Description: Part Maori cultural center and part geothermal spectacle, Te Puia is an fascinating spot to visit in Rotorua. We visited on our own (as opposed to part of a big bus tour) and were given very good service. One of their guided walking tours had just departed a few minutes earlier and rather than make us wait on the next one, they were able to catch us up to the tour guide and made sure we didn't really miss anything the guide had gone over, such as how to pronounce "Te Whakarewarewa" (the name of the valley).
The guide first showed us around the Maori cultural park, including the traditional carving school and weaving school which have been established to keep these traditional Maori arts alive. Unfortunately, there was no one at the carving school when we were there, and there was only minimal activity at the weaving school, both of which we attributed to the hazards of visiting in the off season.
Te Puia is also a great place to see New Zealand's iconic kiwi bird. They operate a rehabilitation center and breeding program for the endangered kiwi birds and have birds on display. Kiwis are nocturnal, so the display birds are housed in a special daylight-inverted house so that us tourists who visit in the daytime can seem them while they are active.
After showing us the kiwis, our guide took us over to the Pohutu Geyser, showed us the excellent hot rock benches nearby, explained a few geyser facts and left us to explore the geothermal valley on our own. Pohutu, the largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere, is one of the center pieces of Te Puia. It reliably erupts many times per day, shooting up to 100 feet in the air and it didn't disappoint us. Pohutu Geyser is just the most prominent feature of Te Whakarewarewa geothermal valley within Te Puia. Walking trails lead you past many other steaming sulphurous pools, bubbling mud pots, and colorful mineral-crusted puddles.
The final highlight of Te Puia is the historical village, with several buildings featuring displays of New Zealand history and Maori legends. At the large Mare (meeting place) building there is a show which includes a traditional welcome, Maori songs and dances, and the haka (war challenge). I Was lucky enough to be chosen as the representative of our audience and receive the traditional nose-to-nose greeting. But during the show, any members of the audience are invited up on stage with the performers to emulate the dancers moves as best as you can, and this was a lot of fun also.
We thoroughly enjoyed our glimpse of Maori culture at Te Puia and the walk around the geothermal features was fantastic, and shouldn't be missed, even on a cool, drizzly day like we had.
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