I set my alarm this morning for 6am in order to hike the trail to Bridal Veil falls, a 4-story waterfall that is featured in paintings and photos all around the lodge. Sadly, the final steps of the trail was washed out due to rain, so I couldn't get a clear photograph of it, but I got this photo of a smaller waterfall just below it, surrounded by the green of the rain forest.
Then I rushed back to the lodge to get cleaned up before our visit to Te Puia, one of the Maori cultural centers here in Rotorua. We stared with a guided tour of the grounds, which included visiting the arts and crafts academy, seeing kiwi birds, seeing mud pools and geysers, and then watching a Haka and cultural performance. The grounds are full of craftwork, and after our tour was done, we spent more time checking out the geothermal features. We thought we'd spend about two hours here, but we ended up spending over four hours.
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| This geyser erupted for 10 minutes. |
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| Weaving craftspeople. |
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| Woodworking craftspeople. |
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| A traditional food storage structure, elevated to get it off the warm ground. |
Afterwards, we headed back to the lodge for some relaxation time before dinner. S & H hit the hot tub.
Then, one last opulent dinner, and back to the villa for a good night's sleep. We move on tomorrow, south from Rotorua!
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