Romanian food experiences disappointed me this time

In this post I am going to present shortly my culinary experiences I have had during my holiday in Romania. I will be talking solely about the experiences I had while eating out, not about the ones eaten home at my family.

My holiday lasted about one and a half weeks, time when I was road-tripping Romania, crossing 14 counties, traveling from Dambovita up to Maramures, and then down again to Dambovita (my home county) from which I went one more time up the country, this time in the eastern part of Romania, in Bacau County.

I traveled all these areas because there were many points of interest (tourism wise) for me, points I have never traveled so far, eg. to the Merry Cemetery, Timisoara, Corvinilor Castle etc. However, apart for this points of interest, food was another goal of my trip. I use to travel for food, and I am very interested in tasting local foods, or just eating out and trying the talent of different chefs or the level of service different places have to offer.

I am quite used with the local food in Romania, but I am still excited about eating out -in Romania- as often as I can, looking for exciting experiences both through the places and service, but also through the dishes.

This time I was pretty disappointed with most of the experiences I have had in Romania; and here starts my story:

Me together with my companions first ate out in Baile Herculane, a touristic destination in the western part of Romania (very popular not long time ago). There we had dinner at a place named Restaurant Pizzerie Cristal; a random place we discovered in the middle of the town. From the street the place looked clean and appealing, with plenty of guests inside, and a menu of interest for me (with grilled trout and the traditional papanasi).

The disappointment started here from the very first moment, with waiters being inattentive at us, letting us stand in the middle of the restaurant without welcoming us or having any kind of interaction with us. After some moments when we waited for their attention, we decided to go to them and ask them. Just then we got a table. That was also the moment when we began to discover more about the places. There was water on the floor but nobody cleaned it, or place a sign of slippery floor. The waiters seemed to be all very uninterested in their guests. Moreover, some of them just used our chairs to support themselves while discussing about their guests or arguing that some guests left the place without paying. Then some of them began a fight with another guest who apparently didn’t received its order for a long time. At a moment I received the food I ordered; grilled trout with boiled potatoes. If the fish was good, the potatoes were cold and not very well boiled. The first positive aspect from waiters’ side came only when my wife received hers papanasi, and the waiter decided to give us two spoons instead of one, since there was only one person who ordered it. At the end of the dinner, on one side, we paid a cheap price for a dinner, but on the other side the food and the service matched the price we paid; both being very low.

The next time we ate out properly was in Timisoara. This time we chose the place that was recommended to us from our hotel’s receptionist. The restaurant is named Casa Bunicii. It is located in downtown Timisoara, and it has a very lovely garden; a perfect place for a dinner in a nice summer evening. Although there were many guests, we managed to get a table without having a reservation. The waiters seemed to be guests-orientated, apart from one of them who seemed very uninterested in working there, waiter from who we had never received back any answer to our requests, so we had always to ask one more time another waiter. Yet, the food was delicious and comes in the right portions.

In Cluj -the next major city we stopped in- we asked the receptionist of our hotel for some recommendations of good restaurants, but we were not able to receive any hint; we were sent however to the historic center of the city, being told that there are plenty of restaurants. It is truth that there are many restaurants and eateries, and after a long walk around them we decided to eat at Bistro Vienna, a bistro with terrace and a menu close to the Austrian menus. However, from the first interaction with one of the waiters we faced the same problems: poor service and extremely long waiting time. The waiter was quite irritated by our questions related to the menu or availability, closing the discussion with a invitation to stay only if we want to wait about 45 minutes until we receive the order. We stayed! We chose a table for ourselves, order and then wait. The drinks came first, and the food came after a long waiting time. I got a portion of Bistro ribs; the food looked ok, but it tasted not very good. The ribs were kind of plain; the cabbage was fade, while the boiled corn was almost sour. Then, the waiter forgot about the portion of papanasi my girlfriend asked for, so I had to go and order it again. When it finally came the waiter realized he had never cleaned our table after we finished the main dish. In the end we paid about 40 euro, and left the place disappointed, wondering whether we’ll find a decent place with a good service or all the places have the same issues in Romania.

Next stop was at Spanata, in Maramures, a place very popular for the Merry Cemetery. After we visited this tourist attraction we head for lunch at Complex Pastravul, a place recommended to us by a local. Complex Pastravul is a guest house somewhere close to the nature. It looks very clean and well maintained with a terrace behind the building and two deer in a small garden in front of it.

