Realm of Tane

A visit to the Realm of Tane, at Tamaki Maori village is an interesting ride. It starts with a bus trip to the grounds of the village, where we were greeted by the village warriors. Following that we entered through the gates and saw how a village may have been set up, and some of the activities that were carried out there. We moved into a meeting house, where they shared with us powerful haka dances, as well as sweeter songs. We left the meeting house and entered the dining hall to have some food cooked in a traditional hangi. The food is cooked by being buried in a pit with hot rocks. It is a similar method to the Hawaiian Kālua, often used to cook pigs for luaus, and no wonder, as the Maori people originated from that area.

Overall, the experience was fun and entertaining. The meeting house and dining hall we perhaps not the traditional experience I was looking for, but they weren't offensively so. The dancing was the best part. The food was somewhat bland, with the exception of desert, so please, have gravy with your meat, that is where the only real seasoning is.

Perhaps just as entertaining was the ride home, with the bus circling roundabouts while many were forced to sing songs they felt represented their country, whether they be anthems or other. While I was grateful not to have to sing, I was disappointed that the only other Americans chose to sing Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini....a song not on my list of conceivable options.

It appears that since my trip in the fall of 08, the website and the story theme of the trip has changed. I would assume the experience, however, would be roughtly the same.

Phoenician Island

Not far north of Marsala on Sicily lies a shallow lagoon, protected by a crooked finger of land, the Isola Grande. Within this lagoon is a small island called Moxia. This island houses a museum of Phoenician artifacts, and is itself a former Phoenician city. Many areas here have been or are currently under excavation.

We pulled into a dusty parking lot, clearly marked with a sign that said there was no fee to park, and were promptly asked by the men at the booth for 2 Euro. We paid up, and headed over to the small boat that would ferry us to the island. There is a Phoenician bridge that connects to another part of the island, and you used to be able to walk or ride a carriage across, even though it was slightly under water. That's no longer possible, as it has become dangerous.

The first thing that greeted us on the island was this spiny aloe like bush.

Our first stop on the island was to view the museum. Here are displayed items from the island itself, and some from the surrounding areas. Particularly striking was the Phoenician smiling death mask. Phoenician work is distinct from it's Greek counterpart, more stylized and blockish, with the exception of Ephebus of Motya. This statue has a long flowing tunic, and is the foremost item on display.

After that, we headed on a path that took us to most of the numbered sites on the map.

Our first stop was the Casa Del Mosaici. These Mosaics are made from pebbles, placed so that only a narrow edge is shown, the body of the pebble thrust downward. This is unlike any Mosaics we saw elsewhere on our trip.

As we worked our way around the island, we noticed areas where there was almost no vegetation, and all the plant stalks were encrusted with empty snail shells of various sizes.

After that it was on to the cothon. This man made pool, connected to the ocean by a narrow path, may have been used to harbor small boats, or maybe something else. No one is sure. On the opposite side, we saw real live archaeologists at work.

Among other attractions on the island are the north and south gate, and the necropolis.

Finally, we caught a return boat to the mainland of Sicily, and headed north past the salt flats and old windmills in the lagoon.

The hottest city park in New Zealand

The area around Rotorua in New Zealand is still geologically active. We had originally planed on visiting a hot springs area and spa known as Hell's Gate, but due to airport delays and our own jet lag, we didn't have enough time to merit the admission. So instead, we headed to Kuirau Park which is located within the city. This is a city park like no other. Here you can explored some of the geothermal features, and we spending most of our time taking a walk around the steam enshrouded lake. Here's a little info about the lake's history from New Zealand's website:

In early Maori times the small lake in the park was much cooler and was known as Taokahu. Legend tells us that a beautiful young woman named Kuiarau was bathing in the waters when a taniwha (legendary creature) dragged her to his lair below the lake. The gods above were angered and made the lake boil so the Taniwha would be destroyed forever.