Day 7 and 8 Maori History Lesson and trekking the Tongaririo Alpine Crossing, sorta......

Another nice, sunny but cool day.  Two items on the agenda.  First the Te Puia Maori Cultural Center, then the Huka Falls.

The Maori is the indigenous peoples who arrived in New Zealand around 1000 years ago.  Through custom and DNA, all the people of the Pacific originated in the Indonesia area and spread east, north and south for several thousand years with New Zealand one of the last to be 'discovered' and populated.  

The British showed up in the 1800's.  But instead of slaughtering the indigenous,(as we did in the US) the Crown formed treaties.  A few hiccups along the way, but everybody really learned to live together.  Now, 15% of the 4.8 million Kiwi's are Maori, 43% identify as European and 29% as Asian and 12% Pacific Islanders.  A very cosmopolitan country.  I will say, though, that the Maori are the proudest.

Also at the cultural center were fumaroles, mud pots and geysers.  A nice day to study the people and the land.

School groups bring eggs to be hardboiled in this natural 'pot'.  5 minutes and they are ready to eat. 

 

The Huka Falls are unique not because they are so high or wide, but rather, they are so powerful.  The river provides 15% of all electrical needs for the country.  Very impressive.

 

Day 8 takes us to the Tongaririo Alpine Crossing.  We were told this is a 'world-class' trek.  With a shuttle assist you hike 12 miles between two volcanic domes/peaks.  The challenge: the weather.  AND, they just opened the trail two weeks ago, AND someone died there last week from hypothermia!

So, as it turns out, they canceled the shuttle, so we could only hike up one side, then turn around and return.  We almost made it halfway when an ice squall came in with 40+MPH winds, we thought it best to turn around.  Good exercise though, and we survived!  

Before the sudden arctic squall.

 

Before the sudden arctic squall.