October 28th, 2009

Wednesday October 28th, 2009
We got up early this morning to set off to Rotorua which is a town where the Maori people educate visitors about their culture. After the 2 1/2 drive to Rotorua, which Dawn graciously drove, we went to Living Colour which is a flower shop on Rotorua. Nina owns the shop and she is an AIFD, American Institute of Floral Designers, designer who won the 2009 New Zealand Designer of the Year which is the New Zealand cup. The New Zealand cup recipient is one of twenty that qualifies to design for the World Cup. Nina was gracious and offered her insight into her floral business in New Zealand and tips for starting a floral shop in New Zealand. Mom and I then went out to shop for souvenirs for our family back home. The town of Rotorua is in a volcano which results in a distinctive scent of sulfur. Not our favorite part of the trip. We caught up with Dawn and Darrell after Dawn met up with a friend that she has not seen in many years. They took us to Te Puia which is a native village of the Maori people. We went for a tour which included seeing Kiwi birds, education on the Maori people, seeing a live geyser, and participating in an authentic Maori dance presentation. Darrell even played the role of the Chief and we were part of his family. After the presentation we set off for Belinda and Steve's where they decided that we would get "take away" for dinner and we went to bed early.
Cristin