#rotoura

Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj is the only true Guru in this world who guarantees peace happiness and salvation.

TripAdvisor 推薦的前20名夢幻超現實地點，其中之一就是在紐西蘭北島Rotoura 的 Wai- O- Tapu Thermal Wonderland 懷奧塔普地熱世界，IR決定要去nz的Rotoura玩的時候，發現這裡有很多溫泉公園，在TripAdvisor看到推薦的夢幻景點，就被照片深深吸引住，地理漸層顏色，配上煙氣，真的很像仙境，內文有仙境的照片xd 這個公園很大，可以看到各種不同的地熱型態在地表的表現，很值得一來。

公園入口

要從這個入口進入買票，才能進入園區。

第一個進入園區的想法是，北投的硫磺味～哈哈，我想身為台北人應該都會說出一樣的話，接著應該會想到泡腳跟小時候媽媽帶我去煮雞蛋(現在不准，在這裡也不可以喔）

▼ 看下圖，我想這裡跟北投的情形不太一樣，這個地熱景觀，一失足應該會消失，看看標示說這裡是魔鬼的家。

很大的洞，與厚厚的硫磺，後方還有很多的地熱煙霧.....我想應該沒有人會想在這泡腳、煮蛋還有說出這裡是北投的話了吧（誤）

沿著步道，看到的第一個水池，好寬廣的水面煙霧。

超令人興奮的地方！！

竟然有彩虹在水面上

再繼續走，會有一些接近森林的地方，

走在棧橋上，兩旁是煙霧環繞，下面是或火山泥？一切都很不可思議的夢幻～

漸層感

▼ 仙境照！！倒映之後，煙霧裊裊，到現在我還很懷疑自己真的有去過嗎？

據說美國的黃山公園，也有類似的情境，很多的溫泉與地熱地形，不過看到這裡的風景，真的覺得人很渺小，但也很偉大，這樣的地形，是我們不能打造出來的，但是我們能夠整理與規劃他們。

完全沒有修片與後製，一直覺得應該會有個古裝片的人從溫泉上飛出來～

這樣的仙境裡也有一些來自另一個說普通話的同胞，他們真的很勇敢，不怕死的跑進欄杆內拍照，真的是不需要這樣呀～～大家不要學他們！

Ｃhampagne Pool - 最有名的曝光率最高的池子

拍照的時候，沒有風，所以霧氣很大，當場可以看到很清楚的漸層，橘紅色之後是很美的碧綠色，顏色都很鮮豔～

霧氣真的很大，完完全全看不到上方所出現的漸層湖底了，

森林圍繞

爬上高處後向下俯瞰的風景

這個公園，走一走都會有一個截然不同的驚喜

看到小池溫泉水，真的很像去泡一下，但是真的勿近呀！！

這兒到處充滿著硫磺，其實聞久了，跟北投的硫磺味道有一點不像，這裡的更濃郁。

這裡爬一爬，發現一個很妙的木製品，最酷的他只做了半面，就是照片看得到的這一面。哈哈

梯田嗎？

No NO No!!! 這是一塊岩石，上面還持續流著水，覺得這個地理課是不是有上過嗎？

看看這兒的水有多熱！！ 有看到水裡的氣泡嗎？

雖然都是水池裡冒煙，每一個池子都有一種不同的風貌與組成，書到用時方恨少＝＝“IR無法幫大家解釋（哭哭）

這個地熱公園內很熱愛用魔鬼的什麼來幫景點取名，接下來是惡魔的浴池

這個浴池真的很美呀！！！勿跳！！跳了真的就接近地獄的惡魔了 ㄎㄎㄎ

有機會來到NZ一定要來這裡看一下！！

美麗的照片實在太多太多～＊

在園區外，還有一個不需要付費的小景點，是泥漿池～很厲害！！

IR很想要的另一樣東西～泥面膜 沒有買回來現在覺得很後悔Ｔ＿Ｔ

大家有機會一定要來！！

早一點來還可以來看一天一次的間歇泉唷（IR來得太晚了）

Wellington

After getting the 3 ½  hour BlueStrait Ferry over from Picton we arrived in a very cloudy and rainy Wellington. As our Airbnb wasn’t ready until 2pm, we parked the car in the city ($6 for 1 hour!) and walked around the city center. We grabbed a slice of pizza at Tommy Millions and a Starbucks. So far Wellington wasn’t that impressive!

