Day 6: A broken down bus and some New Zealand culture

I finally managed to sleep, 💃🏻💃🏻 well better than any nights sleep so far. Today started with an early 8.30 departure to Rotorua. Sadly there was no fancy breakfast, just a classic cheese and ham toastie from the cafe at the bus station and a poor flat white.

I thought perhaps getting the bus would mean I could see lots of views and give me more of an insight into the landscape of New Zealand. This was the view.

The first stop was Hamilton. A quick 20 minute pit-stop, ready to move on to Rotorua. Little did we know there would be a gear box malfunction and Hamilton bus station would be the location for the next couple of hours (not near the facilities just pulled up in the depot). This is where I start to become irritated and realise I’m an uber/ car kind of girl not a bus user: a couple started eating pistachio nuts – the noise 🙄 of all the nuts to choose from, you choose a shell based nut. The man opposite me was snorting and sniffing so loud😷, just use a tissue. The bus driver was huffing and puffing 🥴, he didn’t really know how to turn the microphone off and was grunting all the way. I was more concerned about his health rather than the buses for the most of the journey. In the meantime, I was trying to work out whether or not I should run for a wee 🤷🏻‍♀️ (I went).

2 hours after the warning light came on, we were on the move, the mechanic had worked his magic, cleaned a few parts and had fixed the gear sensor! Thankfully my phone contract allows me to use my phone like normal whilst away even when in NZ, I must’ve got a deal, which allowed me to pass time watching Tik Toks and download candy crush. Not played that in a long time 😂😂.

We arrived into Rotorua at 3.15pm, 2hrs20 minutes behind schedule, a short walk to the hostel and a freshen up and I was getting peckish, thankfully a Starbucks on the corner of the street for a quick revive, prior to my pick up to the Mitai Māori Village.

Today’s main event was a trip to the Mitai Māori cultural experience. Māori culture traces its roots back to the Polynesian navigators who ventured across vast ocean expanses to reach the shores of Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand. Their incredible navigation skills and intimate connection with the ocean enabled them to embark on this epic journey, bringing with them a unique blend of language, customs, and beliefs.

The evening started with an introduction to Māori culture and an introduction to Māori language. We then made our way down to the Wai-o-whirl stream to watch warriors in traditional dress, paddle a waka (ancient warrior canoe).

The next part of the evening involved watching a performance of traditional Māori customs and traditions through song and dance.

We were then given a traditional ground cooked Hangi feast. The lamb was devine 🤤🤤.

The final part of the evening was a walk to the sacred Fairy Spring, that releases over 24 million litres of pure spring water, whilst here we saw some glow worms whilst walking through the bush.

The evening gave me a great cultural insight into Māori life. I always find you need to know about the history of a nation whilst you are visiting as you can learn so much.

Of course the evening didn’t end there. Just as I had put my PJs on ready for a snooze the fire alarm went off, apparently caused by a smoke machine in a connecting bar. The night was further disrupted when a girl in my room decided to reenact a trombone throughout the night 🥴🙄🤣. They do say everything happens in 3’s 😂🙏🏼.