Te Puia and our last day in New Zealand

I love Eurpoean breakfasts. After we ate, we packed up and headed to Te Puia- the Maouri cultural center and another geothermal area. It was only a 10 minute drive. The center is home to the wood carving institute and the weaving institute. It was interesting to see how they take flax and use the fibers to create fabric and other woven items. There were authentic carved buildngs, canoes and sculptures. We watched a culturalperformace that included a welcoming ceremony, songs, dances using various objects to juggle or twirl. It was all very interesting.











The other section of the park was the geothermal area. It is home to the largest geyer in the southern hemisphere. We were lucky to be there during an eruption. There were bubbling mud pools and steam vents as well. This area was not as big or colorful as the one we had visited the other day, but the geyers were fun to watch.







It was time to drive back to Auckland. Returned the car, got to our hotel and just relaxed. The hotel had a restaurant which was convenient. Monk fish- delicious! A chocolate lava cake with berries and berry sorbet for dessert. Off to Fiji tomorrow.

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