The bus left at 8:15am. It was pretty full because an extra 10 people had joined the tour. We worked out that APT must combine a number of tours onto the same bus. We were doing the 17-day tour of both islands whereas other people were doing a 14-day tour of both islands and another group were only doing the north island. Therefore people would be joining and leaving the bus at various times.
A about 9:30am, we stopped for morning tea at the River Haven Cafe at Huntly in the Waikato region It was a pleasant spot next to the river that was somewhat spoiled by the coal-fired power station on the other side of the river.
Next we stopped at Waitomo to go on a guided tour of the underground caves. The tour started by going down a series of steps to a large cave called the Cathedral because it has good acoustics. It has been used by various choirs and famous stars. The stalactites and stalagmites are OK but they are not a patch on other underground caves such as Jenolan Caves.
What was exceptional was the next stage of the tour - namely the glow-worm caves. The guide led us down more dimly lit stairs where we gingerly boarded an aluminium dingy on an underground stream. Each dinghy accommodated 14 people. She then pulled us through the caverns. All the way along the journey, we were looking up at the roof of the caves to admire the glow-worms. It reminded me of admiring the galaxies in a clear night sky. I've never seen anything like it.
The coach retraced our route and then stopped at Otorohanga. This is a very pretty town with flower pots hanging from the street awnings. After lunch, we had a pleasant stroll through the town and got some more cash at the Westpac ATM.
When we reached Rotorua, the bus driver took us on a brief tour of the town to see some of the key sites before taking us to our hotel, the Holiday Inn. The staff here were very friendly and welcoming - much better than the hotel we'd been to at Auckland.
We were desperate to get some washing done and so we retrieved our bags from the porter and went straight to the guest laundry where we put on a couple of loads. We didn't have time to dry them yet because we were due to leave on a dinner excursion at 5:20pm.
The dinner was to be at the Tamaki Maori Village which is in a rural area about 20 minutes out of Rotorua. The purpose of the village is to demonstrate the traditional Maori way of life before European settlement - including housing, dancing, singing and food.
Earlier in the day, Karen had told us that our group needed to nominate a chief for this evening's event. They had decided to nominate me because my birthday is tomorrow. The rest of the bus cheered and clapped when she announced this and I didn't really have any option but to go along. Actually I was looking forward to it.
She explained that I would have various responsibilities during the evening including presenting the group to the village warriors on arrival. In this ceremony, I was to reassure the warriors that we came in peace.
The bus driver picked us from the hotel at about 5:30pm. His bus was small and cramped compared to APT's coach but we managed OK because it was only a 20 minute journey. The bus driver, Dennis, entertained us along the way with amusing stories.
Karen must have told him that I would be the chief because he called me out by name. He said the equivalent name to "Steve" in the Maori language was "Tipene". He explained in detail what I needed to do as the chief. When he stopped the bus at the village, he called me to the front of the bus to teach me how to do the Maori greeting of touching noses.
It turned out that there were five buses attending the event this evening and each one had a chief. The man who greeted the five of us in the greeting area inside the gateway while the others lined the area with cameras ready to record the event.
Shortly we heard chanting in the trees about the clearing where we were waiting. One by one several warriors ran down into the clearing to confront their visitors. Each one danced in front of us carrying spears and gave warlike menacing gestures including sticking their tongues out and grunting.
One of the five chiefs was selected as the main chief - unfortunately it wasn't me, When the chief of the village came down to confront us, he dropped a fern on the ground. The main chief then slowly moved forward to pick up the fern to indicate that we came in peace.
They then invited us into the village and it was the role of the visiting chiefs to lead the procession of guests behind the village chief. Inside the village, there were a series of exhibits of traditional Maori culture. This included dancing, games, making clothing and a demonstration of cooking in a pit.
At the first exhibit, the village chief taught the visiting chiefs how to perform the Haka - just like the beginning of an All Blacks rugby game. The final step before dinner was a demonstration of Maori singing and dancing in an auditorium built like a large Maori hut. It was very entertaining.
The next event was to be dinner. As you might expect, the chiefs needed to lead the other to the dinner hall. The village warrior who lead the chiefs to dinner had two fascinating white combs in his hair. He told me they were handed down to him by his great great great great grandmother.
