Today, we were lucky enough to go to Te Puia. We had such a fantastic day, and got to see the many sights Te Puia has to offer; this was especially complimentary of our Thermal Wonderland focus - learning about geothermal activity. On arrival, we were greeted by Carla and Shane - our guides. We made our way through the entrance (Te Heketanga a Rangi) where we were allowed to see the beautiful carvings (whakairo). We headed to the Weaving School to look at piupiu, korowai, and harakeke preparation - it was amazing to see all the different things that can be made using flax. From there, we went to see the Carving School - we loved seeing the carvers at work. By now, we were feeling hungry, and Carla had let us know that Shane had gone off to cook our morning tea in the cooking pool (Ngārarātuatara), so we walked the track to meet with Shane and watch him cook our kai - boiled eggs! We made our way to Pohutu geyser where we ate our morning tea on the hot rocks. The view was spectacular! We explored the village, watched the pōhiri (māori welcoming ceremony), and found patterns in Te Aronui a Rua (meeting house). We really enjoyed our adventure today, and are very grateful to the helpers for supporting us. See some photos below.
