Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ted about and civilised amenities such as croquet lawns and bowling greens. Also here is
the upmarket Polynesian Spa and Ballbusters golf.
Blue Baths
BATHHOUSE
( 07-350 2119;
www.bluebaths.co.nz
; Government Gardens; adult/child/family $11/6/30;
noon-6pm Apr-Oct, 10am-6pm Nov-Mar)
The gorgeous Spanish Mission-style Blue Baths
opened in 1933 (and, amazingly, were closed from 1982 to 1999). If you feel like taking
a dip, the
heated pool
awaits. Ask about occasional
dinner-and-cabaret shows
(from
$80 per person).
Ohinemutu
MAORI VILLAGE
OFFLINE MAP
Ohinemutu is a ramshackle lakeside Maori village (access via Kiharoa,
Haukotuku or Korokai Sts off Lake St, north of Rotorua Hospital) that traces the fusing
of European and Maori cultures. Highlights include the sacred 1905
Tama-te-kapua
Meeting House
(not open to visitors), plenty of steaming volcanic vents, and the historic
Mataiawhea & Korokai Sts; admission by donation; 8am-6pm, services 9am Sun & 10am Wed)
,
which features intricate Maori carvings,
tukutuku
(woven panels) and a stained-glass
window of Christ wearing a Maori cloak as he walks on the waters of Lake Rotorua.
Be respectful if you're visiting the village: this is private land, and locals don't appre-
ciate loud, nosy tourists wandering around taking photos.
HINEMOA & TUTANEKAI
Hinemoa was a young woman of a hapu(subtribe) that lived on the western shore
of Lake Rotorua, while Tutanekai was a young man of a Mokoia Island hapu. The
pair met and fell in love during a regular tribal meeting. While both were of high
birth, Tutanekai was illegitimate, so marriage between the two was forbidden.
Home on Mokoia, the lovesick Tutanekai played his flute for his love, the wind
carrying the melody across the water. Hinemoa heard his declaration, but her
people took to tying up the canoes at night to ensure she wouldn't go to him.
Finally, Tutanekai's music won her over. Hinemoa undressed and swam the long
distance from the shore to the island. When she arrived on Mokoia, Hinemoa found
herself in a quandary. Shedding her clothing in order to swim, she could hardly
