Ha Hei > Uncle Boys > Rotorua
After breakfast we got on the bus and drove to a car park above Cathedral cove. We were to make our own way back to the Hostel by walking along the beach. It was a good walk down to the cove, which was two beaches linked by a massive cave, much like a big ‘Cathedral’. There was a waterfall at the end of one of the beaches and many photos were taken. On the way back we found a camera on a bench, Jonathan and Graham took some obligatory dodgy self takes and left it where we found it as we did not recognize it. After a long walk along the beach we got back to the hostel to be asked by Katie (one of the English chicks) if we had seen a camera on our travels…. DOH! We were able to tell her exactly where it was, and she dashed of to try to find it… good thing we didn’t take any rude photos then!! he he he!
We arrived at a small village and met a half Maori who called himself ‘Uncle Boy’. He jumped on the bus and conducted a fairly irrelevant tour of his local village. We got back to his house where the evening’s entertainment was to take place. He has turned his house into a backpacker’s hostel. He had prepared a Hungi which is a traditional Maori meal of roast meat and vegetables. After we had eaten a local dance group arrived. They performed several traditional Maori songs, dances and their village Haka. Each performance was greeted with enthusiastic clapping and cheering. When the group finished they called for all the men in the audience to go outside in order to learn the All Blacks Haka, whilst the girls remained inside to learn a dance with the poi. This all sounds like great craic, however the blokes looked distinctly nervous due to the fact that in total they numbered two pasty looking blokes from Northern Ireland and an equally scrawny Norwegian. Whilst outside we ran through the Haka again and again with the young Maori boys from the dance group, the more we practiced the more we got into it…indeed we did seem to surprise the Maori boy with our enthusiasm. When it came time to make our entrance we stomped our way in to the main room in line with the other Maori blokes, the atmosphere was great as all the girls went nuts stamping their feet and clapping. We got really into it and pulled of the best Haka of the night. Full on primeval bare chested, tongue out testosterone!! We were then asked to do it again, however it did not compare to the first performance. The blokes then sat down and the girls took to the floor to perform with their poi, swing catch, swing swing catch, and plenty of wiggling of the hips. When all was done everybody was on top form and ready for a top night. So we jumped on the bus for the trip to Rotorua. We booked ourselves into the Hot Rocks hostel and then we all met up in the Lava Bar, and had a rather large one!