Half Around The World In 80 Days

My travels next take me back to Rotorua again, since the Curran girls have not seen it. Here we go to a 'Hangi' which is a traditional Maori feast and 'cultural performance'. Modern tourist requirements have almost made it a cabaret but the traditional food is sumptuous and the music and dancing are quite entertaining. The most well known piece of Maori culture is the 'Haka' war dance which the All Black rugby team perform before all their matches. This is an integral part of the Hangi entertainment and they usually look for volunteers (i.e. victims) from the audience. My travelling companions take great delight in propelling me towards the stage to make a fool of myself. Nonetheless, it is good fun to stand up there, stamp the floor, make ugly faces and stick your tongue out at the audience. My revenge is also swift when Aideen gets volunteered for the next dance where she gets to rub noses with the Maori warriors.

I try to strike fear into the hearts of the audience during the Haka

From Rotorua we head south to the city of Taupo beside the crystal-clear lake of the same name. En route we go Jet-Boating on the Waikato river. The jet-boat is a New Zealand invention (and they do keep reminding you of this) which can travel at breakneck speed, needs only 50mm (2 inches) of water to travel on and can turn 360° in its own length at full speed. This makes for a neck-snapping experience as we race by rock walls and over shallow rapids. It is quite a relief to set your feet on dry land when it is over though.

We follow this with a much more sedate boating experience. The 'African Queen' is a genuine 93 year old paddle steamer piloted by a silver-bearded old river dog. This gentle trip takes us up the Waikato river to the tumultuous Huka Falls and then down river past a geothermal powerhouse and on towards one of the many hydro dams on this river. This seems to be a quiet day on the river and we have the whole boat with its stock of mulled wine all to ourselves.

The African Queen paddle steamer.

Youthful looking captain of The African Queen