Hope everyone had a pleasant fourth of July. I was thinking of you all even though it was the 5th here by the time you all were celebrating. I did my best to represent America by doing an interview for an Auckland radio station about the holiday. Meanwhile in New Zealand....
The last few days have been pretty wild here in Rotorua. I ended up going zorbing a couple of days ago and found myself appreciating hamsters a lot more afterwards. Basically, they stick you in a big rubber ball filled with warm water and rolled you down a big hill. It doesn't look like you are going very fast but trust me you are. It seems near impossible to stand up-you end up just falling on your ass or your buddy's head every time. The guide said its like being in a washing machine and I think that's a pretty fair comparison. Its an activity that is pretty unique to New Zealand but has gained international fame (you may have seen this on rocket power back in the day). The creator was even on site. Definitely something to check off the New Zealand bucket list.
For lunch, I had my first meat pie. Apparently that's a big deal here. In a place where food prices are ridiculous, its one of the cheapest eats around.
That evening we had the opportunity to go visit a Maori village to see how they live/lived and have a traditional Maori "Hangi," not to be confused with the traditional Maori greeting (Hungi) where they touch noses twice and shake hands. The experience was spectacular. We got to see traditional Maori song and dance, war training and wood carving. Perhaps the pinnacle of the experience however was the Hangi. A hangi is a feast prepared in the ground by the New Zealand geothermal heat. Meat and in our case potatoes are placed in metal baskets (obviously it hasn't always been this way), over burning wood and then covered with dirt and leaves. A few hours later the baskets are uncovered and served. The result? A feast fit for a king consisting of succulent meat (in our case lamb and chicken), potatoes and sweet potatoes, which are very important to the Maori (if you ask me about the Haka you will understand why). We also had assorted vegetables and some of the best mussels I have ever had. It was a pretty special event. My Kiwi rugby coach told me I probably wouldn't get to experience one, so I felt fortunate that I did.
Yesterday we traveled a couple of hours to Waitomo (Maori for "Water Hole") to go caving in the world famous Waitomo Caves. Ever heard of or seen glow worms on TV? They were probably from Waitomo. The trip in was spectacular. One thing that I have been able to say about this trip is that I have felt right at home here. Of course everything is pretty westernized and in English, but the people are so welcoming. Perhaps it is the Maori roots of the country but they immediately treat you like one of their own (unless you are Australian of course). But the trip to Waitomo made me realize that I was definitely no longer in the US. From the tops of the rolling hills, you felt like you could see across the country. Streams so clear they look twenty times more shallow than they actually are (they also have the purest form of rainbow trout, apparently they're spectacular). And more cows and sheep than you can count. This truly is a beautiful country.
Once at the caves, you get to experience one of the great wonders of the world. You dive in and are immediately cascaded by waterfalls. Glow worms are the only thing to light the way. Dipping under stalactites, climbing over stalagmites and squeezing through rocks that I thought my ass would never squeeze through, it really is an experience you have to see to believe. I have never struggled with claustrophobia, but I think I came pretty damn close today. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. A must add to any bucket list. Unfortunately they wouldn't let us take pictures, but trust me, just do it.
Later today we will be heading into town to help plant trees. From our briefing it sounds like the local group organizing the plantings really has a plan in sight, a stark contrast from many of the US green movements in my opinion. Ill let you know after.
Walker also arrives tomorrow, so I look forward to that reunion! I cannot wait for him to go through the same experiences that I just did.
Well that's all for now, hope this provides a pleasant distraction to your Friday!
Wilson
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