Barb Williams and Sonia Milroy arrived in New Zealand, a vibrant country with geothermal activity, volcanic landscapes and bustling cities. Originally, New Zealand grew out of the ocean, two volcanic islands populated only by enormous birds and reptiles until the arrival of Polynesians and later the British colonizers.
Arriving in Auckland, they were excited but jetlagged from the long flight. “When I travel, it’s always good to adjust to the new time zone by getting out in the air,” said Sonia.
They immediately set out to explore Mt. Eden and the ancestral mountain of Mangahas, a sacred spiritual place for the Māori people. The Māori are an indigenous tribe who came from Polynesia and lived in harmony with nature in a loving communal society. Sonia and Barb toured the prehistoric earth fortifications.
The next day they visited Rotorua, famous for its bubbling geothermal boiling mudpots (too hot to bathe in), geysers and steaming craters.
Barb and Sonia explored Waitomo Glowworm Caves via boat. The worms create a wonderland of thousands of little lights throughout the cave. They hang from the walls and the ceiling with their saliva dripping down to catch bugs to eat.
“It was an enchanting experience” remarked Barb. That night they savored a home-hosted dinner with a local Māori family, along with traditional dancing and singing.
On the morning of day three, Barb and Sonia went to Hobbiton, the movie set for The Hobbit.
“That was the side trip that I definitely wanted take,” said Barb.
The cottages created a very realistic miniature community with little shops, gardens and even laundry hanging outside of little huts dug into the ground. They had the opportunity to tour inside an exquisitely decorated cottage.
“This home was perfect for me”, said Barb. “Being 5’0” tall, I didn’t even have to bend down.” They enjoyed lunch at the Green Dragon Inn, the famous hobbit gathering place for socializing and drinking ale.
In the afternoon, Sonia and Barb visited Tee Puia, the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. Here they discovered the unique lifestyle and traditions of the indigenous people, witnessing traditional wood carving and the weaving of grass skirts.
Then, they attended a Haka ceremony and concert. The Haka ceremony is part of the Māori culture for frightening enemies but also for welcoming strangers. After demonstrating a war dance, two elders were chosen from the crowd to accept a peace offering from the Haka dancers. The dancers marched forward in a very menacing way, placing a coin on the ground as a peace offering. The elders had to slowly approach and carefully pick the offering up off the ground. They accepted it and then backed away while the warriors made menacing faces, opening their eyes really wide and sticking out their tongues to scare off the enemy.
Once the ceremony was completed, the visitors were welcomed into the hall to watch a performance followed by a dinner of hangi-style options, food steamed underground with a very distinctive smoky flavor.
“The whole experience was amazing,” said Sonia.
Next, the ladies experienced a nature-filled day. They toured the Wai-O-Tapu (sacred waters), a thermal wonderland. The lake constantly changes color based upon the underground activity and minerals; blue, green, orange, gold, pink.
“I didn’t want to leave this artistic splendor,” said Barb.
Another highlight was Huka Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in New Zealand, sporting magnificent turquoise waters.
They enjoyed a Treewalk Experience at Rotorua’s Redwood Forest. The walk was high above the forest floor across suspended bridges and platforms among majestic 120-year-old redwood trees and humongous ferns.
The final days of the North Island tour was in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand located near the southernmost point of the North Island. The city is known for its café culture, award-winning restaurants, and great coffee. Sonia and Barb spent the day exploring the city sites and riverfront.
They enjoyed the Te Papa Museum, New Zealand’s national museum. There was an exhibition of the story of the Gallipoli campaign of World War I that took place in 1915.
“I especially loved the Gallipoli exhibit. The life-like and very detailed soldier replicas were amazing. The Māori people, initially forbidden from participating, were anxious and proud to join the British military campaign against the Ottoman Empire. They fought courageously but suffered tremendous casualties. A huge percentage of the New Zealand population were killed,” said Williams.
Sonia and Barb ended their North Island visit with a ride on the historic Wellington Cable Car enjoying panoramic views of the city. They walked through a botanical garden and a cemetery. The first graves they saw were Jewish tombstones from the 1800s. The New Zealand Jewish population is about 7,500 people.
Their tour continued on the South Island of New Zealand. We will explore their journey in Part II of this article.