The menu is quite exciting with many dishes representing Maramures’s region. I decided to go for a goulash soup, a portion of warm polenta with sheep cheese and scarps, and a lemonade. The excitement was very high, but it was cut off be the news that the waiting time for the food was of about 45 minutes; and it proved to be no more and no less than 45 minutes. The waitresses were running all the directions, but they seemed not to be enough. I saw guests disappointed and leaving, but me, together with all I traveled with, decided…again…to stay. In the end it was all worth it, because the food tasted very good. However, the disappointment remains for the lack of attention businesses pay to services.

One of the best experiences I had, was the coming morning, when I had breakfast in the restaurant of Maestro Hotel in Vatra Dornei. There I had for breakfast food most of you’ll like to have for lunch or dinner: fried chicken livers, and fried cheese. Here the place was clean, the menu was rich, the prices not bigger than other places I was eating before, but the service was very good -at least in comparison with the other places: the waiter was welcoming, polite and customer-minded. The food came in good time, but I have to mention there were not many guests either. However, this was the first place I left tips at a restaurant in Romania, after driving about 1000km and eating in many different restaurants; the tips was worth it.

The last part of my holiday in Romania I spent it in Bacau, my wife’s city. There I use to ate at my wife’s mom -who cooks very well- but it happened to eat out three times. First time I ate at Restaurant Manhattan. There I had a portion of lasagna and the Romanian traditional dessert profiterol. Beside I had a glass of fresh orange juice. The atmosphere was very decent, and the service as well. There was a waitress who behaved nicely, and the food came in good time, especially if compared with the other experiences I had in Romania before. The food was good, though the orange fresh juice tasted a bit “not fresh” and the profiterol was a bit different than what I knew it should be like; moreover, it was very big, more than enough for a hungry man.

The second place I ate in Bacau was Pizzeria Luca. Luca restaurants have spread around Bacau and now they can be found all around the city offering different goods: from pretzels to sandwiches and pizza. I discovered this place by driving by it and it caught my attention with the crowds present on its terrace, and through its appearance: made of wood and clean. The first impression on spot was still not satisfying: we entered the restaurant, passed by some waiters without being greeted or asked anything, reached a reception where the waiter in charge there didn’t even looked at us for about 2-3 minutes although we were just face-to-face. In the end, we were sent to a table, with a cold voice. The waitress who served us was quite professional though, and together with the quality of the pizza we had, we declared the dinner to be ok.

The last dinner out we had in Bacau was at restaurant Piazzetta, located on the way to the town Roman. The place serves as a restaurant and bed and breakfast. From the street it looks just like a big house, but after making few steps the footpath takes you to the entrance in the restaurant, terrace and parking lots. Here I first made a reservation for the dinner, and we arrived there at 19:30. The staff at a first impression was professional. Once we got at our table we had to wait about 40 minutes for the waitress to get our order; at that moment she said that it will take maximum 30 minutes to receive our dishes. In the end it was 2 hours of waiting for the food, and I am not exaggerating. It is the worst experience I have had. It is a pity for the food and the place which both deserve more.

My holiday in Romania ended with a coffee in Otopeni Airport, at a lounge which name I don’t recall. However, although the prices are high -as it usually happen on airports- the service satisfied me very much. The waiter was welcoming, helpful and prompt.

All in all, after all these experiences I had in Romania, I can say I was very disappointed and I believe all the businesses activating in the service and hospitality sector in Romania have to improve seriously if they want to attract more tourists to them. I was surprised unpleasantly by the lack of training of the staff in the restaurants I visited, the lack of personnel and the lack of quality and creativity when it comes to food, situation I met in most of the places I ate.

Next time I will travel to Romania I plan to try some of the restaurants in Bucharest, and I have already higher expectations; based on the experiences I had in Bucharest before leaving Romania to live abroad, but also on the fact that being a capital city there is a bigger diversity and more people with money willing to spend them on quality stuff, including here food as well; so where there is demand for a product or a service, I expect that there are also companies willing to bring that on market.

As soon as I’ll get to visit any of the restaurants in Bucharest I’ll write about it here!

Sol over Gudhjem

Almost all the materials presenting Bornholm as a tourist destination, as well as most of the persons who have been there will tell you that you should try Sol over Gudhjem once you arrive on the island.

This happened to me as well, and honestly speaking it was a fact that I liked, since I am always interesting and wiling to try new dishes at the destinations I visit.

My girlfriend and I traveled Bornholm for about three days, but from the first moment I stepped on the ground of the island I became impatient to get to eat Sol over Gudhjem.

However, on the island, almost in all the urban/rural areas there are big buildings special designed for smocking herring, in particular, and other spices of fish, in general. Yet, the most famous one is the one in Gudhjem; so, together with my girlfriend we decided we wanted to try this dish from the most popular smocking house.

