Henrik
in New Zealand, September 2001
Chasing rainbows and thermal
eruptions in Rotorua:
Copyright 2001 Henrik Wigestrand. Most of my photos are little
more than documentation of a dull life.
My video camera is the diary.
But sometimes you can't help taking some beautiful pictures. The smoke, sulphur
and bubbling clay in Rotorua
offered plenty of photo opportunities. But when Nature added a double rainbow
just before the disappeared behin the volcanic hills,
I was glad to have my camera at hand. It makes a pleasant memory, considering
that the main visual memory
I have from Rotorua is the image of the World Trade Center collapsing on TV.
Incidentally, I'd bought several
bottles of sparkling wine and Sauvignon in the Big Fresh across Fenton Street
the night before the terror.
"Officer, there was a strange man here with a beard and a strange hat,
who bought lots of champagne to celebrate..."
My motel room
at the Ascot
in Rotorua had a kitchen and a hot pool. I initially assumed that this
would be the highlight
of my stay in Rotorua. Cook my own food and then shrink to a pool prune. With
half a bottle of Lindauer at hand.
The
Maori show and hanga in the Tamaki
village is probably as authentic as an accidental tourist can hope for.
(Click here
to view a Maori culture web site.) If I were a Kiwi, I'd have a lot to say about
the Maoris and politics and culture and all that.
I'll restrict
my comments for the time being to two trifles I found amusing, in my own quiet
way.
First, that when the former cannibals presented their food, dances and songs,
they asked if there were any vegetarians present.
Maybe I was hoping they'd eat them, but there was something about adjustments
to western civilization and commercial requirements.
Secondly, I couldn't resist buying a wahaika at the Auckland airport,
and carry it in my hand luggage. Although it was not authentic and intended
for use, this is a Maori weapon that was once used to "lift the crown"
(as the Maori guide so gently phrased it) off an enemy's skull. The wahaika
does not cause any problems at the security X-ray.
OK, so I know
that these are silly comments, but give me a few years and some more weeks in
New Zealand, and I'll be down there arguing, swinging my wahaika.
With
a sulphurous smile at Waiotapu (but no champagne)
