May 10th - Day 4 in New Zealand

             Today we were in the great city of Rotorua and started our day as true tourists. Tourism is their second largest form of revenue. We visited the Agrodome which explains some of the concepts of New Zealand farming. An experienced shearer and shepherd introduced us to the nineteen popular sheep breeds such as the magnificent and huge Merino. He then gave a demonstration of sheep shearing and herding. During the show a few of our group were able to go on stage! Ashley helped milk a cow and Colton and Taylor bottle fed a piglet and baby alpaca.
From there we headed to the Te Puia which is a thermal reserve and the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. We were lucky enough to see the national bird, which is the Kiwi. It is a nocturnal bird so we ended up entering a enclosed room with no photography so we would not disturb the birds. It pretty much is the size of a jackrabbit covered in hair.  We also walked around multiple hot springs which surprisingly smelt worse then a swine barn. Who knew? From there we were allowed to see the Maori carving wood and weaving. It was really interesting to see their skills and how intricate they can be.
For lunch some ate at Macs steakhouse which was owned by a Maori Land Trust Incorporation board member who we would meet with later that afternoon. We however ate at pizza hut which is thankfully similar to the United States. Nice to have some comfort food.
After that we picked up Bob Mcfarlane who was the board member of the Maori Land Trust. He then showed us the region or block that he managed which was over 3204 hectors. This area had three dairy farms, two deer farms and some woodlands. We visited with one of the dairy farmers, David Morell, who had 1500 cows.  The agreement between Bob and David is a 50:50 shareholder. This means that Bob provides the land, pays the taxes on the land, and any buildings on the land. David on the other hand provides the stock, up keep and manual labor. In the end, they split the profits evenly. On arrival to his far site we were welcomed with a small American plane that was used to spread fertilizer and seed on to the various pastures. Amazingly, Cody and Sophie were allowed a short ride, after a very long coin toss battle. Congrats to them. We got to play with the puppies.
Our day ended with the Maori Hangi which is a traditional feast that explains some of their sculptural aspects, such as dances and games. Our chief, of course, was Derek who did a great job of not accidentally starting a fight with the tribe. Before the meal we were given the opportunity of participating in some of the tribe games. There was a chief dance, maiden dance, and various agility games. Lots of laughs and pictures. From there we entered their ancestral house where we witnessed their ceremonial and war dances. Very Very cool!!!! Kinda freaky when they stuck out their tongue and made their war faces! The meal was very good and the group enjoyed the green tiki punch and the pavlova which is a new Zealand dessert made of cream and meringue. Will have to get the recipe for that for sure! To finish the night off, our bus driver led us in songs ranging from wheels on the bus to common songs from each person's home country. We represented America with the song "fishing in the dark" by the nitty gritty band. :)

Happily submitted by Taylor Anderson and Lauren Kill