New Zealand memory #5: Entering Rotorua

It was a slightly overcast Sunday afternoon. The story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai, how they fell in love and brought peace between their tribes was told to us by Hoover over the P.A. system on the bus as we drove around Lake Rotorua, and into the city. She had warned us about the smell, but no cautionary words could prepare a person for the stench of this city, thanks to the geothermal activity there. The whole town smelled of sulpher, which is an unfortunate downfall for such an exciting city. When we left Waitomo that morning, we were told to keep our swimwear out of from under the bus and have them handy. Before we reached the inner part of the city, we stopped to experience ZORB. We packed into the small office, stood in long lines to register for the activity at faulty self-serve computers, and went off to the changing rooms outside. It was a little chilly out, but nothing that could stop a slough of young adults from enjoying being put inside a large plastic bubble with warm water and two of their new best friends and rolling down a giant hill. (Photo Left.) After spending hours here waiting to register and changing into swimwear and waiting to zorb and changing back into dry clothes and waiting again for everyone else to finish the process, we drove off to our next activity; Kiwi Encounter. Here we had the opportunity to learn about this beautiful endangered species that is a national symbol. They created a program to breed kiwis in captivity and later release them into sanctuaries and into the wild. They have three resident kiwis for the public to view. As we took the tour, we got to see them up close. Kiwis are nocturnal animals, so the room that housed the kiwis had a really neat atmosphere. It was dark and cool, with a soundtrack of night time bush sounds playing. The kiwis were just behind a short wall (maybe three or four feet high) with no other barrier. It was a really cool to see a real live animal that is on the engangered species list. Here at Kiwi Encounter, our group got the chance to sponser a kiwi to be hatched. It only cost 50 dollars, and there were forty of us making it less than two dollars a person. Our kiwi's name is Globe and he was hatched shortly after we returned home. (Photo Right)
When we all finished at the gift shop, we packed back into the bus and drove into town where we found the kiwipaka to settle in for a few days. This hostel was fairly nice. It was laid out like a motel, with the room doors facing the outside. The community bathrooms weren't outdoors, but the doors were always propped open, so they were just as chilly and damp. (Photo Right shows the Rotorua kiwi on the door of the women's bathroom.) There was a building in the center that had a large community kitchen and a TV room, next to a row of computers with high speed internet. Internet time, per usual, could be purchased at reception for a mere arm and a leg! Across a breezeway there was another building that housed the reception desk and a bar (This is where we ate our breakfasts and hosted a birthday party for Kyla.) Nestled adjacent to these two buildings was the hot tub. Just when we had our luggage to our rooms and a chance to look around a bit it was time for dinner. We had to wait for the caterers to get everything ready. I think we were waiting for french fries. All of us were jammed into a small dining area, anxious to eat, and sick of waiting. A few people from the table next to mine begged me to do an impression of Ursula and got the whole room to quiet down and listen. In a reluctant German accent, I spoke Ursula's famous line, "Does efferyone pleasse make sure zey haff zeir gumbooots... on ze bus?!" I didn't think it was all that funny, but apparently everyone else did as the room burst into fits of laughter that weren't stiffled for some time. Immediately, people started pulling out their cameras so they could capture the impersonation for future reference and they all made me do it again, under pressure this time. Haha. I guess it made for some good time-passing entertainment while we were waiting for hot chips. As soon as dinner started, it was over, and most everyone left the dining hall to hop on the internet or jump into the hot tub. The people on my table stuck around for a bit, we had Hoover on our table (along with Hannah, Amanda, and Shannon after everyone else peeled away.) We didn't know her very well yet, as we had only met her a couple days earlier, but we knew we liked her. During this conversation we learned that Hoover is a Tahitian princess, eighth in line for the throne, owns beachfront property on Tahiti, where she also owns a whale watching company. She already has a degree in fluvial morphology or something... She drives busses for Stray and does tours for ISV. She was only 23 at the time. To conclude our educational and bonding conversation, we played a game of shaky face! (Photo Left.) This is an exciting game when people get bored and want to have a laugh. It involves a camera and people who are courageous enough to dare to shake their head around in front of it. We played this game in multiple locations when we were bored. After this long day of travel, Zorbing, Kiwis, and shaky face, we headed off to bed so we could wake up early the next day to go to Hell's gate.