Saturday 13 October 2012

A Slow Start

This morning we wake to find the weather has taken a turn for the worse and we are being blasted by strong winds and heavy rain.  Once more we question whether we are in New Zealand or Scotland !


We are also not alone in having a slow start as many of the other vans still have their curtains drawn after 9am.

A quick change of plan and we decide to go to the buried village first today.  This is a small village (Te Wairoa) to the south of Rotorua which got buried by the 1886 eruption of the nearby Mt Tarawera volcano.  There is a fascinating museum which explains the history of the village which was a tourist destination to see the geothermal activity before the eruption.  One very interesting thing for Mrs M and myself is the Hinemihi – one of the historic Maori meeting house in the village which was bought and moved to Clandon Park in Surrey which we saw on a recent National Trust visit.


We also have a quick look at some of the outside buildings which have been dug out of the meters of volcanic ash over the last hundred years but don’t hang about long as the weather is atrocious.

We decide to head back to Betty for some lunch and reassess our plans for the afternoon.

Mr & Mrs M
 

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