Despite the unfortunate weather, our Year 13 geography students made the most of the limited time they had in Rotorua, one of New Zealand’s major tourist destinations.
They collected data around Rotorua’s Central City Centre on the first day, interviewing a number of tourists. By doing this they were able to obtain information and learn more about patterns of Tourism Development. This out-of-school activity allowed the students to improve their information gathering skills as well as acquire information for their internal.
Visiting the Mitai Maori Village, the group experienced authentic Maori culture, highlighted by the performance of warriors in traditional costume. The group also paddled in an ancient warrior waka down the Wai-o-whiro stream. At this village, they walked through bushes in the dark, witnessing hundreds of glow worms. By shining torches down they saw crystal clear waters and from the knowledgeable and humorous tour guide learned about the lifestyle and bravery of the tribe.
The most keenly anticipated event of the night was watching the cooked Hangi meal being lifted from the ground and the feast that followed.
The next day came and the students visited Wai-O-Tapu, an active geothermal area to see the famous bubbling mud pools. This location is home to the Lady Knox Geyser. This erupts at 10:15am every morning, caused by dropping surfactant into its opening. Wai-o-Tapu offered great scenic walks which all found eye-opening and enjoyed greatly.
Next was the Gondola and Luge. These skyline rides are one of the main tourist destinations when visiting Rotorua and are sure to be of interest to people of any age, receiving millions of visitors each year. It certainly made for a fun and exciting ending to the trip to Rotorua.
Courtney Nguyen
