Thermal Village

February 15, 2010

Today was an interesting but exciting day. We went into Whakarewarewa Village which is a living Thermal Village. Rotorua is extremely geo-thermal, which means it is basically sitting on a giant fault line and volcano and can and will erupt some day at some time. The village we visited and toured is so amazing it’s almost hard to describe. They use natural hot springs for their baths and to cook. They use “microwaves” which are hot boxes to cook most of their meals. To give you an idea of what they can do, a frozen chicken can cook completely and be falling off the bone in just one hour. Everything in the village is shared between families and there are only 25 families living in the village. New construction is not allowed because of the fragile environment and the environment is so exciting.

There is steam rising from almost every crack or hole in the ground, and although it is sulfuric and has a pretty potent smell, it is still amazing to see. They have huge mud pools where you see just bubbling mud everywhere and it is extremely helpful not only for cosmetic uses but it is a remedy for arthritis and other joint ailments. The effects usually last up to 3 months and then most people return for another treatment. There is a catholic church and an Anglican church in the community and the families were divided many years ago when the chief just chose the left half of those standing around him to be catholic and the right half to be Anglican. It is not a rivalry in any sense and after services, everyone comes together to eat and socialize.

The Maori culture just keeps surprising me every day. Their views about the world and the environment and religion and society are just so fascinating and ahead of their time. Every single person is welcomed and equal no matter your race, color or religious affiliation. As long as you respect their culture, they will respect yours. Also, they don’t have crazy stories about how the fault lines were created, they understand how the world works and how nature will take its course and they embrace that. I was just blown away and the day isn’t over yet. Tonight we are visiting a separate village to eat a traditional meal and see a performance.