I met with Patrick Tamati of Te Puia and caught up on what’s happening at Te Puia, the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute.

Te Puia was set up by legislation in 1963 to foster the customary art forms of Maori. Since then, Te Puia has nurtured and trained hundreds of artists in carving, weaving and other skills, including kappa haka (Maori performing arts).

Te Puia also offers a range of guided tours throughout the day as well as Te Po, an evening cultural experience. It is a feast for the senses – full of culture, storytelling, entertainment and Maori cuisine. At the end, you are taken to view Pohutu, their famous geyser under the stars.

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River Rats Raft & Kayak have been offering quality adventures around Rotorua for over 25 years. There’s something for everyone, from a gentler scenic raft trip through to full on action adventure!

There is a huge range of options for families and adrenaline junkies. Check out the website, it sure looks like fun to me!

Ann Parker

I got to spend a bit of time with my friends Ann and Dorien from Volcanic Air Safaris yesterday. They offer the choice of a floatplane or helicopter to view some of the most dramatic geothermal and volcanic landscapes of Rotorua and the central Bay of Plenty District.

Some of the most popular flights are over the dormant crater of Mount Tarawera. This volcano erupted in spectacular fashion in 1886 and the remains of an eight kilometre crater scar can be viewed from above. The region is splattered with hot lakes, steaming cliffs and wonderful scenes of geothermal parks such as Waimangu, Orakei Korako and Wai-O-Tapu – and they are incorporated into the flights.  Of course, there is also the once-in-a-lifetime experience of landing the helicopter on New Zealand’s most active marine volcano, White Island.

One of the key things at Volcanic Air Safaris, apart from the vivacious Ann and charming Dorien, is that the team is focused on providing an exceptional tourism experience. Their pilots are highly skilled and have a passion for and knowledge about the area. So not only do they keep you safe, but they also provide you with lots of great information about the area’s history and culture.

For anyone with a passion for planes, they have the de Havilland Otter – a 10-passenger floatplane. The only one in New Zealand, I am told.

Touring with Volcanic Air Safaris is definitely on my “must do” list when I return!

TRENZ has started in full force and there is a lot to tell you about!

Overlooking Lake Rotorua is New Zealand’s leading international mineral springs spa, Polynesian Spa.

This is nothing like what we would experience in North America.  Here, the experience is about thermal bathing. Guests can select from four pool areas: the Deluxe Lake Spa with scenic rock-pool bathing; the Adult Pools and Priest Spa with a variety of pools; the Intimate Private Pools; or the Fun Family Spa.

The Polynesian Spa is a world top ten spa (medical/thermal/natural category) as voted by members of the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler Magazine from 2004-2007 & 2009.

There is quite a history in Rotorua for thermal baths and hot mineral bathing. It dates back over 125 years on the Polynesian Spa site.

With everything going on here at TRENZ, I dream of relaxing at the Polynesian Spa.

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After ZORB®, I headed to Treetops Lodge. What a spectacular place! Just driving up the long (and I do mean long) driveway took my breath away. The lodge is beautiful and sits peacefully in its forest surroundings. There are also several cabins that are scattered throughout the property.

Treetops is a sanctuary and a retreat of breathtaking terrain in 2,500 acres of secluded native forest. It’s a game reserve, has seven trout streams, four lakes, over 70 kilometers of hiking trails, mountain biking, horseback riding, and offers the ultimate in tranquility and splendour.

At Treetops, Maori chef Eru Tutakl took great care of me during the Wild Food Cooking Experience. He and I took a hike through the pristine wilderness of the 800-year old forest, looking for plants that would be included in the meal that Eru was going to show me how to make.

We started with a small prayer to say thank you. It was very spiritual and I have to admit that this was one of those moments when something shifts and you realize you see the world differently now. I think that, for most of us, we’re so used to going to the grocery store and seeing veggies and fruit piled high, that we forget that it comes from the earth. Standing in the forest as Eru showed me different plants and talked about the connection between our food and the earth, it made me realize that I take the abundance that we live in for granted. If I want a salad, I go to the store and buy a bag of lettuce, some tomatoes and other things. I never stop to think about what it took to grow the food.

