A busy day in Rotorua

We had an early start this morning as we had a lot to get around. Heather has a day off to come with us today.

We drove to Rotorua and arrived just in time at Te Puia to make the cultural show at 10.00 or we would have had to wait till 12.00 and we have too much to see!!

The Japanese have a terrible reputation for pushing in at tourist things and the Maori people get very cross so as we were all waiting to go into the meeting house at the start of the show you have to take off your shoes and the Maori woman was calling me forward even though I was not at the front. As i got up to her she told me to go in and whispered in my ear that I was white and different to them! so I managed to get us some very good seats at the front. When we looked she had kept all the Japanese till the last and then put up a sign which said 'Look no pushing' I don't think you would get away with that anywhere else and if you did it to a Maori you would be in big trouble!!!

Part of the show is a dance with 'poi' which are soft balls on the end of ropes and you swing them around. they asked for volunteers and so I got up with some other women and danced on the stage much to the embarrassment of the girls. BUT then the men had to get up and do the Hakka and James got up to do that and it was so funny.

After the show we went around the park and arrived in time to see the huge geyser blow off and it seemed to go on forever so we chose a good day to visit. James and Kirsty were very impressed.

We had a very good lunch at the Fat Dog before going to the Gondola and luge. It was really good fun and James loved it. Kirsty was very nervous and particularly so coming back up on the chairlift. Really funny how she loves all the big theme park rides but a little chair lift freaked her out.

They have a new simulator ride which takes you on a helicopter trip through the South Island and was really good. The second part of the show was in 3D and i can't normally see 3D but I did manage to see a lot of it and it was really good.

They all went on more luge rides and I went and had a cup of tea and a sit in the sun and took some photos of them going down.

It was then time to go home and I wished I could just wriggle my nose and we would be there.

We stopped at the supermarket on way home for a few things.

My notes tell me 'dinner very nice' but for the life of me I can't now remember what we had!

We got some nice photos of Kirsty, James and Heather on the luge.

I was more than ready for my bed.



WEATHER
Bright and sunny all day 24 degrees