Alright, who farted?

I stepped out of the car at Rotorua and was assaulted with the smell of sulphur. Technically speaking, pure sulphur is odourless but when it mixes with other elements or compounds, it produces a rather pungent smell of rotten eggs. Not just a couple of rotten eggs; thousands of very old rotten eggs. And maybe a few dead animals. And a baked beans fart. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but when you first get a whiff of that smell it really is bad.

Note: I am not a chemist nor any kind of scientist so please check with a proper source before repeating any of the above information as fact.

Luckily, our motel wasn't filled with the sulphur smell and by the next morning we were used to the general smell of the area and prepared to deal with any larger gusts of sulphur breeze that might come our way. However, the smell would only get worse that day as we had planned a visit to Te Puia, a geothermal valley famous for its geysers and mud pools, as well as Māori‎ cultural experiences. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by this guy.

It shouldn't be too hard to find the funny in this photo.

Although these wood carvings tend to look comical to us, they have been created by the Māori‎ people to honour their ancestors. The face is designed to look fierce with the open mouth, and protruding tongue and eyes, so as to scare off enemies. The lines on the face replicate the Māori‎ tattoos, adding to the fearsome appearance. You'll notice the hands only have three fingers, each with a different significance - birth, life, and death. Occasionally you might see a fourth finger added to represent the afterlife.

After checking out a few carvings, we went to watch a cultural performance. It started with a Māori‎ warrior performing a wero (traditional challenge) where a taki (challenge dart) is placed on the ground in front of the visitors. The purpose of this is to determine whether the visitors come in peace or with hostile intentions.

Māori warrior

Our group's designated chief picked up the taki to show we were coming in peace and we were allowed to enter the meeting house. Inside we watched a performance of various traditional Māori‎ games and songs, and of course, the haka (war challenge).

Inside the meeting house

After the cultural performance, we went to meet our guide for a tour of the reserve. Along the way he talked about the Māori‎ way of life and taught us some common Māori‎ words, some of which are excessively long.

Te Whakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao - too easy!

The geothermal valley was amazing. Either side of the seemingly precarious path were mud pools and hot pools, and in the centre of the valley was the Pohutu Geyser. The scenery was so stunning that the strong smell of sulphur didn't even bother us too much. Luck was on our side so we didn't have to wait the normal hour for the geyser to erupt.

Pohutu Geyser

Tasty tasty mud!

Crazy local kids swimming in the hot pools (very dangerous)

That night, we visited Tamaki Māori‎ Village for a traditional hāngi. Before we could enter the village, a wero was performed and our new chief picked up the taki and exchanged a hongi with the village chief (a greeting where the two touch together their foreheads and noses, equivalent to a handshake).

The chief

Hongi

We then entered the village where we watched various demonstrations of life in a traditional Māori‎ village, including a stick game that Chris nearly won. Finally, it was time to watch our dinner be removed from the hāngi pit.

The hāngi pit

While we waited for our food to be served, we watched a dance performance and another rendition of the haka. Fortunately the wait was short and before too long we were digging into a buffet of delicious food, completing our Māori‎ cultural experience.

xx Kate-Lyn