Rafting + Reeking = Rotorua

It was a stinky weekend...literally. Adam and I spent our long awaited three day weekend in Rotorua, a city in the northern Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Rotorua is famed for being the tourism capital of New Zealand. It boasts a plethora of activities ranging from the cultural to the relaxing, to the just downright crazy high adventure. Our sweet little Atlantis held her own throughout the long 6 hour car adventure from Wellington to Rotorua. The GPS similarly earned back every penny we spent as we wound our way from small town to smaller, even more picturesque villages along the way.

We've learned that one of the best things we can do to familiarize ourselves with the inner-workings of each new place we visit is to make our way to the local i-Site for wonderful local recommendations about the area. With their help we were able to book our first visit to a Maori village complete with a historical briefing, cultural performance (music, dance, and storytelling), traditional hangi (Maori feast prepared with hot coals buried int he ground), and even a short hike up to visit a geyser.

The Te Puia Marae

Our welcome to the Maori village

A wonderful cultural performance - Callie is still trying to figure out how to transcribe the music for a choral arrangement for school.

Callie learns a Poi dance

Adam learns a Haka - starts off so smiley...

And then the tongues appear!

The Geyser

Making friends with the wildlife on thermally heated stones

Adam and the geyser

The next day we decided to go rafting. We chose to adventure to the Grade 5, Kaituna River which apparently offers some of the best kayaking and rafting in the world. We somehow managed to stay right side up even as we tumbled over the Okere Falls, the highest commercially rafted waterfall at 7 meters high. Adam and I both suspect that the river was perhaps running high since the drop didn't seem too extreme - though the river surfing was more than memorable.

Having squeezed back out of our wetsuits and found a scrumptious lunch in town, Adam and I headed out to fill in a check mark on our bucket list. All we needed to do it was a hill, a van, and human sized hamster ball. Zorbing was awesome. We both chose the Zydro option which basically means that they pump a couple of gallons of water into your ball and then send you down the hill free form. I pretend like that was my first choice...but really you have to be 5'2" to go for the Zorbit option where they strap you in and send you down the straight hill head over heels in the hamster ball. I'd add pictures - but we were too busy enjoying our tumble to click any buttons. Here's a picture we've borrowed from the "net" just to give you an idea of what we're talking about:

As if white water rafting and Zorbing weren't enough for one day, the evening brought us to Hell's Gate; so named by George Bernard Shaw because he felt sure that if indeed Hell existed, that surely this must be what the gates to it look like.

After our walk through the geo-thermal reserve we paused to spend some time with a master carver. It was Adam who found an undiscovered talent in woodcarving - but Callie gave it a best effort.

On Sunday morning before heading back south we took a stop off at the Agrodome - which is pretty much a farm for tourists to get up close and personal with NZ most expansive population...sheep! Here the king of wool takes his place at the top of the pyramid. Meet Merino and his handler!

A freshly shorn sheep. She looks cold!

Herding ducks with a strong eye, this smart pooch rules the stage without a peep!

A different kind of dog pile...these loud hounds demonstrate "backing" on sheep.

Up close and personal with an English Leicester.

Meeting hounds...

and month old lambs! I take great pride in feeling comfortable looking these adoreable lambs in the eyes with the certainty that I have not, in the last two decades, eaten any of their relatives.

Adam, on the other hand, had to keep an eye on the lambs to keep them from eating the clothes straight off his back.
Wishing EWE all a happy start to the holiday season.

Seeing Seals by the Seashore

Adam and I just can't get enough of cuddly things. It goes without saying that we miss our walking, barking space heater each and every moment that we're here - so last weekend we went out in search of similarly shaped snub nosed companions. While they certainly outweigh our little Zoe by more than a few kilos, we certainly noticed more than a few ways in which they could be related.

First, a map of our seaside walk. Our seal sightings were all right around Devil's Gate.

Our first seal sighting. He simply turned his nose up at the world.

Devil's Gate - likely named because as you go through a certain smell often overtakes you...and if you don't look sharp an off roading vehicle just may send you flying from the cliffs.

Playing billy goat.

Through the gate - we found some friendly playmates.

Life's sweeter with a buddy to cuddle.

Nicknamed "The Red Rocks," it's easy to see how this area got its name.

We wandered down the beach a ways and saw a few nice baches here and there. We stopped to make camp for a few minutes and eat our lunch and enjoy the sea. Walking along the beach finally got the best of us with the mix of sandy and rocky terrain. This encouraged us to find our way back to the car for a more comfy return to our home away from home.