iolanda andrade: New Zealand circuit - On the way to Rotorua - Hamilton Gardens - The Whakarewarewa geothermal area at Rotorua's Southern edge - A Maori cultural performance - Day 1

We finally met the group we would be travelling with (10 people in total, whose ages ranged from 52 to 75 years of age) , as well as our guide (who was simultaneously our driver) throughout the whole circuit.

We headed towards Rotorua with a brief stop at the Hamilton Gardens located at the Southern end of the city. Considered a major attraction with over a million visitors a year. Set along a scenic stretch of the Waikato river, the Gardens' pavillions showcase the history of gardens through time.

My favourite one was the Indian Char Bahg, an interpretation of the 16th-17th century symbolic four-quartered garden built for the Mughal aristocracy aa an escape from a harsh environment. On my way to the Garden shop I came across a carved wooden panel, almost covering an entire wall, which I fell in love with because of the magic of its designs and the mastery of its work. Because it was protected by a glass cover I was only able to photograph a small part .

Our next stop was the Whakarewarewa thermal area at Rotorua's Southern edge, which comprised two separate areas. We started by having an overall view of the village and its Wahiao Meeting House almost immediately followed by a typical lunch cooked in the fumaroles. The eating experience wasn't too different from the one I had had in the Azorean islands, more precisely in the Furnas area of São Miguel island, where fumaroles are also used as a cooking device.

What was somehow entirely different was the sight one of the largest geysers, the Pohutu (which stands for "big splash") prior to having watched the Maori cultural performance which included different types of songs and dances ranging from the well known "haka" war dance to the poi dance exclusively danced by women.

All of these were thoroughly explained by the leader of the Maori performing group, a lady of exquisite beauty, and left us in utter ecstasy. The voices were powerful and so were the body movements that accompanied them, which were very diverse depending on whether they were defiant moves or graceful ones with the poi. Their presence on stage was something I will remember for a long time.