Heading towards Rotoroa and Maori ceremony

Drive today towards Rotoroa. On the way we do a great walk through an old gold mining area. They still mine in this part of New Zealand and first we saw an open cast mine in Karangahake. This was followed by a walk through a much older mining area. It felt very Wild West with a proper gorge and old train tracks and mining machinery. I love this kind of walk - Abandoned areas of industry are always really interesting and when this is combined with natural beauty then it's a great experience.








We arrived in Rotoroa at 4pm for a an evening of Maori experiences. Starting with a traditional welcoming ceremony walk through a traditional Maori village learning about traditional ways of life an culture. Then a ceremony including dancing and singing.







Finally a great meal including New Zealand lamb and chicken cooked Maori style under ground over hit rocks. Finished off with the all blacks haka and toasted marshmallows over a big bonfire! We all stayed overnight in a traditional Maori meeting house.