So, picture this: we’re all hyped for a spontaneous weekend getaway to Rotorua! We were on the hunt for an evening filled with dinner and a Maori-style show. Rotorua’s got this awesome Maori culture, so we went online scouting and landed on Te Puia. And let me tell you, it’s not just a place to grab food; they’ve got these stinky geysers, too!
Dinner was great; it was buffet-style, which meant endless choices. I couldn’t resist diving into this spectacular gluten-free chocolate mousse early (I don’t know if we were allowed to ;). Stomachs happy, we headed to this pavilion with beautiful carvings for the main event.
But then, surprise, surprise! Rain clouds rolled in, so we all shuffled indoors. There were these excellent performers — four men and four women all decked out with these fantastic outfits. They put on a seriously impressive show, but there was one thing: no laughing allowed. It’s a big deal because it’s this ancient way for tribes to avoid fighting. They try to make the other chief crack a smile during the performance; if they do, then it’s a sign of disrespect, and they get into a big war. It was very interesting to learn about the culture behind it.
When the rain refused to give us a break, we decided to switch gears and hopped on a trolley to check out the geysers. And man, they were something else! The big one, Heketanga-ā-Rangi Pōhutu, was really big, erupting one or two times every hour. I managed to snap some seriously cool pictures capturing the steam mixing with the sun’s rays; talk about a magical moment!
The whole shebang was incredible, from the intense show to the spraying geysers. We were soaked by the time we had to leave, but they gave us hot chocolate, which compensated. It was an adventure that will stay etched in our memories for a long time!
