NZ : Day 6
breakfast was leftover spaghetti. we were trying to finish the food as much as possible and didnt want to waste leftover. others had bread as usual. i love spaghetti, especially with tomato sauce!
#1 : bread, spaghetti, milk, fruit
and we checked out from the colourful room in rotorua and headed towards whakarewarewa thermal village. we have booked for a guided tour online before we flew there for a better discount. this is where the Maori people lives.
#2 : try pronouncing the name on the white background in 1 breathe!
Set amidst a landscape of erupting geothermal activity, hot thermal springs and hot bubbling mud pools is the Living Maori village of Whakarewarewa. we were there to discover the unique lifestyle and traditions of the Maoris.
highlight of the visit was to prepare the hangi lunch, all by ourselves! Hangi simply means “food cooked in the ground or an earth oven”. Using the gift of the geothermal activity when the ground gives way, a box is made above the newly created vent, a lid is placed on top. Food is then placed inside the box to steam and cook the food, this type of hangi is traditional within the village but not to Maori in general.
The traditional hangi involves the digging of a pit where heated rocks are placed within, the food is placed in baskets and placed inside the pit, and wet material is placed on top of the food along with the soil to hold the steam. The food is left to cook from 3-7 hours depending on the amount of food being cooked within.Hangi simply means “food cooked in the ground or an earth oven”. (source). we put cabbage, carrot, sweet potato, a corn, a chicken drumstick & some breadcrumbs on aluminium foil. wrapped it nicely, and it's ready to be cooked.
#3 : put inside the box, and after 2 hours, ready for consumption. a bit bland though
#4 : korotiotio, the hottest thermal spot in the village @ 115 degree celcius. also known as the "grumpy old man"
while waiting for the hangi to cook, we walked around the village, learned how to weave a rose using leaves & watched the cultural performances. it was very entertaining, with their melodious voices accompanied by hand movements tell the stories of their heritage, past and present.
#5 : tour guide showing us the way how to weave/fold the leaves
#6 : the hero & heroine rubbing nose!
#7 : group photo. the man was so tall and so handsome!!
Nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai - Welcome, Come In, Make Yourself At Home.
we chose the right thermal village to visit. when peggy did the research, we have 2 options to choose from. this & tamaki maori village. we chose whakarewarewa because we could prepare our own hangi. and when we went to buried village on day 5, the guide suggested us to visit whakarewarewa because both of the villages were linked to each other historically. AH! wise choice! hehehehe...
after saying bye bye to the village, we headed to look for mamaku blue winery. i was very tired on that day. i slept inside the car while waiting for them to shop. and i didnt feel good too. the stomach felt empty. gastric?
#9 : the fully equipped kitchen, but the ventilation was bad. the whole kitchen was smokey!
end of day 6.
#1 : bread, spaghetti, milk, fruit
and we checked out from the colourful room in rotorua and headed towards whakarewarewa thermal village. we have booked for a guided tour online before we flew there for a better discount. this is where the Maori people lives.
#2 : try pronouncing the name on the white background in 1 breathe!
Set amidst a landscape of erupting geothermal activity, hot thermal springs and hot bubbling mud pools is the Living Maori village of Whakarewarewa. we were there to discover the unique lifestyle and traditions of the Maoris.
highlight of the visit was to prepare the hangi lunch, all by ourselves! Hangi simply means “food cooked in the ground or an earth oven”. Using the gift of the geothermal activity when the ground gives way, a box is made above the newly created vent, a lid is placed on top. Food is then placed inside the box to steam and cook the food, this type of hangi is traditional within the village but not to Maori in general.
The traditional hangi involves the digging of a pit where heated rocks are placed within, the food is placed in baskets and placed inside the pit, and wet material is placed on top of the food along with the soil to hold the steam. The food is left to cook from 3-7 hours depending on the amount of food being cooked within.Hangi simply means “food cooked in the ground or an earth oven”. (source). we put cabbage, carrot, sweet potato, a corn, a chicken drumstick & some breadcrumbs on aluminium foil. wrapped it nicely, and it's ready to be cooked.
#3 : put inside the box, and after 2 hours, ready for consumption. a bit bland though
#4 : korotiotio, the hottest thermal spot in the village @ 115 degree celcius. also known as the "grumpy old man"
while waiting for the hangi to cook, we walked around the village, learned how to weave a rose using leaves & watched the cultural performances. it was very entertaining, with their melodious voices accompanied by hand movements tell the stories of their heritage, past and present.
#5 : tour guide showing us the way how to weave/fold the leaves
#6 : the hero & heroine rubbing nose!
#7 : group photo. the man was so tall and so handsome!!
Nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai - Welcome, Come In, Make Yourself At Home.
we chose the right thermal village to visit. when peggy did the research, we have 2 options to choose from. this & tamaki maori village. we chose whakarewarewa because we could prepare our own hangi. and when we went to buried village on day 5, the guide suggested us to visit whakarewarewa because both of the villages were linked to each other historically. AH! wise choice! hehehehe...
after saying bye bye to the village, we headed to look for mamaku blue winery. i was very tired on that day. i slept inside the car while waiting for them to shop. and i didnt feel good too. the stomach felt empty. gastric?
we missed out on Okere Fall & Te Puke because we were using another route. so, it was just thermal village and winery for day 6.
we stayed a night at YHA Tauranga. as i was not feeling good, i skipped the shopping session and stayed at the hostel. i drank hot chocolate to "sweeten" my stomach. i guess i ate too much of tomato sauce. too acidic for me. damn.
#8 : welcome to YHA tauranga
#8 : welcome to YHA tauranga
#9 : the fully equipped kitchen, but the ventilation was bad. the whole kitchen was smokey!
end of day 6.
Comments