Note: this post is full of inside jokes. Don’t feel bad if something doesn’t make sense J
The second the bus driver announced “Rotorua” Whitecorn collapsed into giggles. The pronunciation fit so well with the “Bryant Carroll tour” the adventures that follow had to be renamed as such. So…welcome to the “bryuntcorraltur” of Rotorua.
Anxious to get out of Auckland we arrived in Rotorua on a sunny Thursday and jumped right in. Rotorua is full of naturally occurring thermal pools and geysers. This makes for an interesting walk through the park…it’s just a bit smelly. Rob would have a new appreciation for the other smells that make him gag…maybe these smells cure cancer too! With the walk through the park we stopped at a small village called Ohinimutu (?). It really consisted of a handful of buildings but they were made in the Maori style which was really beautiful. Then the walk took us around the bottom of Lake Rotorua near the Government Gardens. All very lovely…just…smelly. Thursday night we went to Tamaki Maori Village. THIS WAS AMAZING. We got a full immersion into the culture of the Maori people and were treated to a full feast…perfect for Thanksgiving! I will say many parts of the Maori culture remind me of the cultures back home in New Mexico. OH and I MUST mention…Goodheart was elected chief of our bus!! Oh the amazingness. (no, Em, I didn’t know he was native!). To top it all off…our bus was called Kiwi. Awwwww….
Friday we got up bright and early and set off for the glowworm caves in Waitomo. We were able to go into the main glowworm cave which consists of a walking and boat tour. Unfortunately no photos were allowed in the caves so we are unable to share with you the incredible images we saw. The tiny blue lights on the cave ceilings are instead burned into our memories. It still amazes me that such tiny creatures can recreate a replica of the night sky convincing enough it is easy to forget where you are. In addition to the main cave we took part in a little extra adventure and went tubing through another cave! Despite being terrified (we had to jump backward off 2 mini waterfalls at one point) Whitecorn pushed through and both of us emerged wet, cold, and happy.
Today has been a little “slower”. We took a small hike through the beautiful Redwood Forest that is a 30 minute walk east of our hostel. The trees were beautiful and although we passed several people on our hike everything felt peaceful, calm, and quiet. Whitecorn taught Goodheart the proper way to twirl an invisible mustache (hahaha Hannie) and Goodheart serenaded Whitecorn with small pieces of several silly songs.
Tomorrow we head off to Taupo. It is here we will transverse the Tangariro Alpine Crossing (aka Mount Doom!!) (yes, Maureen, that Mount Doom). Excited to be on our way once again.
Love and miss you all.