Eru is extremely knowledgeable and shared his Maori culture generously. For all of the interesting tours and presentations that I have seen, this experience was so authentic that I felt a connection with the Maori people of today and yesterday. It gave me a much appreciated glimpse into a very special culture.

Eru and I talked a lot about the value of respecting the earth and what it means when you make that connection between where food comes from and what you eat. It sounds incredibly simple, but seeing a plant in the forest, picking it yourself and then half an hour later eating that plant as part of a salad is a pretty amazing experience.

That’s what Eru brings. While he is a chef (and a great one, at that!), he doesn’t just feed you, he nourishes your soul with the wild food experience.

Back in the incredible kitchen at Treetops Lodge, I sat at the bar. It faces into the working kitchen that, I have to admit, is the kitchen of my dreams. Eru walked me through the preparation of venison with mushroom, tomato, sweet potato, beets and a salad – prepared with the plants we had gathered in the forest.

It was a simple meal, but exceptional. And thanks to Eru, I now have a much greater appreciation for the bounty provided by the earth. I also have a recipe that will impress and, I hope, impact my friends when I make it for them. I won’t be able to take them out into the forest to gather the food, but I think I will be able to pass Eru’s message to respect the earth and appreciate what we eat – in a delicious way.

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I am not sure what I was thinking when I said yes to crawling into a big plastic ball and getting tossed down a hill. I mean, really…what could I have been thinking? Of course Tourism New Zealand is one of our all-time favourite clients. So jumping off bridges, getting tossed down hills, etc. is fine by me. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for them. (Oh no! I can just see them planning my next ADVENTURE, now that I have said that!)

I arrived at ZORB® and the young, friendly team quickly got me ready to roll. ZORB® is a New Zealand company that invented the ZORB® globe and the sport of ZORB® globe riding.

I don’t know about anyone else, but with things like ZORB® globe riding and bungy jumping there is a moment of absolute freaking PANIC. I am a little bit claustrophobic and the thought of going into that ball through a little entrance made my heart pound and my palms sweat. Add to that, I all of a sudden realized that they were going to push me down the hill in this big round thing! Add them up and you have the stuff that nightmares are made of!

I looked at the young man who was going to give me the push and said, “I can’t do this.” He looked right back and said: “Yes you can.” I have to give him a lot of credit. His calm and easy attitude made it easy for me to get over my fears.

I climbed into the ZORB® globe, right into a little puddle of water. It was warm, so that wasn’t such a big deal. And besides, my brain was completely focused on the fact that I was about to get pushed down a hill in a big round ball. Getting wet was just a detail.

This was like nothing I ever imagined. You slip and slide all over the place and yet, you feel completely safe – and terrified – and full of fun all at the same time. As the ball first begins to move, it’s like your entire focus changes and the only thing that exists is you in this little round ball. This space becomes your entire world. And you move all over the place in this ball. I imagine that it’s a matter of physics how you are moved through the ZORB® globe, but when you are doing it, it feels like you are hurtling through a different dimension. Inside the ball it’s just white, but everything is more defined. It’s like the world is moving in slow motion, but at an incredibly fast pace.

When I saw the photos, I thought, “Holy doodle, that’s me in that ball!!! Look at that.”

It’s a crazy ride and definitely worth doing!

Yesterday afternoon, I had a great tour with Elite Adventures. Led by Huru, a knowledgeable Maori guide, we went 24 kilometers southeast of Rotorua to Buried Village of Te Wairoa. Here is where I learned about the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera, which killed more than 150 people.

We also saw the Blue and Green Lakes, which are spectacular and have strong cultural significance to the Maori people.

It was a very interesting and very emotional place – one that made me feel more connected to Rotorua.

Ann Parker

I used a photo for TRENZ last year that had me in a helicopter with a headset on. (It’s also the image on the Twitter account.) A few months later, I got an email from someone that said that her boss had pointed out the photo and thought we looked alike. After going back and forth for a bit, it turned out we have a fair amount in common. We’ve been friends on Facebook ever since.