At 2pm we arrived at our Airbnb, which was a massive bedroom and private bathroom, 20 minutes walk from the center of the city.

In the lashing rain we walked into the center to get something to eat, we ended up walking down Cuba Street (main street in Wellington) and ended up eating at Nandos. After eating, we were too cold and wet to explore Cuba Street we walked back home.

The next day (still raining) we walked down into Wellington city center and bought some souvenirs and had a couple of drinks at J J Murphy. We had a lovely dinner in a Pasta Restaurant on Cuba Street called ‘1154’. I definitely would recommend!

We had our final drink in ‘Mish Mosh’. There was a happy hour was meant all spirits and prosecco were $5!

Taupo

We drove up 2 ½ hours to Taupo to stay at Base Taupo. Luckily we had a private bathroom and double room, which was great. It was a typical hostel; drink deals at the next-door bar, shared kitchen, laundry room and pool table.

We had planned to do the 20km walk along the Tarangio Crossing – but soon as we had bought our packed lunch the mountain shuttle had confirmed they would not operate the next morning due to predicated bad weather. We were very disappointed!

The next day we completed the Spa Thermal Pools to Huka Falls walk. This took us about 2 hours (including a picnic). This was an easy and an enjoyable walk to the falls – I would definitely recommend visiting!

After, we visited a car mechanic to find 4 Wheel covers for the rented Fiat Punto (As 1 had fallen off!). We had dinner at Indian Delights with a few drinks at Finn’s and Pub n’Grub overlooking Lake Taupo.

Overall Lake Taupo was beautiful, quiet town with lots of restaurants/bars, shopping centers and shops.

Rotoura

On our way to Rotoura, we stopped at Kerosane Creek - a hot water river - derived from the thermal energy. After travelling down a short lane we parked the car. We walked down a track, which lead us to a waterfall, which was very hot. There were lots of people bathing in the river – but it looked very dirty and foamy (just like the river at home!)

We continued onto to Rotorua, as we were not due to check into 4pm, we walked around the town. I was very impressed by how many hotels, bars/restaurants were in the city eg. Pullman/Sheraton/Hilton. 

We checked into our Airbnb, which was hosted by Bernadette and Rainer. It was a clean spacious bedroom with private bedroom included.

At 6pm we made our way to the Mitai Moari Village. We both really enjoyed the night, it included a live show by Maori Natives, buffet dinner and bush walk (were we saw glow worms!) The food was so fresh and drinks were very cheap, although it was communal tables and you can’t choose who you sit with!

Auckland

We had to leave very early (7am) to travel to the Hobbition. It took around 1 hour and we arrived for the 8:30am tour. For someone who hasn’t watched the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, it was very interesting and organised tour. We started on a tour bus that took us out to the Hobbition and we had a tour guide who took us around the whole village. We also received a free cider/beer at the local pub ‘The Green Dragon’ – definitely recommend!

We finished up around 1015am and drove to the Waitomo Worms for the 12am tour. This tour took around 45 minutes to take a tour of the caves and to see the glowworms (it looked like thousands of stars in the sky). It was absolutely beautiful – I would definitely recommend!

After, we made the 2 ½ hour drive to Auckland to leave the car off, we got the SkyBus into the city. We checked into the Empire Apartment that were about 15mins walk to the center but were extremely disappointing. We walked around Queens street which was the main street, but everything was very run down and we didn’t feel very safe!

The next day we decided to walk towards Viaduct that had lots of bars of restaurants and we met a friend from Sydney for a drink in Occidental. After we had dinner at the CrabShack at the harbour (it reminded me of Bubba Gump!). We packed our cases for the flight to Sydney tomorrow afternoon.

