Day 14: Auckland to Rotorua

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Day 14 (7/23/02): Auckland-Rotorua

Lil Vroma looking over the view of Auckland, New Zealand from a dormant volcano

We ate at the hotel and got on the bus for a tour of Auckland. We discovered that Auckland is actually 4 satellite cities, each self sufficient. There were some craters of dormant volcanoes. All were green. 

We also saw one tree hill, a hill top in the city that used to have one tree on it. The Europeans who came committed a faux pas by cutting it down, not taking into account the significance to the Maori people. It created a divide between the cultures. It has since been replaced. the tree died and so an obelisk is there currently. A new tree is being decided on now.

We also came a week before the elections for government, so that was a topic of conversation. We also found out that New Zealand is currently holding the Americas Cup and will defend it this year against the world. We discovered that all the other countries have to race each other and the winner races the defending champion for the cup.

The nickname Kiwi for the people came from the Kiwi brand shoe polish. It was associated with the people from New Zealand during World War I. The shoe polish was named after the Kiwi bird by the maker of the polish. The fruit was named after the people since it came from New Zealand.

A Kiwi Tree



Another interesting side note is that there was a boys grammar school in Auckland (Auckland Boy's Grammar School) that had such a good reputation that it made the houses in the neighborhood worth over a million dollars. The desire for people to get into this school affected the neighborhood, not vice versa.


We headed out of town for Rotorua. We saw a lot of agriculture land, sheep, dairy and deer. The biggest export for New Zealand is dairy. There are 6 million dairy cows in New Zealand. There are 45 million sheep in New Zealand. The rain went in spurts as we traveled down the road.

New Zealand countryside

We arrived in Rotorua and went to the Maori arts and crafts institute. We got a lesson on the life of the Maori, their culture, and seen some of their weapons, carvings, and buildings. We also got to see some of the geysers and hot springs.

A traditional Maori building at the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute


We arrived at the hotel and rested until our hangi. Our hangi was traditional Maori food (seafood etc.) accompanied by a traditional Maori performance. The Maori do a lot of bulging eyes and sticking out their tongues to look ugly. It was quite striking.

Lauren and Lucas Simpson pose with Maori Warriors


The girls got up to do some female performances and the boys got up to do the male performances. At the end, our bus driver Kevin got the girls to come up and sing a song. The American girls got up and couldn't come up with a song quickly. They decided on the Star Spangled Banner and sang a beautiful rendition.

Terrell Miller, Tami Van Prooyen, and Jessica Golumbisky dancing


Adam Newell and Luke Simpson dance like the Maoris

The Maoris perform during the hangi 




After the show, the students either went shopping, went into the spa (heated by the hot springs) or played pool. They were all itching to get back home.

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