We left Auckland this morning to head off to Rotorua. Although I had been told by various sources to bring my nose plug, I was very excited.
We made a quick stop in Hobbitton, where they filmed Lord of the Rings (not much there) and then headed on to Rotorua.
We headed to a local lake to relax for the afternoon. It reminded me a lot of my time up on the lake in New Hampshire. We even broke out a rugby ball and played a little touch. Only one other guy had played before, but everyone enjoyed it and learned a lot. We then headed to our hostile. The hot springs here do in fact live up to the hype and smell, but look extremely relaxing and I cannot wait to get in one.
After a few beers (update later) we headed to "Haka World" Haka school to learn the traditional Maori war chant. Although I thought I understood it before, I realized that I really knew nothing about it. I did not know all the words that I thought I did, had the opportunity not only to learn the history and backstory but also dress in Maori garb and perform it. Believe it or not, the story is a little too R rated (nudity, violence) for this page, but obviously ask me sometime and I will be happy to tell it to you.
Tomorrow is "adventure day." I hope to go zorbing (think rolling down a hill in a big hamster ball), and possibly lugeing as well.
Today also gave me the opportunity to assess what my goals should be for this trip. I had not really given this as much thought as I probably should have, but better late than never I guess! I thought I might outline a few here, for your entertainment. This list will be ongoing.
1. Make it to an All Blacks game. If traveling to New Zealand is the pilgrimage, going to a game is like visiting the temple.
2. See the country. This includes making it to Milford Sound, the South Island, Bay of Plenty etc.
3. Connect with the kiwis at my school. See how they live. What better way to understand the culture?
4. Play some rugby. After 7 years, I find myself to be pretty knowledgeable about the game. But I think this country has much more to offer.
To be continued...
BEER UPDATE: I know many of you are interested. So I tried Toi's last night, per recommendation of Darren Scott, by far my favorite thus far. Had Speight's, (favorite of Dr. Armstrong) but might have to agree with Dr. O'Rourke it tastes like natty ice. On the other hand, I hear Doc's recommendation (DB Double Brown) is the Busch Lite. Ill let you know...
That's all for now.
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