Travel Notes: Rotorua — Day 5

Hello, it’s me!

Dear Family & Friends,

I’m in Rotorua, the heart of Māori country—and the heart of the geothermal activity. The city is built inside a dormant volcano crater, next to a huge lake.

We visited hot springs, geysers, and boiling mud pools, and watched traditional Māori carvers at work. Then we went to the sheepdog exhibition at the Agrodome. I even got to feed some lambs. That was fun!

Tonight we experienced a traditional hangi. It’s the Māori version of a luau—and just like in Hawaiʻi, there are good ones and not-so-good ones. This one was so-so, especially compared to the wonderful program we saw Wednesday night at the Waitangi Treaty House.

Traditional Māori food is bland but filling: meat and sweet potatoes baked in a ground oven pit. The entertainment tonight felt a bit half-hearted, again in comparison to Wednesday’s performance, which was full of passion and intensity. That show told the story of the Māori people—from their travels to New Zealand through the signing of the Treaty in 1840. It reminded me of the show Michelle and I saw on Maui, ʻUlalena.

Tomorrow we head to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. We’ll be there until Monday, when we head to the South Island and the Franz Josef Glacier. I’ll be giving a talk on Franz Josef Glacier on the bus ride down. I’m really looking forward to Wellington.

It’s rained almost every day, but that’s springtime in New Zealand. We have a great group on the tour, and they’ve been good sports about the weather.

I’m running out of time on this computer, so I’ll write more later. Keep me in your prayers—I’m fighting a cold, and I will win the fight!

Love,
TJ