Whakarewarewa Thermal Area . Guided tour, cultural performance, Maori hangi lunch (10am-3pm) . Evening with light evening meal at Polynesian Pools

Sightseeing in and around Rotorua

Our hotel in Rotorua is in a great location right on the lake and within walking distance of downtown. Since the hotel coffee in the morning wasn’t very good, Rick and I quickly discovered McDonald’s McCafe within a 2 block walk. This isn’t just any old McDonalds! They actually have a separate area called the McCafe where they serve espresso and cappucino as well as lucious looking desserts and tasty sandwiches, rollups, quiches and such. So our morning routine consisted of breakfast first, followed by a jaunt to get a large cappucino (with either chocolate or cinammon).

Maori Lunch and Cultural Center

At the Maori Cultural Institute, we were shown how they made the traditional skirts from leaves.

Here's Adam helping out. The oil from our skin helps the plant fibers to roll tightly:

Photo courtesy of Michelle

There are scholarships for 3 men each year to enter a 3 year program to learn how to do the traditional carvings. Thus, at any given time there are 9 young men learning this craft.

Kelsey, Dana, and Courtney are standing in front of one of the thermal areas.

And here's some more of the thermals.

Kelsey and Courtney in front of a hot pool!

This was an amazing thermal area. Here's a view from a distance.