My phone alarm scared the shit out of me at 6:00 AM. Sally made us one last lovely breakfast, including a scrumptious banana bread she had made the evening before. We said our goodbyes and hit the road.
Traffic out of the city was surprisingly chill for it being rush hour. Once we found Motorway 1 we turned off the GPS, knowing we would be on this road for some time. It rained for most of the drive, which was disappointing because we were hoping to see at least one of the several large active volcanoes that had been obscured by clouds and rain on our drive down. Instead, I spent a couple good hours with my eyes glued to the road, jaw clenched, and hands gripped tightly on the wheel. It rained so hard that even with the wipers on full blast, visibility was limited. Again I had to negotiate very tight turns on the winding road, bearing in mind that a logging truck could come screaming around the bend at any given moment.
Eventually the weather let up a bit and we found ourselves at the edge of gigantic Lake Taupo. We stopped at the first turnoff we saw and got out of the car to appreciate the scenery. It was mostly grey and yucky, with rain sprinkling the surface of the water and clouds obscuring much of the view, grey blending into grey. I had noticed some waterfowl floating quite a long way down the shoreline, not sure of what they were. They noticed us too and began to swim toward us. As they neared we could discern that they were a black swan family with a mama, daddy, and downy baby. Daddy stepped out of the water onto the beach and walked toward us, mama and baby in tow. We kept still knowing from experience that these creatures could be quite aggressive. The little one approached me and peeped expectantly, apparently used to being fed by tourists.
Three beggars
Just then a jeep pulled into the carpark and three women conversing excitedly in Chinese got out. The swans by now had realized we weren't going to give them any food, so they moved on to the newcomers. At first the women were a bit intimidated by the animals and backed away, but soon dared to take selfies with the avian family. Two of them leaned over near the large male, put their fingers up in a peace sign, and posed for a photo. The swan thought the slightly outstretched hands might hold some treat for him, and moved to nibble at the fingers. The women wisely withdrew their hands from his reach.
We
got back in the car and continued on, stopping a little later in
downtown Taupo to eat some sandwiches we had packed for the journey.
Beyond Taupo we entered into a highly active geothermal area, popular
because of its many hot spring pools. Steam rose from the ground
everywhere and we could smell sulfur as we drove.
A Windmill in Foxton
We happened upon Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland and decided to stop for a quick exploration. Admission was kind of expensive, and we only really had time to take the shortest walking tour. Signs boasted that it was New Zealand's most colorful volcanic area but the colors were mostly white, yellow, and sometimes green. There were a couple of brilliantly colored hot pools, and it was unnerving to hear water gurgling violently at a rolling boil deep in jagged caves. Although I love geology, this was not a particularly enjoyable visit. The rain had let up and it was now oppressively humid. Not only that, it smelled strongly of the sulfur steam rising from the vents all around. Many of the features were named for the devil, such as "Devil's Cave" and "Devil's Bath". I suggested the whole park should be called the "Devil's Toilet". At one point we were attacked by a huge cloud of steam while walking by the Artist's Palette pool. I had to use my hoodie to cover my mouth and nose and nearly gagged from how strongly it smelled. We were relieved when the walk was over.
Just a short time later we arrived in Rotorua and found our AirBnB, a two-story home tucked into the quiet suburban neighborhood of Koutu. Our hostess Judy greeted us at the door and showed us to our accommodations. Her house was tidy and beautiful, having been designed with an open and spacious floor plan to allow for maximum appreciation of the view. She informed us that she had just received a phone call from Tina, whom we had arranged to meet. Tina would be stopping by to welcome us to Rotorua shortly.
Christina Wirihana, or "Tina" as we know her, is a master weaver and artist who teaches and works out of the National Weaving School. The weaving school is part of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI), which operates traditional weaving and wood carving programs out of the Te Puia museum in Rotorua. Her works are featured in many museums, both nationally and abroad. Our connection with her is another interesting one: Mem's brother-in-law, Les, is the former president of the Evergreen State College, where Tina is an artist-in-residence at the college's Longhouse Education and Cultural Center. Tina and her colleague Edna Pahewa, who we would meet later, have traveled to Evergreen on several occasions to present their work and, over the years, have become good friends with Les. He introduced us via e-mail and we arranged to meet.
Christina Wirihana, or "Tina" as we know her, is a master weaver and artist who teaches and works out of the National Weaving School. The weaving school is part of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI), which operates traditional weaving and wood carving programs out of the Te Puia museum in Rotorua. Her works are featured in many museums, both nationally and abroad. Our connection with her is another interesting one: Mem's brother-in-law, Les, is the former president of the Evergreen State College, where Tina is an artist-in-residence at the college's Longhouse Education and Cultural Center. Tina and her colleague Edna Pahewa, who we would meet later, have traveled to Evergreen on several occasions to present their work and, over the years, have become good friends with Les. He introduced us via e-mail and we arranged to meet.
She arrived at the B&B and greeted us warmly, as if we were old friends, and introduced us to her equally sweet colleague and fellow weaver, Glenda Hape. The two came in and we chatted briefly about our plans and their weaving work for the Auckland Museum. They presented us with two beautiful gifts of necklaces with large greenstone or "pounamu" pendants. Tina explained that Mem's was chosen for its special significance in relation to her bond with her late husband Michael and the continuation of her life in his absence. A tearful moment followed, and hugs were exchanged. Then Tina offered to take us around the Te Puia museum in a few days and treat us to some special cultural activities. We wholeheartedly accepted and the two departed.
Glenda Hape, me, Mem, and Tina Wirihana
It was now dinner time and Judy suggested we try "Eat Streat" [sic], a strip of open-air style restaurants in downtown Rotorua. We settled on Leonardo's, an Italian joint. There Mem had lasagne and I had carbonara, plus the first non-alcoholic beer I had been able to procure in New Zealand, an Italian brand called Birra Moretti. Afterward we walked to nearby Lake Rotorua, which occupies the crater of a large volcano, and then made our way back to the car. We were very tired and it was time to call it a day. The next morning we would have to rise early for our excursion to Hobbiton.
Refreshing!
Eat Streat
Waterfowl with Mokoia Island, a bird sanctuary, in the background.
The Bike Tree
So cool and well narrated. I miss LaDonna. Sandy McDonald
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