The rest of my weekend

I did the big touristy thing last weekend - but you've gotta do it once, right?! And this was the weekend to do it. We went to Rotorua with other homestay students from America and Japan. We went to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, one of the best places to view glowworms - over 10,000 in one cave! It truly is an incredible site, and the stalactites and stalagmites are impressive, too. We visited the only Angora rabbit farm in New Zealand where we learned about shearing rabbits (more complex than shearing sheep, and it must be done or else the rabbits will die from heat stress). The highlight of the weekend was Saturday evening when we experienced the Tamaki Maori Village (this is a NZ must-do) for a concert (mesmerizing traditional singing and dancing) and hangi (traditional and delicious meal). Although many tourists visit Tamaki Village, I was touched by the sincerity of the sharing of cultures here - it is a truly amazing accomplishment in more ways than one, from the friendliness of the people to the the beauty of the marae to the exceptional food served at the hangi.

Sunday we walked through the Wai O Tapu Thermal Reserve; when you see all of the volcanic activity going on literally beneath your feet, you'll see why they call New Zealand "the Shaky Isle." We took a gondola ride for a panoramic view of Lake Rotorua (and a luge ride back down), went zorbing (see earlier post), and visited the AgroDome for a very funny series of agricultural demonstrations including sheep shearing. The Rotorua AgroDome is the best "sheep-and-dog" show in New Zealand, and this is another must-see, as there are more sheep than people in NZ - making it a hugely important part of NZ agriculture.