Sol over Gudhjem can be translated in English as “Sun over Gudhjem”; from my knowledge of the Danish language I would even go further and translate the name of the place -Gudhjem- in the house of the God (“gud”=god; “hjem”=house).

The smokehouse is situated in the harbor-central area of Gudhjem, and it is easy to find, since it is in the touristic area of a very tiny village.

Once we discover it, we weren’t surprise to see it was very crowded, because it is a very popular place, as I mentioned before. The place is huge, but is not a restaurant, but more of a fast-food where you wait in line to order, pay and receive a device that bips when the food is ready, moment when the food can be picked up and enjoyed. We followed all the steps of this ordering chain, with the mention that being very crowded the waiting time was consistent as well.

The dish itself is composed of smoked herring, with green salad, chives, onion, radishes and raw yolk, all of them on a slice of rye bread. I am not a big fan of the raw yolk, but once mixed with the fresh salad and the herring, it doesn’t really taste as it is mixed there. It might sound the dish is not consistent, but I would say it is just enough to let you enjoy the area after the meal ;-)!

Yet the Sol over Gudhjem dish can be found and eaten not only in the smokehouse in Gudhjem, but all over the places in Bornholm, even in restaurants. However, I would recommend you eat at least once at a smokehouse around the island.

Bon appetit!

St. Jean Cap Ferrat & Eze village

Two days ago it was the outdoor adventure day. This is because we decided that instead of laying on one of Nice’s beaches we would rather discover more of Nice surroundings. Thus, we decided to visit St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat, and walk around that peninsula.

The place is not far away from the city center. However, we traveled there by bus a it took us about half an hour. There was bus 81 that we took from a station close to Acropolis, and we got off at it last station. The route offers a great scenic view which made us many times want to get off and walk around, but we knew that if we would have done that, we would never get to walk  around the peninsula. So we resisted the temptations and we got off at bus’s last stop. 

From the bus stop itself the view was breathtaking, with the view of the sea with its turquoise spots, many small and large yachts, and the sights of the fancy houses on the hills around this place. Our first stop though was the tourist information. With the tips we got from there we started our walking journey expected to take around three hours. We started with the little peninsula on the left of the main St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula. This little one has two beaches along its coast, and a chapel. However, after passing the first beach, instead of taking the path along the cost we took the road to the chapel, road that is not spectacular. At the chapel, there is not much to do or see -for my taste- only a chapel which is nice to see, but nothing else, and there is no way to continue the rad to the beach, but to walk back to the walking path. Coming back to the walking path, it is quite rocky so you feet would thank you if you have some comfortable, maybe even outdoor walking shoes on, we didn’t have and at the end of the day we had pain in our feet. The walk along the little peninsula was refreshing but nothing spectacular.

When we completed the walk around this little peninsula, we continued the big walk around the St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula. The walk happens in the same conditions as on the little peninsula: rocky path with unspectacular sights. However, after completing about half of this walk, the sights and the walk in general becomes more pleasant. There are still rocks but they become suddenly interesting, with many creeks were one can walk down to the water, great rocks on the sides of the walking path, and towards great views of Nice’surroundings.There were also a place where one could drink water or fill his/hers bottle for the rest of the walk. Moreover, at the end of the walk there is a little beach with a restaurant so one can get some rest and drink or eat something after such a nice outdoor experience.

After we completed the walk, because there was only 2PM we decided to visit the Eze Village. So, we made a short stop at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, after which we hurried to catch the bus 83, not before getting something to eat. I know it sounds as a busy plan, but apart from the visit of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild where we didn’t have time to enjoy everything in a low tempo, we had plenty of time to follow all our plan and to enjoy it in the same time. 

The ride with the bus 83 towards the Eze Village follow the curvy roads up to the mountain, offering some amazing scenic views over the valley and the bay. While in the way up it looks like there is nothing super spectacular, but once at the medieval village of Eze all these feelings are gone because around the little and fancy medieval village, there are plenty of restaurants, hotels and tourists, making the village look like a vivid tourist destination.

The medieval village is very close to the bus station, and it is the main major attraction of this place. Walking along its narrow streets with plenty of restaurants and shops it is a great experience and I would say something that everyone visiting Nice for a holiday shoud do. Moreover, there is also an exotic garden, for which there is a 6 euro fee required. The garden is pretty nice with many different plants and flowers, and with the possibility to enjoy a great view over the bay. Yet, at the time we visited it the weather was not as great as the view might be; there was rain and clouds which hindered the great views of over the bay, or the view of the village. We waited there for a while hoping the weather will turn better, but it didn’t so we decided to take the bus back to Nice. One thing to remember is that there are not so many buses running up to the village, and for example, the last one to go back to nice was at 19:57.