Me

My Facebook friend, Ann Parker, and Dorien Vroom, her boss and the woman who started this whole process, came and met me for a drink last night. It was great fun. Ann works with Dorien, a partner in Volcanic Air Safaris, so we have tourism and a love of travel in common as well. It also means that I will get to see Ann and Dorien at TRENZ too, which gives us more time to catch up.

Ann is one of those people who come into your life and you feel like you have known them forever. One of the great things about travel is the people that you get to meet. Sometimes it might just be a brief exchange with people, others you might spend a bit of time with, and others become friends for life. I have a funny feeling that Ann is the later.

New Zealand is always full of surprises, amazing moments and new friends.

Yesterday was a very busy day. First stop, Rainbow Springs. This is a wildlife park with a strong focus on conservation. It’s also an award-winning tourist attraction with great features including kiwis, tuatara, sheep, and native birds. It is New Zealand’s only “open to view” kiwi hatchery and rearing facility.

The Kiwi Encounter at Rainbow Springs was very interesting. We learned about the challenges that the kiwi bird faces in the wild and how Kiwi Encounter is helping to keep the funny little bird from extinction. There were once millions of kiwis living in New Zealand. Today, that population is declining so rapidly that they could be extinct by 2015 – that’s not very far away.

Save the Kiwi is a big part of the BNZ Kiwi Recovery’s Operation Nest Egg Program managed by the Department of Conservation.

We were walked through the process from when they receive the egg to when it is released back into the wild (to its papa kiwi) at six months old. The best part was that we got to go into a special area and see three kiwis in a recreation of their natural environment. One of the birds, Victor, was really charming. He was full of life and had lots of energy. He kept running back and forth right in front of me, drinking water and looking for bugs. I swear he looked right at me several times and was flirting with me!!!

Kiwis are interesting birds, and while I have seen them several times in photos and videos, seeing them in person is something very special. They are really unique looking and have odd little movements and mannerisms. (Can a bird have mannerisms?)

The kiwi is New Zealand’s national icon and below are a few interesting facts that you might not know:

• Kiwis are flightless.
• They are burrowing creatures.
• Kiwis have loose, hair-like feathers.
• They have more mammalian features than any other bird.
• Kiwis have large ear openings.
• External nostrils are found at the ends of its bill.
• Kiwis fascinate scientists!

P.S. – While I did find a kiwi boyfriend, Kiwi Encounter does a fun thing with Photoshop to make it look like you’re holding a kiwi. Check out the image above, all the birds were Photoshopped in.

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After a full day touring the countryside and checking out glowworms, we arrived in Rotorua.

The Rotorua district is located on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a population of approximately 53,000 and about half are Maori. Rotorua is one of the original tourist destinations in New Zealand. It has been welcoming visitors for more than 200 years.

As soon as you arrive in Rotorua, you know it, as the air smells different here. The scent of sulphur in the air is characteristic of the area. Here there are spouting geysers, boiling mud pools and warm geothermal springs.

Rotorua is the heartland of New Zealand Maori culture, and visitors have the opportunity to experience their warm spirit.

Although most of the Maori population lives in the urban areas, there are about 35 marae (meeting grounds) in the Rotorua district.

We’re staying at the Heritage Rotorua and located in the hotel complex is the Pohutu Cultural Theatre. Here we saw a traditional Maori show and enjoyed a feast.

The show was exceptional and interactive. I started with a glass of a NZ Sauvignon Blanc; I figured you would expect no less of me! And then we were offered a mouth watering hakari (feast), which included the freshest produce from the whenua (land) and moana (sea). Our hakari was cooked in infused steam, which has been done by local Maori for generations.

After dinner, a cultural performance group took to the stage to perform a world famous haka. This is dramatic and engaging and the group was exceptional as they gave us a breathtaking glimpse into the Maori culture. They shared legends and traditions through song and dance, traditional weapons display, poi and stick games.

It was a great night!

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