First of all, people say “Kia Ora” here even more often than tourist ventures says “Aloha” in Hawaii. Kia Ora is a Maori greeting (Maori are the indigenous people here), which roughly translates to “good health” and can be used for hello, good-bye, bon appetite, etc.
Anyways, Arcadia’s orientation ends today, upon which we will fly to our respective schools by means a of a fairly small plane from a tiny airport. Here’s a recap of orientation:
Friday, we arrived at the airport around 6:30 in the morning and went straight to the hotel to check in, shower, phone home, etc. We then headed to a small mountain to get a view of the city, during the accompanying bus-ride we introduced ourselves and such. This was the somewhat dreary view of the city from that hilltop:
We then had a walk through downtown, and were let free for lunch. Later that afternoon we went to a small aquarium with manta rays, sharks, eels and… Penguins! There was this hokey little ride that toured you through the penguin exhibit on a replica sno-cat, which was nice as you were quite close to the penguins.
Saturday, we finally headed out of Auckland, toward Rotorua. On the way, we stopped in Matamata, but it is also known as:
Outside the city was the location used for Hobbiton in Lord of the Rings, and the small town has promoted this fact to bring in welcomed tourism. For lunch I had my first meat pie, and it was delicious. They are great for lunch – filling and cheap and meaty. Afterwards we continued on our way to Rotorua, stopping first at the Agrodome. This was a presentation for all things sheep, remember that there are 40 million sheep in a country of 4 million people! We got to see a sheep sheared, a sheepdog at work and even sheepdogs running over the sheep. Finally, we got to sulfur-smelling Rotorua, where we went to a spa fed volcanic hot springs. It certainly was refreshing, the 38-42 degree water (celsius people! thats 100-108 degrees) and it did feel nice on the skin. Then, at 10 that evening, I watched my first rugby game at a bar, between Australia and New Zealand, no less. The sports rivalry between NZ and Australia is intense, especially when it involves the All Blacks, the national team. The All Blacks preformed their pre-match haka – a Maori war dance – which is incredibly intimidating. They lost (which doesnt usually happen) but it was great to see the jokes Kiwis have for Aussies and vice versa. You can see the Haka below.
Sunday, we left for the volcanic park after a hearty breakfast at the hotel (where the non-homogenized milk was delicious). The Lady Knox geyser was nice, but not as impressive as I imagine Yellowstone NP might be. The mud pools and geothermal springs, however, were very impressive. Later that afternoon, we went Zorbing! You roll down a hill inside a giant rubber ball, with a bit of warm water splashing around (you don’t flip, though). We were privileged enough to do all of this when it was 50 degrees with a raining wind. It was still a great experience, and I was glad we got to do it. As a bonus, we were allowed to lay on the path so we could be run over by another zorb – it was an intense experience. The best part of that, however, was that I slipped running down the hill and slid 40 ft. down the hill on the wet grass. After that, not much has happened before our departure towards Dunedin.
