One thing good about New Zealand is
they have maintained Maori names for their cities, rivers, lakes, volcanoes and
other things in a very big way. Rotorua from Maori: Te
Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe, "The second great lake of
Kahumatamomoe") is a city on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, in the
Bay of Plenty region of NZ’s North Island. Rotorua has an estimated permanent
population of 56,800, making it the country's 10th largest city.
Rotorua is a major destination for
both domestic and international tourists; the tourism industry is by far the
largest industry in the district. It is known for its geothermal activity, and
features geysers and hot mud pools. Plenty of lakes and rich forests flourish
in the area. The pungent smell of sulfur from the geothermal valley engulfs the
entire town. The moment one gets down from the car the smell becomes evident.
More importantly there is a large
population of Maoris in Rotorua. They have lived here ever since, taking full
advantage of the geothermal activity in the valley for heating and cooking.
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| A Maori warrior |
Another interesting aspect of their
culture is the process of naming. The names were chosen to describe landscape
features, or to celebrate stories, people and events. Often places were named
after ancestors or body parts, to emphasize tribal or personal claims to land.
“Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu
” is the Maori
name for a hill near Hawkes Bay. This is reputed to be the longest name of any
place in the world. It means ‘the place where Tamatea, the man with the big
knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as land eater, played
his flute to his loved one’.
It took us almost 4 hours to cover
the 232 Km from Hahei to Rotorua, with halts in between to freshen up. As
expected the landscape is fascinating – meadows all through with various kinds
of trees adding to the overall beauty. The villages and small towns enroute are
extremely well laid out, neat and clean. Each house looks better than the
other. We stayed at the ‘Jet Park Hotel’ in the centre of town. The city itself
is green and peaceful with trees and lovely houses. Each bungalow has a well
maintained lawn.
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| Lovely Houses |
We spent a very interesting afternoon
at the ‘Agrodome’, a sheep farm. They demonstrated sheep shearing and dogs
shepherding sheep according to the rancher’s directions. We got to see and feed a variety of Sheep,
Deer, Emu and Ostrich.
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| Brahmin the Bull |
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| Jai feeding a Emu |
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| Jai feeding an Antelope |
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| Kiwi Tree |
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| A stern looking Yak |
Early next morning we visited ‘Te Puia’ to explore The
World-Famous Pohutu Geyser, Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley and the Kiwi
House. The eruptions can be seen from far and the magnitude of the geyser
becomes evident as one goes closer. It erupts to a height of 100 ft twenty
times a day. A patient wait is really worth it. Next to it is a smaller geyser
named ‘Prince of Wales’ erupting to a modest height of 30 ft. Side by side
there are a number of boiling mud pots and fissures. The visit offered a very
interesting and unique experience.
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| The
World-Famous Pohutu Geyser from a distance |
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| At the entrance |
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| Kia Ora - Welcome |
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| Our Maori guide |
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| Naveen in a Maori House |
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| Jais turn to photo op |
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| Mud Baths |
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| Pohutu from close |
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| A break |
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| At the Geothermal Park |
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| Naveen with a Maori girl |
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| A Maori girl showing flax work |
Thereafter
we lazed around Lake Rotorua for some time before heading off to Redwoods area to
see these mighty trees. Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in the North
Island with a surface area of 80 km sq. Interestingly NZ is a country
dotted with innumerable number of lakes.41 major, 229 medium and 3820 small
lakes.
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| Lake Rotorua |
We
were extremely lucky to see 5 out of the 7 most outstanding lakes of NZ. Most
of their big lakes are Calderas of extinct volcanoes. A caldera is a large
cauldron-like volcanic crater caused by the collapse of an emptied magna
chamber, which can extend several tens of kilometers.
Just
five minutes from downtown Rotorua, a beautiful forest awaits you. Known to
locals as ‘The Redwoods’, the 5600 hectares ‘Whakarewarewa’ forest is a perfect
playground for walkers, hikers, horse riders and mountain bikers with
magnificent stands of towering native and exotic trees. The biggest attraction
are the Redwood trees - Native to the North West coast of America, given to a
Maori chief by a German botanist. The largest Redwood in Whakarewarewa is
approximately 72 metres tall and 169 centimetres in diameter. These
majestic trees may not have the girth of their cousins the Californian Red
Woods, but are pretty impressive themselves.
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| Jai near the Redwood |
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| A Redwood |
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| A comparison |
This was followed by a lovely lunch at an Indian hotel for a
change.
We spent the evening in a Maori village “Mitai”. We were
treated to a wonderful Maori cultural extravaganza and a delectable dinner with
some Maori dishes – stone cooked succulent lamb, chicken, potatoes and much
more We were called ’The tribe of the
Four Winds’, meaning four different directions of the world. He said that we
(the visitors) were also called ‘sacred feet’ as from the moment our feet touched
their sacred land, there was a deep connect between them and us. A beautiful thought.
There were 14 different nationalities attending the show. The Maori MC was
quite humorous and held our attention as he welcomed each nationality with a
few words in their own tongue.
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| A Maori Village Scene |
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| A Maori couple in a sing and dance sequence |
We went and watched the war waging tribals come in their
canoe the famous ‘Waka’ – rowing with great fervor and thundering war cry. All
the warriors paint their face and body with tattoos to portray a fierce
exterior. What followed was a great experience watching Maoris showcase their
dance and music from a stage village. Their dances reflect the fierce gestures
of the warriors while attacking the enemy and so on. The evening ended with the
Chief making a speech about ‘our sacred feet’.
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| A Maori Chief |
Tattoos play a very significant role in Maori culture. They
have a form of body art, known as moko but more commonly referred to as
Maori tattooing. The art form was brought to the Maori from Polynesia and is
considered highly sacred. Maori tattoo traditionally does not involve the use
of needles; rather the Maori used knives and chisels made from shark teeth,
sharpened bone or sharp stones. The inks that were used by Maori were made from
all natural products. The focal point of Maori tattooing was generally the
face. Only people of rank or status were allowed to have, and could afford to
have, tattoos.
Today tattooing is a big time business with many tourists
wanting to be tattooed.
The night ended with a bush walk to watch glow worms and a
tryst with their holy spring.
The visit to Rotorua was truly a bag full of amazing
experiences.