The APT group had four tables in the banquet hall. It was a buffet dinner with plenty of food for everyone - chicken, lamb, fish, salads, etc. The staff invited one table at a time to come to help themselves. The bar in the corer of the hall served beer, wine and various other drinks - including a green alcohol fruit punch that Suzy asked me to get for her.
After dinner, several village staff entertained us with singing. Then they invited the chiefs to perform the Haka we had learnt earlier in the evening. I had difficulty remembering it all but at least I could imitate the warrior who was standing in front of me leading the dance.
The bus left before 9pm to take us back to the hotel. As you might expect, Dennis our driver was very entertaining. Then, out of the blue, he invited me to the front of the bus to talk about myself and lead the singing and entertainment for the return journey. I managed to tell a few jokes and pointed out that I had a dreadful singing voice. I was excused and sat down while the whole bus sang songs for the remainder of the journey.
It was a most enjoyable evening and a very memorable one - for me in particular.
A about 9:30am, we stopped for morning tea at the River Haven Cafe at Huntly in the Waikato region It was a pleasant spot next to the river that was somewhat spoiled by the coal-fired power station on the other side of the river.
What was exceptional was the next stage of the tour - namely the glow-worm caves. The guide led us down more dimly lit stairs where we gingerly boarded an aluminium dingy on an underground stream. Each dinghy accommodated 14 people. She then pulled us through the caverns. All the way along the journey, we were looking up at the roof of the caves to admire the glow-worms. It reminded me of admiring the galaxies in a clear night sky. I've never seen anything like it.
When we reached Rotorua, the bus driver took us on a brief tour of the town to see some of the key sites before taking us to our hotel, the Holiday Inn. The staff here were very friendly and welcoming - much better than the hotel we'd been to at Auckland.
We were desperate to get some washing done and so we retrieved our bags from the porter and went straight to the guest laundry where we put on a couple of loads. We didn't have time to dry them yet because we were due to leave on a dinner excursion at 5:20pm.
Earlier in the day, Karen had told us that our group needed to nominate a chief for this evening's event. They had decided to nominate me because my birthday is tomorrow. The rest of the bus cheered and clapped when she announced this and I didn't really have any option but to go along. Actually I was looking forward to it.
She explained that I would have various responsibilities during the evening including presenting the group to the village warriors on arrival. In this ceremony, I was to reassure the warriors that we came in peace.
Karen must have told him that I would be the chief because he called me out by name. He said the equivalent name to "Steve" in the Maori language was "Tipene". He explained in detail what I needed to do as the chief. When he stopped the bus at the village, he called me to the front of the bus to teach me how to do the Maori greeting of touching noses.
Shortly we heard chanting in the trees about the clearing where we were waiting. One by one several warriors ran down into the clearing to confront their visitors. Each one danced in front of us carrying spears and gave warlike menacing gestures including sticking their tongues out and grunting.
One of the five chiefs was selected as the main chief - unfortunately it wasn't me, When the chief of the village came down to confront us, he dropped a fern on the ground. The main chief then slowly moved forward to pick up the fern to indicate that we came in peace.
At the first exhibit, the village chief taught the visiting chiefs how to perform the Haka - just like the beginning of an All Blacks rugby game. The final step before dinner was a demonstration of Maori singing and dancing in an auditorium built like a large Maori hut. It was very entertaining.
The next event was to be dinner. As you might expect, the chiefs needed to lead the other to the dinner hall. The village warrior who lead the chiefs to dinner had two fascinating white combs in his hair. He told me they were handed down to him by his great great great great grandmother.
The APT group had four tables in the banquet hall. It was a buffet dinner with plenty of food for everyone - chicken, lamb, fish, salads, etc. The staff invited one table at a time to come to help themselves. The bar in the corer of the hall served beer, wine and various other drinks - including a green alcohol fruit punch that Suzy asked me to get for her.
The bus left before 9pm to take us back to the hotel. As you might expect, Dennis our driver was very entertaining. Then, out of the blue, he invited me to the front of the bus to talk about myself and lead the singing and entertainment for the return journey. I managed to tell a few jokes and pointed out that I had a dreadful singing voice. I was excused and sat down while the whole bus sang songs for the remainder of the journey.
It was a most enjoyable evening and a very memorable one - for me in particular.
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