terminal, we discovered the Jean Batten gardens honouring Jean Batten, the pioneer aviatrix who was born in Rotorua in 1909.  We had learned about her on our free tour in Auckland.  She was the first woman to make the return flight from England to Australia and to cross the South Atlantic and Tasman Seas.

Jean Batten gardens 

The bus ride was about 10 minutes.  We arrived at Te Puia, which features a number of geysers, including the Pōhutu ('Constant Splashing') geyser,  the largest geyser in the Southern Hemisphere.  There are also lots of mud pools; a kiwi protection area; and Māori architecture.  Te Puia also houses the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, established in the 1920s to promote and foster all aspects of Māori culture.  There are national schools of carving and weaving at Te Puia, which train talented students from around New Zealand.  There is also a 45 minute Haka or cultural performance, which we attended.

Entrance to Te Puia

Greetings

Heketanga-ā-Rangi- entrance to Te Puia

           Up close at the entrance

Alain with Atua (god) Urutengangane

Atua (god) Tāne- god of the forests.

We wandered over to the small Kiwi House, where kiwis are kept and looked after.  They are nocturnal animals and while visitors can go into the darkened area, we did not see any birds, as they were sleeping and had probably camouflaged themselves in the habitat provided for them.

We walked over to another intricate gate on the property.

Whatitoka Waharoa (Gateway)- it earlier times a Sahara formed the entrance to a pā (fortified village).  It is usually an intricate carving representing tribal ancestors or gods.  Today, the Sahara is still used to distinguish visitors from hosts.  When you walk through the waharoa, you become part of the family.

Map of Te Puia

Elevated storage house with beautiful carvings

Waka taua- this canoe is about 19 m (60 feet) long and can fit up to 30 people.  It is carved from a large tōtara log-- to make a canoe of this size, the tree needs to be about 1600-2000 years old!

Tōtara tree-- lots of notes about the various trees at Te Puia

View of Geysers from afar-- beautiful ferns in the foreground

Guardian of the valley

At 12:15, we gathered for the cultural performance that lasted around 45 minutes.

Outside of performance hall (Rotowhio marae)- traditional architecture

Greetings and explanation of the performance to come- outside the performance hall

Greeting ceremony outside of performance hall

After the greeting ceremony, where one of the tourists was designated a chief of the tribe, we entered the beautiful performance hall.  We were treated to a number of beautiful songs and dances, including a war dance done by the men in the troupe.

Ceremonial haka war dance

Short video of part of one song

Singing a beautiful love song

After the performance, the audience could have pictures taken with the dancers--- Māori often stick out their tongues to look fierce.

With the dancers

Alain took my picture with one of the dancers outside the performance hall.

Bulging eyes and tongue sticking out is the fear factor

After the cultural performance, we headed down to the main geysers at the site.

Panoramic view looking at the geysers in the distance

Getting closer

There are two geysers very close to each other.  The Prince of Wales Feathers geyser is similar in shape to the feathers on the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales.  It is named after the Prince of Wales, Edward Albert, who visited Te Puia in the 1900s.  It erupts to a height of 7 metres fairly often.  It is found beside Pōhutu, which can shoot up to 30 metres.  We were able to see the Prince of Wales in action.

In front of the Prince of Wales geyser

Alain in front of the geyser

We then stopped at a natural steam vent cooker.  Baskets filled with food are placed around the vents and covered so that the hot steam cooks the food.  This cooker is still in use.

Natural steam vent cooker

We then stopped at two mud pools.

Smaller mud pool- bubbling away

Koko mud pool- the largest at Te Puia, with a depth between 6-10 metres

We passed a very interesting bird snare in a tree-- it was used to snare kererū (wood pigeons)

Bird Snare

The Ancestors

One of the eight carved human figures (tekoteko)- depict the transition from Polynesian ancestors to ones who were specifically Māori.

We then went inside the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute where we could watch students at work.

Looking at jewellery workshop area

Carvers at work

Very large workshops and lots of materials

Beautiful woven flower arrangement

A stuffed kiwi

Beautiful carved door

We caught the last bus back to town at 3:30 p.m. (holiday schedule).  We decided to explore the park right next to the Hostel where Alain had done his morning run.  The parks are kept spotless and there are lovely structures and landscaping.  Kuirau Park has some hot springs.

Near the entrance of the park

Sculpture

Interesting structure

Small area for foot bathing

A hot spring in the park (this one had a danger sign beside it)

We then headed to Terrace Kitchen, a place we had passed the first night near the Lakefront.  The person at the I-Site who booked our tickets for Te Puia had given us a 10% off coupon. We shared a "Beer Paddle"- a selection of three beers and one cider-- all very good.  We also had a pork bao bun.

We could pick 4/6 for a "Beer Paddle"

Alain contemplating his first drink from the "Paddle"

We returned to the Hostel and Alain made some chicken, fresh corn and vegetables for dinner.  The kitchen was a hopping place with lots of new people we didn't recognise from the last two nights.  There are people of all ages from all over the world staying here.  Most are from Europe and Asia.

The kitchen scene at the Hostel

This was our last full day in Rotorua.  We head to Napier on Thursday February 7.