Seen and yet not seen

Sleep in, have breakfast, then discuss and research what we want to do today and tomorrow. Today's weather is supposed to be great, tomorrow it will rain. After 3 hours we made a decision. Shopping today, then play Frisbee and immerse ourselves in Maori culture at 4:30 PM.

We still need some souvenirs. So, let's go to the city.

We found what we were looking for in a store and ........ it smelled so good of doner. Oh yes, finally eating a doner again, that would be great. ..... and it was suuuuuuuper delicious 😋.

So we made good use of the unexpected rain shower.

Yesterday, after the 2nd hole, we stopped playing frisbee because there was so much water on the court due to the rain. Today we're giving it another try.

We have one hour. It may not be enough for 18 holes, but let's see how far we can get.

We managed to complete exactly 5 holes. On this court, you spend more time searching for the starting points and the corresponding baskets than playing.

Now we have a date with the Maoris. Our date starts with a one-hour tour of the workshops, 

and the geothermal area of the Whakarewarewa tribe. 

The highlight of the area is the Pōhutu Geyser, the highest in the southern hemisphere. The fountain can reach up to 30 meters...... 

if you're lucky. Ours was a bit smaller. 

Fits us perfectly.

The tour ended at the souvenir shop. Conclusion: we bought a potholder, didn't see any kiwis, and saw a mini-geyser. The tour wasn't worth it, it was really a waste of time.

Then came the second part of our date. The Maori welcome ceremony, 

followed by a 45-minute musical and dance performance 

and the Haka, the Maori war dance.

💡Actually, Haka just means dance and is performed as a greeting, entertainment, but also as intimidation of opponents before a war confrontation.

The New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, perform a Haka before every international game.

This part was really fun. Some men from the audience had to participate in the Haka. If they forgot the steps, they simply had to make the typical intimidating face.

We laughed so much.

The conclusion was after a delicious hangi meal 

💡Traditionally, the Maori cooked the hangi in hand-dug earth ovens,

a cup of cocoa, and a 30m geyser. 

A great and reconciling end.

Oh, almost forgot. On the way back to the apartment, we passed by 2 houses of Chevy Chase from the movie "Christmas Vacation."

Christmas in summer. Doesn't fit at all.