The North Island
Sunday, June 25th, 2006Since Wellington we Bombed it up to Aukland a nice 10 hour bus ride! Aukland isn’t the nicest city in the world, Queen’s street equals very long road many starbucks, burger kings etc.left after a day headed north east too hi hei.
Ha hei Miller on a bus with 6 girls including driver and is only bloke, (story on NZ more girls on Stray bus tours than blokes, lots more. bus of 20 people 4 guys, bus of 10 one guy me anyway) on this bus of 6 girls and Miller one evening we head of to the beach which has hot springs running onto it. The idea is to dig a hole let the hot spring water fill hole and you have a free spa, tide water comes in and cold sea water and boling spring wtaer mix, very nice temperature. So Miller has a cold, adviced by personal phasician (doctor)to sit this one out, its late at night 9ish tide comes in then, its cold outside and being outside in only your swimmers not a hot idea.Point taken doesn’t meen I can’t help the girls dig hole.Doesn’t meen Miller in 4 layers and a long rain coat can’t satnd around and watch 6 girls in bikins get into a big spa, and take pictures while standing in the dark. Ok that sound REALLY DODGY but its how it happened.
We moved on to Roturoa where myself, Princess our driver, and A Zorbed. This involved the three of us getting in a big inflatable ball, part filled with warm water and rolling down a hill.Very Cool, I now know what it feels like to be in the washing machine. Roturoa is famed for smelling like bad eggs, its the sulphur in the air due to the volcanic activity and hot springs. Aslo large Maroi population and a good place to learn about the culture, legends and do the HAKA. We went to a cultural evening where we got to throw sticks, girls danced, guys did Haka, and we watched a play. Interactive play as Amanda was dragged kicking and screaming up on stage, and got involved in one of the storylines, she was in contention to be a maroi cheifs wife, but lost out to local competition. The throwing sticks where cool got a good rythm and a display thing going, did get the big ending wrong… we do this movement dance step in a long line playing with sticks Amanda steps froward kneels down and countinues movements just lower down… finish is amanda turns around and i throw too her a stick and her catches it over her left sholder. I Lob Two sticks At her and it doesn’t work. Still a very interesting night learned about a new culture and the Haka is very cool.
Miller