Te Puia

	One of the spectacular geysers in Tepuia

Back when my parents visited Rotorua you entered a Maori village, wandered around admiring the native crafts, and then moved on to the amazing thermal park where people from the village cooked their food in the boiling pools. Alas, those happy days have come to an end.

Somehow or other the Rotorua Maoris fell out with each other and one faction now controls the village while the other faction controls the thermal park - and a big wooden wall stops visitors moving between the two attractions. And don't think that because you only get to see half as much, you only pay half as much! Admission is a hefty $NZ50 per person - $40 if you're willing to forego a twenty-minute performance of songs, dances and the famous (but not very impressive) haka.

Still having come so far, we felt we had no choice but to submit to the extortion. We brassed up with as good a grace as possible, enjoyed the "cultural performance", and then headed for the thermal park which was as impressive as ever. In every direction the ground steamed and the way was dotted with pools of boiling water or, even more awe-inspiring, boiling mud. The visit culminated with the geyser named after the feathers in the Prince of Wales' crest.