Maori Carvings

For someone who didn't plan on doing anything today, I was surprisingly active:

I had booked a sailing tour to Maori carvings for the morning - aboard the 'Fearless'.

Without fear, I climbed aboard this tiny sailboat with a mixed group of Europeans and an Indian family, curious about what was to come. The weather wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. However, there was hardly any wind, so the risk of getting seasick was low.

Our skipper, David, was a laid-back guy who cheerfully sailed us across the Great Lake Taupo. From the water, you suddenly got a sense of how big this lake actually is - about the size of Singapore! In comparison, our Lake Constance looks like a small puddle...

We sailed past Acacia Bay, a tourist suburb of Taupo, heading straight for the carvings.

Created in the 1970s, these carvings are sacred and it is forbidden to touch the stones. When asked how the Maori managed to mount the carvings on the wall, our skipper just laughed and said, 'Abseiling'. I still don't know if that was a joke or not...

Anyway, the carvings can only be reached from the water, as all the roads leading there are private and the owners of the luxurious villas don't want to be bothered by silly tourists. Understandable.

We passed the carvings several times so that everyone could get their photo. We did disturb some kayak riders and ducks, but that doesn't really matter.

The water was beautiful: turquoise in color and so clear that even at a depth of 5 meters, you could see every tiny pebble on the bottom.

So I couldn't resist when we stopped in a small bay for a swim. The water was about 17 degrees, so it wasn't too cold, but refreshing.

Since the sun had come out in between, I quickly dried off and was content.

The whole tour lasted 2.5 hours, well worth the $30. I also left a nice review :)

That was the highlight of the day. In the afternoon, I went for a hike (only 1.5 hours!), and then it started raining.

During a break in the rain, I wandered through the town and stumbled upon the 'World's Best McDonald's' - chosen from 35,000 stores! What's so special? They have a small airplane that you can look at from the inside.

Nice idea, but it didn't blow me away... But I was at the world's best McDonald's! I still didn't buy anything though.

After that, I looked at some possible hiking tours for the South Island, and also watched some Youtube videos in between. Nothing exciting, as I already said.

At some point, I packed my bags back into my backpack and continued my Youtube binge. Sometimes you just have to have those kind of days! Besides, my body is still a bit tired...

But for tomorrow in Rotorua, I have booked a really cool and exciting activity! Stay tuned :D