A Day with the Maori Indians

Rotorua, New Zealand - October 8, 2012

Today we went to Rainbow Springs in Rotorua.  We walked into a chilly but beautiful park.  It made me feel like an animal - I will tell you why. I felt that in one minute there were animals everywhere, especially birds.  We saw many birds.  I don't quite know what they're called.  All I know is that there's so many colors.  For example rainbow, pink, green, white, orange, and yellow.  My favorite what I called the zebra bird it was black and white,I thought it was mixture between good and evil or me and my sister ... sadly I'm the evil.

Then we saw many different lizards - well mostly geckos. I even saw a very dirty gecko that was  camouflaged. When I did spot him, I knew that he was a part of Mr. Kipling or maybe his baby.  We were not allowed to hold the lizard, but I have done it before and they do feel very different ... more like sand paper.

Then we saw fish.  Lots of them.  The fish were the same as Miami except   for an eel.  It was really big and black and likes to hide in a tube.  It makes him feel safe.  If I hid in a tube, I would probably find it dirty.  Maybe, that was like its blanket.

Next we saw different types of trees.  My favorite had to be Redwood trees and the Ponga trees.  The redwood is very fascinating and it's very tall and wide.  They are not originally from New Zealand.  They were brought in from California.  I also liked the Ponga tree.  Well, it is a really a fern.  It is as big as a tree and the wood has food inside.   I don't really know the food but I guess its tasty.  At least, the Maori Indians like it.  I forget how to say Ponga a lot so I remember by saying "Cowabonga" or "Calla Ponga".

After, we went to see the kiwi bird. 

The kiwi bird was greenish and small but it's egg was as big ostrich eggs.  The kiwi lives by itself and is endangered because is mostly hunted for food and his feather for clothes.  Kiwis are only in New Zealand but there are only a few left because they were all hunted.  That made me so sad I could just cry.

When we finished that we went to the Maori village we saw how they dance.  They use their tongue and eyes to dance, which they call dancing but I call scary.

  

They also say hello by rubbing noses.  I found that to be strange.

    

We also saw how they cook.  They cook in naturally hot sulpher pools.  They are so hot that if you fall in - you die.  They use that to cook corn and many other foods.  Even potatoes.  Now that made me know I had to move away.  I would not like to be boiling dead so I mostly stood in the back.

The Maoris really scared me but the animals made me feel great.  Even though today did not top yesterday today was still fantastic.