Experiencing the earth sciences

Kio ora! I've just Spent the weekend in Rotorua with Matilde (Italian) and Ricarda (German) (pictured below). The scenery was incredible and was helped by the beautiful weather.
We set off on Friday evening, travelling 7 hours on a very cold coach before arriving at our hostel at 3.30am. After 4 hours sleep we were up again preparing for a whistle stop tour of Rotorua's main attractions. 
Our first sight was the Lady Knox Geyser which we were able to see erupting; in order to set it off they pour soap in the top as was apparently discovered when prisoners used it to wash their clothes.

We were then taken to Wai-O-Tapu thermal park (pictured to the right and above) where the landscape has been transformed by thermal activity. The colours here were phenomenal  along with the sulphurous, eggy smell, which I eventually came to like; I couldn't believe they were all natural.
Next stop was Whakarewarewa, a living Maori village. We started with a lunch of hangi pie and sweetcorn, both cooked geothermally; the corn was placed in a hot spring whilst the hangi pie was cooked in a hole in the ground.

The guide taught us about how the Maoris use the geothermal energy; from bathing to cooking and heating there houses. We also saw the dangers of living in a tectonically active region as the ground opened up under houses and buildings were corroded by the sulfur.
To the left is a picture of me after the Maori demonstration where they danced and sung traditional Maori songs which was great fun.
Back to food again... on the way back to the hostel we stopped off at the 'Fat Dog' for the most amazing hot chocolate and coconut cake, would definitely recommend if anyone happens to be popping into Rotorua!
Back at the hostel it was nice to meet people travelling from all over the world (Chile, Canada, China, Germany, England and America) and get tips on travelling the South Island whilst playing 'Killer pool'.
Spent Sunday strolling around Rotorua and along the lake side in the beautiful weather before catching the amazingly scenic bus back to Wellington, seeing the views we'd missed in the dark of the journey to Rotorua.
I had a fabulous weekend and look forward to more trips like this to come!