Waitangi Day is a celebration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi that occurred on February 6th, 1840. This treaty was signed by chiefs, who functioned as representatives of the Maori people, and representatives of the British. More recent legislation has gone back on the original word of the British people, where they promised to leave designated land for the Maori. Many people protest this holiday because the Maori have been asking for a holiday specifically for them, but instead the government decided to just celebrate Waitangi Day as a day for all the unified people of New Zealand. But Maori do not want a joined holiday, they want to celebrate their culture separately: unchanged by the arrival of the Europeans. My initial thoughts about this holiday were that this day was basically like the 4th of July for New Zealand. However, after reading more about the holiday, it is clear that there are some similarities but also a lot of differences between the two holidays. Although both sort of represent the founding of the countries, the 4th of July represents independence while Waitangi Day is the opposite. The Maori people lost their independence from outsiders when they signed this treaty to share the land with the Europeans. 

I have been able to experience Maori culture firsthand when I went to North Island last weekend and visited Rotorua. I was able to visit Whakarewarewa, which was a living Maori village where Maori families still live to this day. We took a tour around their village and got to see a cultural performance, including a Haka. The energy was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I talked to the guide briefly about how a plot of land right next to Whakarewarewa was now government-owned, and the experience of the geothermal pools there was not as authentic because it was very tourist-centered. He explained that the government is still trying to buy their land too to make one giant park, but the villagers keep refusing. This fact made me upset. Haven’t the colonizers taken enough? But looking on the positive side, I was so happy that there are still small places like these that are able to thrive (although I wish they were able to live in peace and not have to give tours of their village in order to economically support themselves). 

Rotorua is home to a vast array of cultural activities. As a real center of Maori culture there are plenty of Maori cultural activities on offer, and we do a great job of showcasing Rural NZ culture as well.

Learn about some of our favourites here, and check out our Rotorua Attractions page for more.

TAMAKI MAORI VILLAGE

From their site:

In 1989, two young Maori brothers Mike and Doug Tamaki began building a dream… It started with the sale of a Harley Davidson motorcycle for the purchase of a 16-seater mini bus. The vision saw the brothers and their families create a whole new encounter by taking the Maori culture outside of the city limits where they created a pre-European Maori village, 15 minutes south of Rotorua.

Today Tamaki Maori Village thrives within a natural forest environment, offering to both local and international visitors an insight into the Maori culture – like never before!

Journey back to a time of proud warriors and ancient traditions. Our Evening Experience offers ceremonial rituals, powerful cultural performances & hangi feasting.

Sleeping in a whare moe (sleeping house) was a tradition reserved for when one tribe visited another tribe. We invite you to experience an Overnight Marae Stay in the heart of Tamaki Maori Village, where our people share with you intimately customs, protocols and stories of yesteryear!

This place is well worth the visit and is a great taste of Maori culture.

http://www.tamakimaorivillage.co.nz/

WHAKAREWAREWA MAORI VILLAGE

This one made it to the list of our Top 10 Things to do in Rotorua.

For over 200 years the Tuhourangi/Ngati Wahiao tribe have welcomed visitors into their backyard. Allowing them to experience the culture of one of Rotorua’s most enjoyable attractions.

Relive the history of their Maori village with stories from the tour guides who have lived there for more than five generations. You will be treated to a culture like no other and a truly unmissable attraction.

Where: 17 Tryon Street, Whakarewarewa Village, Rotorua, New Zealand

More Info: http://www.whakarewarewa.com/

TE PUIA EVENING EXPERIENCE

This is a big night. It includes a traditional welcome, lifting of the hangi, an authentic Maori feast and an exclusive cultural performance. Te Puia have a range of activities and cultural experiences on offer, and you can see them all at their website.

More Info: http://www.tepuia.com/new-zealand/TePoEveningExperience/

THE AGRODOME

The Unique NZ Farm experience!

In the heart of 350 acres of lush farmland, yet only 10 minutes from Rotorua city centre, you’ll find New Zealand’s Agrodome. Visitors from all over the globe have come to the Agrodome to see the world-famous Farm Show – starring a cast of talented animals… and you! Join the Farm Tour to explore a real working farm, hand-feed loads of friendly animals, and sample delicious kiwifruit juice and honey from our land. The Agrodome is one of New Zealand’s must-see attractions, open in any weather, 365 days a year!