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Rotorua to Taupo

Rotorua, New Zealand


Hello again family, friends, and fans!

Jen and I are now in Taupo. The journey here from Rotorua was through beautiful farmlands and countryside. Travel time in Lucille (our cozy '85 Toy van) was about 1 hour. We stopped by Huka Falls on the way in for a look at the only outlet from Lake Taupo. It is a very popular spot and offers great photo ops Last night in Rotorua was a blast! We went to Matai- a cultural spot with the Maori's performing in their native attire, cooking food in the ground (what a meal!), and sharing the history of their culture. When asked of the crowd for a volunteer to be Chief (to represent the 16 countries or nations in our group), I raised my hand. Little did I know what I was getting into... First, I accepted a gift after having a stare-down with a very intimidating warrior with a spear. Then greeted the Chief with a speech and thanked him for sharing the of experience, food, culture, etc. Last but not least, I shook hands and rubbed noses with him (the typical Maori greeting ).

Well.....after the warrior came at me with that spear, lunging and dancing around the whole while staring right through me - I really think I blew the speech. The peoples of my many nations came to me afterward, congratulating me on a job well done- but I don't know. At our table for the fabulous meal; we had a couple from Australia, a young couple from Isreal, a gal from Finland, and a guy from Germany. Everyone was great and we'll probably see most of them again later in our travels.
Once we returned to Kiwi Paka (the hostel), we had a couple of drinks with Nina (our Finland friend that lives in Australia) and a chap from Holland who seems to be on the same track and time schedule as us. Very good times!!!!
Backtracking.....Earlier in the day I left Jen in town to venture out to Wai-O-Tapu with a gal from Germany to see a very diverse geo-thermal area.

We took tons of pictures and had a good walk for about 90 minutes. Also saw the guy pour soap into the Lady Knox Geyser to set it off (kind of cheesy way to make that a timed attraction- if you ask me). This morning to Taupo we gave a lift to a very nice and very well travelled older lady (78) from Scotland. She shared tons of stories and we really enjoyed spending time with her.
Well, I've been sitting in this internet cafe almost 3 1/2 hours and I need to get.
Love ya'all!!!
Chief Tim of 16 Nations


permalink written by  TwoSouls on December 22, 2007 from Rotorua, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas
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wellllll
Envious to say the least. Sitting here on Saturday night, smoking a bowl, listening to reggae and of course thinking about U! Lovvvvvvvve U so very much. I think about you every day and my love is going out in giant waves. I'm so happy I can live vicariously through you. I'm traveling with you my friends. Your pics are amazing as well as your stories. I'm gratelful to be in contact, by whatever means that may be. Christmas is approaching. I'm approaching Christmas in a very different way this year. It feels strange, but obviously it's the way it's supposed to be. I'm having revelations every day and thankful that I'm conscious. God bless you wherever you. New Zealand is blessed to have you visit their country. I'm sure wherever you are you're making a difference.

"Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the Sunrise".

DON'T FORGET THE MAGIC.....

Blesasings & Aloha

Dyann

permalink written by  Dyannanana on December 22, 2007

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TwoSouls TwoSouls
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We are going to explore the unknown and there's no turning back now. Why explore? Here are a few reasons why we start on this journey...

- To breathe deeply, appreciate the moment and SLOW DOWN
- To let go of our fears
- To rebel… prove that we can live outside the system
- To challenge...

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