Whakarewarewa Thermal Village
Justin Te Hau, my guide, met me at the memorial archway to the Whakarewarewa Thermal Village, a Maori village set in the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley in southern Rotorua. More than simply a tourist attraction, Whakarewarewa is actually a living Maori village, with real people going about their everyday lives, seemingly unaffected by the daily groups of tourists wandering around between 8:30am and 5:00pm. Justin assured me that he and fellow villagers never worry about any loss of privacy, finding plenty of time to do their own thing outside of visitor hours.
Showing me through the archway to a bridge across the Puarenga Stream, Justin told me how on warm days, young Maori 'Penny Divers'
[ more about the penny divers ]
dive into the stream to retrieve money thrown by tourists. Passing the traditional cooking pools, we saw where villagers still cook their dinners in the steam boxes that dot the rahui, or thermal reserve area. Justin told me the minerals in the thermal waters of Parekohuru, or the Champagne Pool flavour the food in a unique way. Visitors can often sample corn on the cob, cooked in a muslin bag, suspended in the water.
The older villagers still cook their dinners in the steam boxes. First to go in are the vegetables like potato, kumara (sweet potato) and pumpkin, and later in the day greens such as watercress, cabbage or puha (a green vegetable, found growing wild). While we were there, a resident came down to check on her dinner, just as Justin's grandmother and great-grandmother would have done.
The open-air baths in Whakarewarewa Thermal Village are still used daily by the residents. The water has an oily character to it, hence the name of the 'oil baths'. Justin assured me the unique qualities of the geothermal bathing water help soothe tired and sore bodies, and help fight the effects of flu and colds. Further on around the thermal reserve walk, we passed a traditional washing pool. Most villagers now use modern washing machines, but one of Justin's old aunts still comes down to wash her mats in this pool.
Up the hill, past villagers' homes and souvenir shops, is a small Roman Catholic Church. Burials are above ground here, because the earth's crust is very thin. As we walked along to the lookout for the Pohutu and Prince of Wales Geysers, the increase in geothermal activity was very evident.
Next stop was one of the four souvenir shops, where a great range of locally made Maori crafts were for sale, including wood, bone and jade products, ponga (native fern), mud and lanolin products. The
[ more about Whare Nui]
or ancestral meeting house was wonderful. Named after Wahiao who was the brother of the famous Maori maiden, Hinemoa, this is one of the largest houses of its type in Rotorua. Maori regard the meeting house as a living ancestor, with its traditional carvings telling the story of the people of each tribe.
A Maori cultural party performs in Wahaio several times a day, with a great mix of contemporary songs, poi action songs and the haka, the famous posture dance, usually performed by Maori males. Visitors got to learn a song, or a short poi, or a haka, and most seemed to really get into it.
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FAST FACT:
Part of Whakarewarewa hydrothermal area was bought from its Maori owners and declared a scenic reserve in 1898; the remainder, including Whakarewarewa Thermal Village, is still owned by Maori. |
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