Kia Ora!

Kia Ora is Maori for Hello, Goodday, All is well. We learned so much about Maori culture today but actually we started the day looking at a different side of New Zealand life.
After a lovely breakfast at the hotel we headed to the Agrodome where we were entertained by a sheep shearer who introduced us to 15 breed of sheep (my favorite is the Suffolk...but most of our group was partial to the Merino), showed us how to shear a sheep and milk a cow. In fact, Whitney and Bobbie Walker both got to milk the cow on stage. Then at the end of the show they brought out 4 little lambs and Matthias was able to give one a bottle. Good fun. We then watched one of their herding dogs herd sheep through the paddock followed by a demonstrating of carding the sheep's wool and turning it into thread. There were some fabulous sweaters, blankets and yarns to buy at the Agrodome. Don't be surprised if some of them found their way into our purchases!
After lunch in the town of Rotorua we headed to Te Puia - the home of the thermal activity in Rotorua. We saw geysers erupt, bubbling mud pools and learned a lot about Maori culture and history. The Maori are the native New Zealanders...well as of 900 AD. They are Polynesian and were noticing significant similarities between the Maori culture and the Hawaiian culture in our country.
In the evening we went to a Hangi Feast and Maori Welcoming Ceremony. We nominated Mr. Walker and Jon Welch as our chiefs and through the Maori warrior's reception of them, we were all welcomed in. We saw a Maori song and dance demonstration and then we ate a meal that was prepared in pits filled with white hot volcanic stones. Very tasty...especially the Pavlova for dessert!
Tomorrow we look forward to our visit to Hobbiton and our first night in billets/homestays!
Kia Ora and God be with you all!