We reached Wai-o-Tapu just in time for the Lady Knox geyser presentation. People were standing in coats and umbrellas awaiting the 10.15am geyser spurt. An eager Indian family moved to a prime spot just a couple of minutes before, obstructing the views of others behind, drawing moans and disappointed muttering. They withdrew quickly, but this showed how the Kiwis express disappointment - by muttering almost under their breath! The politeness on this part of the world is shocking! Our doubts on how the geyser spewed daily at the same time were dispelled soon enough, when the presenter mentioned that the geyser spews naturally once every 24-48 hours and that they proceeded to add some silica stimulant to get it going on time! It barely lasted a minute, so it was a bit of a damp squib start to the day!
We then went into the Wai-o-Tapu park, which felt like an environment literally straight out of this world! The blend of yellow and red and white caused by the sulphur compounds made up the majority of the landscape. The active geothermal wonderland definitely lived upto its name. From collapsed craters to the bubbling mud pools to the terraces formed by the solidification, we walked our way past in wonder and awe. A strong smell of sulphur, arsenic, gold and silver mixed in those volcanic emissions, and the fog created by the biggest hot water pool in the southern hemisphere (Champagne pool) - There are no words to describe the smell and feeling in that environment. The park itself is made up of 3 walks offering glorious views of the geothermal activities going on in the caldera. The fertile laandscape surrounding the caldera creates a beautiful contrast that speaks about the creative power of volcanic eruptions. Wai-o-Tapu definitely left us with a lasting impression, unlike anything we have ever seen!
We had lunch at a quaint cafe admiring the landscape one last time before riding back to our next stop - Whakerewarewa Maori village. This guided tour offered us an opportunity to get up and close to the Maori culture and way of living. The Maori guide was so passionate and proud of their culture and it showed through every step of the way. The tour was 1.5 hours, which took us through how the Maoris live their daily lives, cook, bathe, their beliefs, their culture and their tradition. We were treated to a freshly steamed corn from their hot water pool, which was wonderful, probably the freshest and softest corn I have ever tasted. The Maori life is intertwined with nature which provides everything for them. Their focus on sustainability, care and nurture of nature is second to none.
More importantly, the tour helped us understand the unique history of New Zealand - the win-win collaboration established between the British and the Maori tribes early on, in part due to the uncanny similarities between Maori beliefs and Christian Roman Catholic religion and rituals. The way Maori have established a permanent home within the geo thermal confines, the only people in the world to do so, harnessing the power of hot water, nearby cold stream, separating the poisonous sulphur rich water from the beneficial geyser waters, was truly a wonderful insight into the human desire to persevere in one of the harshest natural environment. The way they moved on from a devastating volcanic eruption wiping out hundreds of their tribe to call a new place home, and revive their tradition of the females guiding travellers speaks of their resilience. The transition from the warring tribes to uniting for a common cause to survive the colonisation invokes a sense of unity in the face of adversity.
Making up 17% of the New Zealand population of about 5.5 million, I feel the Maoris are indeed one of the primary reasons why NZ is the way it is, and very different from the rest of the colonised world. People have embraced diversity from the get go for the mutual benefit of all, there is warmth and kindness and sharing nature in everything people do here, which is truly heart warming. There is sadness when they talk about how their lands were taken and lakes drained to build roads, how the commercial development of Rotorua led to the draining of ground water tables by hotels and businesses leading to loss of most geysers, how the industrial waste contaminated their only source of cold water and marine food. However, they quickly put a positive spin on it, and focus on the way forward and strategic steps they are taking as a community to make their case heard and mistakes addressed. There is genuine care and concern, and no bitterness in the way they reminisce. On the other hand, they give due regard to the early British colonisers who positively influenced them and their lives. In my limited life, I have never come across such a wonderful partnership between two cultures that have focused on the positives to take the whole nation forward as I have seen in NZ. No wonder everyone loves the Kiwis second only to their own nation. If only the whole world followed the Kiwi way, it would be a much much better place to be!
After a brief sojourn back at the hotel, we went to the third geothermal area of Te Puia for a Geyser by the Night guided tour. I felt that this organisation is run by more westernised Maoris, using a site whose native inhabitants have since emigrated, with guides who struggle a bit to recollect their Maori deities and traditions. But their passion to raise awareness of Maori culture through tourism, developing the Maori arts and culture through a formal institute and eagerness to keep the tradition going shown through in the interactions. I could completely empathise given I am a proud Indian expat myself. The tour itself offered another glimpse into the geothermal environment in a completely different light, literally! It was raining and bitterly cold at night, with geysers and mud pools illuminated by light, making the magic come to light. After a refrehment of a freshly steamed pudding with cream (out of the hot pool ofcourse), We were taken to a platform that had a front row view of the two most active natural geysers of Te Puia. Unlike the artificially stimulated Lady Knox earlier in the day, the natural build up and eruption of these geysers were a sight to behold, and magnificent to watch live! Cameras feel like the most useless accessories in new zealand, as its almost impossible to capture the natural beauty with anything but our own eyes! Still captured a few images to share with our families, but otherwise it was all about taking it in and committing as much as possible to memory!
Today gave me a few more insights into the traffic mechanisms in NZ. One was the amazing utility of roundabouts in NZ. I was wondering why they had so many roundabouts especially in towns. Then it stuck me that it's a brilliant engineering tactic to ensure smooth flow of traffic without any infrastructure to be built and maintained (ie traffic lights) and also lessen the need for policemen, placing the responsibility fully on the driver. It's a complete win-win situation in a country like NZ with limited capacity and human resources at a premium! The second was how many cars and trucks were there compared to the population, while there were hardly any 2 wheelers. With huge farms to maintain with very limited human beings, there is a need for more heavy vehicles. I counted 3 motorbikes and 2 police cars in my 3 days so far! However I also realised to take a big caution on right turns - the actual turning point could be way further than you think it is, especially if there is another right turn for the straight moving traffic. I realised it in a scary way as I exited a petrol pump at 11pm and turned right after a while, straight onto oncoming traffic lane! Thankfully the lack of any vehicles at the time meant I could quickly do a U-turn and be back on my way still in one piece, although reinforcing my family's belief that I was out to kill them on this trip!
Day 3 made us recognise that there are more wow moments in a day in NZ than there have been on entire trips before!
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