All in all, we had a full day with many kilometers walked, but with great memories and appreciations for the sights we saw. Without having time to enjoy any of the beaches, the walk around the St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the visit of Eze Village can be done in one day if anyone want to do that. If yes, don’t forget the comfortable shoes, camera and enthusiasm. 

Bon voyage!

From Akureyri to Reykjavik in four and a half hours

I have one more story to share from my short Icelandic trip…the last segment of road from the popular Ring Road; last part: from Akureyri to Reykjavik. As I said in the last post. Akureyri is not one of my favorite type of cities but, it it still has its charm, especially when the weather is very nice, as it was in the morning of our day of departure. Actually the weather was a determinant factor that made us book a whale watching tour with Ambassador. The tour takes three hours and it takes you along the longest fjord in Iceland. Beside whales during this tour we got the chance to enjoy the sights; however, we were lucky enough to see four whales swimming very close to our ship. Awesome experience that worth the money. However, after the whale watching tour there was no time left for anything else but jumping into the car and drive to Reykjavik to meet some friends at 18:00. The clock was 13:00 when we left Akureyri.

The road down to Iceland’s capital is not as interesting as there were all the other segments of road until there. Thus, we made very few stops and very few pictures. This was also the first and the only time we had sausages at a gas station as lunch; those sausages everyone talks about on the YouTube videos about Iceland, sausages presented as being delicious and affordable…which indeed are, but I would still choose to have real meals.

As I said no to much activity, just an awesome traffic tunnel some about 50 km to Reykjavik, for which you have to pay to drive through, else you have to make a huge turn to get to the capital.

All in all there were about 290 km which we did in about four and a half hours, arriving in Reykjavik at around 17:30, just in time to find a parking spot and to meet my friends. Keep in mind though that on this route between Akureyri and Reykjavik there are several speed camera, so drive carefully.

This was it my roadtrip in Iceland. Next, in two days actually, I will travel to Nice, in France for a four days relaxation, with no car but lots of chilling moments and good food.

Stay close and enjoy everything you do!

First impressions from first time in Iceland.

I have just stepped on Icelandic land for the first time in my life. It was kind of a dream to visit this destination, since many talk about it using euphoric words and descriptions in regards to its nature in special. So, I managed to set together a couple of free days from work and study, and I took off from Copenhagen direction Reykjavik. I landed last night at midnight, although it looked more like a late evening, because there was quite much natural light outside, which surprised me in some degree…in a positive way because it means that there is more time to enjoy the attractions Iceland has to offer.

Then, there was not so cold…I was expecting to be cold, but even at midnight it was like seven degrees Celsius, with no wind, which for my skin trained in the Danish weather felt not so bad!

This morning me and my wife woke up around half past six planning to have breakfast in Reykjavik and then to do the Golden Circle, with arrival and spending the night at Blue Lagoon, Silica Hotel. However, to find a place where to grab a coffee and something for breakfast seems to be difficult in Reykjavik, even in a Friday. In the end we discovered a cozy place -C is for cookie- and enjoyed a cappuccino with almond milk in a friendly and warm atmosphere.

After consulting the barista from this cafe, but also someone from tourist office, we learned that to do the Golden Circle by ourselves, won’t take more than five or six hours, so we decided to spend a bit more time in Reykjavik and got in top of Hallgrimskirjka to enjoy the view over the city.

At around 11:30 we lest the city heading to Pingvellir’s National Park, from where we drove to Strokkur Geyser and Godafoss. All these attractions are great, especially the geyser and the waterfall. The geyser erupts very often and the eruptions are very exciting and powerful. Godafoss waterfall is also very attractive. We were lucky to get very nice weather and we even had the chance to see a rainbow over the waterfall (although not a big one) which made the sight even more exciting.

As a negative thing I can mention the roads, which on some segments were not very good, but having holes.

The drive took as we expected but, for instance at Pingvellir National Park is nice to have time and walk around the tectonic platforms, so I would recommend to allow more then five hours for driving the Golden Circle, with return to Reykjavik.

At around six in the evening we were at Silica Hotel ready to check in. This hotel is very expensive but I can say it worth every penny. It have  very cool surroundings, great rooms and its own blue lagoon, which is open from 09:00 to 00:00 for its guests.

In top of all these, the weather was great with a lot of sun, no rain and no wind.

We are no looking forward for tomorrow when we plan to drive to Vik and spend the night there.

If you have done this segment (Reykjavik – Vik) and have any tips for things to do, I would be more than happy to hear them, so I won’t miss to much from the amazing Iceland.

Don’t skip in New Zealand: Southern Scenic Route!

