After landing and picking up our van, the learning curve hit us quick and we had to adjust to driving on the opposite side of the road (and the world). We somehow successfully navigated out of Auckland during rush hour, and officially started our travels in Rotorua, a city built among bubbling hot springs and home to the National Kiwi Hatchery. It’s hatching season and we were lucky enough to see an infant kiwi be weighed! Following our tour of the Hatchery, we went across town to Whakarewarewa, a living Maori village and geothermal reserve. On our tour of the town, we learned how the Maori of back then and today adapted and took advantage of living on top of the hot springs. We were treated to a cultural dance performance and corn cooked in one of the geothermal pools - the village’s preferred method of cooking both historically and today.
