|
Te Arawa Indigenous
Trail Full Day
8.00am
Pick up Accolade
Superiatours welcomes visitors to Rotorua and
regards the many visitors as being an integral part
to showcasing Rotorua and all it has to offer to
friends and family by sharing with them the great
time they had here.
8.30am
Wai
O
Tapu
Thermal
Valley, Mud Pools & Geyser
  
Wai-O-Tapu is associated with volcanic activity dating
back about 160,000 years and is located right on the
edge of the largest volcanic caldera (depression)
within the active Taupo Volcanic Zone. With the
largest area of surface thermal activity of any
hydrothermal system in the Zone, the Thermal
Wonderland is the most active part of the 18 square
km reserve and has at its northern boundary the
volcanic dome of Maungakakaramea (Rainbow
Mountain).
10.15am Lady Knox Geyser
The geyser erupts daily
reaching heights of up to 20 metres and can
continue to erupt for up to one hour. The height and
length of the eruption will, however, vary from day
to day as they are essentially dependent upon
weather conditions.
Your guide will give you a full commentary through
this park where you can walk at your own pace and
absorb the unique features including the world
famous champagne pool, geysers, bubbling mud,
steaming ground, expansive vistas, huge volcanic
craters and sinter terrace formations. The natural
bush setting adds another dimension to the full
experience.
10.45am Waimangu
Valley Walk
  
Waimangu
Valley:
In 1886, Mount Tarawera in Rotorua erupted, and
destroyed the surrounding area. The eruption opened
the earth along a 17km rift, splitting Mount
Tarawera in two, exploding
Lake
Rotomahana to 20 times its original size, and
forming the seven craters that today make up the
Waimangu Volcanic Valley.
Within 15 years of the Eruption, the hot springs of the Waimangu
Geothermal System were established within the newly
formed craters, making this the world's newest
geothermal eco-system. Plant life returned to the
devastated land 30 years after the 1886 eruption.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley and Lake Rotomahana are
wholly protected as a Scenic Reserve and Wildlife
Refuge.
Today, you can enjoy a range of easy walking
duration from 45 minutes up to 2 hours.
Waimangu can be enjoyed by people of all ages and
physical abilities.
12.30pm Te
Whakarewarewa
Thermal
Village
Whakarewarewa:
set amidst a landscape of erupting geothermal
activity, hot thermal springs and hot bubbling mud
pools is the Living Maori village of Whakarewarewa
situated in Rotorua, the heart of the North Island.
13.15pm Guided tour through village
Discover our unique lifestyle and traditions.
Superiatours guides will enlighten you on the
history of this village where you will also see the
wonders of Mother Nature and learn how the
Tuhourangi people have come to live in harmony
within this unique environment.
14.00pm Maori Cultural Performance
  
Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao'
Meaning “The uprising of the warriors (war party) of
Wahiao"We
the people of Tuhourangi - Ngati Wahiao (a Maori
family tribe) have lived in and around the
geothermal activity of Whakarewarewa for over 200
years.
14.45
Lake
Tarawera
Lake Tarawera is a deep, clear, lake with excellent
water quality all year round. Surface water
temperatures range from winter lows of 12 degrees
Celsius to summer highs of 22 degrees Celsius. The
lake is sheltered with protected shorelines from
strong winds, except Easterly winds. Lake
Tarawera is world renowned for the size and
condition of the rainbow trout. Many fish in excess
of 4kg are caught every year. It is currently
illegal to keep wild trout over 65cm in length
caught from Lake Tarawera.
15.00pm
Green
Lake
While the lake is now deserted and tapu so no person
European or Maori ventures upon it, in days gone by
it was heavily populated. Its name is a reminder of
those days when many fed from the food this lake
offered. The lake was known for its kakahi, a
delicious shellfish found within the lake's sandy
bed. Rotokakahi means, the lake of the shellfish
Kakahi. The Island in the middle of the Green Lake
is also famous in history. The Tuhourangi tribe
occupied this area before the Mount Tarawera
eruption. It is the place where the bones of the
famous Hinemoa of the love story (Hinemoa &
Tutanekai) and many others lie buried.
15.15pm Blue
Lake
Situated along
Tarawera Road on the way to the
Buried Village and Lake Tarawera this lake has a
charm all of its own. The blue colour comes from the
suns rays reflecting off the rhyolite/pumas lake
bed. Nestled among bush clad hills with no stream
the lake is well known for its safe swimming and
water sports as well as it’s reef spawning Rainbow.
15.30pm Redwoods
Redwood Forest:
escape and unwind or escape and energize! This
spectacular forest is a recreational playground and
if you love the outdoors this area is for you
Rotorua has one of the most spectacular recreational
playgrounds right on its back doorstep! Just 5
minutes from the city centre the Whakarewarewa
Forest offers an opportunity to experience nature at
its most beautiful. Famous for it’s grove of Coastal
Californian Redwoods the forest has some of the
finest walking and mountain bike trails in NZ. The
network of walking tracks caters for all abilities.
The myriad of mountain bike tracks offers riding for
beginners’ right through to the most advanced action
seekers. For more information contact the Fletcher
Challenge Forests Visitor Centre on Long Mile Road.
15.45pm Hinemoa Point and Tutanekai Marae
  
Family Marae: at one time there lived a beautiful and
high ranking young maiden by the name of Hinemoa,
the daughter of a very influential chief at the
time. They lived at Owhata on the eastern shores of
Lake Rotorua. Because of her rank, Hinemoa was
declared puhi (tapu or sacred). A husband would be
chosen for her when she reached maturity by the
elders in her hapu (sub tribe) and her family. Many
people came from far and wide to seek the hand of
Hinemoa whose beauty and grace were well known.
However none of the suitors gained the approval of
the tribe. She fell in love with a young warrior of
no significance called Tutanekai and their uniting
has created many of the Te Arawa tribe descendants
that live in Rotorua today.
Sonny (Manuariki) your Maori Guide
and his wife Ria are too eager to show where Hinemoa
lived and where she was sitting listening to
Tutanekai’s Flute play. Hinemoa’s Rock it is called
and officially opened by the Minister of Tourism in
the seventies. This place is secluded and not many
tourists visit this historical place as it is a
private village. This visit to Tutanekai Marae
shows visitors that Hinemoa and Tutanekai, was not a
made up story to entertain visitors, but real life
history as Sonny is a direct descendant from Hinemoa
of 14-15th generation.
16.15pm Ohinemutu
Ohinemutu
-
Another area of prominence within Maori settlement
of this area is Ohinemutu, the home to the Ngati
Whakaue tribe for hundreds of years and host to many
visitors since the early 1880's. A feature of
Ohinemutu is St. Faiths Church, built in Tudor style
in 1910. Its interior is richly decorated in woven
Maori wall panels and carvings. A window that looks
out over the lake shows Jesus Christ, dressed in a
traditional Maori cloak, and he appears to be
walking on the water. Discovered by A Te Arawa chief
called Ihenga, he persuaded his people to move from
the coastal area of Maketu to Ohinemutu, this was
unusual for Maori as they were coastal dwelling
people reliant on the foods of the sea.
17.00pm Back to Accommodation
Superiatours thanks you the visitor for the great
day and allowing them to share Rotorua with all its
history, culture and natural wonders.
Superiatours has a whakatauaki (phrase) that simply
says:
“HAERE MAI KI MANUHIRI KA HAERE KI TE WHANAUNGATANGA”
YOU COME AS VISITORS YOU LEAVE AS EXTENDED FAMILY.
KIA ORA KOUTOU KATOA
|
