4.6. After a hearty breakfast at Peter's flat, we drive to Raglan to pick up Lobo. Then we head to Rotorua where we check into our Air BnB. In the city, we have time for a beer and a snack before the shuttle takes us to Tamaki Village where we have booked a Cultural Evening with a banquet. The traditional songs, dances, and games are great, and we also get to participate a little. The delicious food is very abundant, we can never eat all of it. At 23:00, we return to Rotorua on a bus where the driver entertains us with jokes and songs.
5.6. While Johanna and Lobo sleep in, Roman and I visit the Kiwi Hatchery - a kiwi breeding station. They successfully hatch about 500 kiwi eggs here each year, which are then released into the wild throughout New Zealand to support the population. Since it's not breeding season at the moment, they don't have any eggs - but the museum and the nocturama are still open. We learn a lot about these adorable ancient creatures, and in the nocturama, one of the two kiwis is active and running through the plant world. This couple will stay at the station for about 3 more months and will then be released back into the wild, to be replaced by a new pair. Back at the Air BnB, we pick up Lobo and Johanna for breakfast. We find a cozy café, but we eat only a little since we still feel so full from last night. After that, it's luge time! Johanna meets a friend, so the three of us head to the mountain. Luge is like summer tobogganing, but instead of riding on tracks, you have to steer and can also control the speed yourself. This makes the ride even more fun, thanks to overtaking maneuvers, the feeling of the curves, and a bit of daring. We book 3 rides and really get into the adrenaline rush. We also get to know Lobo from a different side. The usually calm and reserved man is a tough opponent - we all have a lot of fun! In the end, each of us decides on one run for ourselves, and satisfied, we take the gondola down to the valley. After a short walk along the lake, we drive to Kerosene Creek, a stream fed by hot springs and therefore wonderfully warm. Content, we enjoy ourselves and relax in the beautiful natural landscape. On the way back, we stop for dinner in Hamilton and enjoy a pizza. We don't stay up late at home and soon go to sleep.