I have just done with driving the whole Southern Scenic Route. For the ones who don’t know what this is; or where it is, I can shortly say that is the road beginning in Queenstown and ending in Dunedin; road with a length of about 610 km. Along the route, as the name says it too, there are many natural and cultural attractions. However, for more info, our friend “Google” can help. Moreover, there is also a webpage for this route, http://www.southernscenicroute.co.nz/  !

When I began driving this route I didn’t even know about it; it was only at Te Anau, when I first heard about it, and I decided to drive on it to its end.

The route is magnificent, because it takes you through the great nature and scenery of New Zealand: mountains, sea, hills, cities etc. This also means that driving is more entertaining and requires more attention.

In some segments of the route, the distances are not very big, but it takes time due to the roads: either very sharp curves, or gravel roads. For instance from Invercargill to Dunedin, it takes about four hours and a half, if one wants to stop by most of the many natural attractions on the way, of which most of them are at driving distances on gravel roads.

It is also important to pay attention to the gas level of the car, since in some parts of the road there are long distances between gas stations.

Today, like I said, I’ve driven between Te Anau and Dunedin, and I stop among others at Waipapa Point, Bluff, Purakaunui Waterfall and Curo Bay. The scenery is amazing in all these places. Moreover, I got to see fur seals at Waipapa Point, but there was a very hot day and the seals were laid on the sand, or better said. covered in sand. At Curo Bay the beach is breathtaking: large, golden and fine sand, turquoise waters…still, no seals or penguins as expected. The Purakaunui Waterfall was a bit disappointing for me; it is a small waterfall with nothing spectacular, although it is promoted as the most photographed waterfall in New Zealand! At Bluff, I was to visit the debated southernmost place in New Zealand. There is a sign to mark this fact, and many tourist coming to see it too.

The above paragraph mention a couple of attractions I visited while driving the Southern Scenic Route. These together with the rest of the attractions, good weather, a camera and enthusiasm leads to a great experience. I hope everyone will enjoy it as much as I did.

 

 

 

 

Christchurch – a boring city for tourist!

This is the post ever with no featured picture! It is not a mistake, but it is the effect of my stop in Christchurch.

I knew and I acknowledge the difficult times a region or city has to recover after earthquakes – in this case the big ones from 2012, but the image of the city now, make me doubt about its offerings for tourists even before the earthquakes.

We stay at a hostel located at about 10 minutes walk from the center of the city, so we decided to walk around the center and enjoy the sights. However, from the moment we had a chat with the receptionist, I kinda had the feeling that there is not much to do here as a tourist; the receptionist started -when talking about the city- with the mall, restaurants, and ended with the cathedral; Nothing more. So, once outside the hostel, we headed to the city center. Seeing that nothing interesting appear, we got disappointed but hoped for the best the closer we got to the central area!

However, we got into the center, but there was nothing appealing. Even the streets alone are unappealing and ugly; there were not even as nice as the city centers of the small towns we had driven through down here. So disappointed, we turn back to our hostel, not before having something to eat on Victoria St.

We had planned to spend a bit more time tomorrow in Christchurch, but I have the feeling I have seen enough, so we will have a coffee and then we will hit further south.

Hope the next stop will be as exciting as the rest of the places we have visited in New Zealand before sopping in Christchurch.

Napier: the city with three lookout points!

Napier is a nice city: on the Pacific coast. interesting building design, crowds everywhere, vineyards…and not the last, it has three lookout points. I learned about them step by step: about one I heard from the receptionist of our hotel, about the other one I learned alone, while running, and the third one I discovered while in the way to the one previously mention.

However, the most attractive and the one you dont want to miss, is called Te Mata, and it is about 30 km away from the center of Napier. Even though it seems a long distance away, it takes about 35 minutes by car, but the reward is great: great views all over the region, especially if there is a sunny day. Moreover, if one has time to enjoy it, then it can be a great idea to leave the car at the entrance in the Te Mata Park, and then walk/run to the summit.

The other one is called Buff Peak and it is at about 30 minutes walk from the city center. Many talks about it as a great place to see the surroundings. I didn’t enjoy it so much because the view is limited to the port and the areas surrounding it, nothing more.

The third one, is not far away from the city; only 10-15 minutes walking. The view is also limited due to the vegetation and the constructions. Yet this spot is better than Buff because from here can be seen the beach and a part of Napier, at least.

So, there are many options to see Napier from above, but if you get time and excitment, try all of them, otherwise don’t miss Te Mata Summit.

From Taupo to Napier!

Rain and cloudy today! These have been the two major coordinates of today! Not my favorite ones! In this context we have had to find some stuff to do.

After a great morning running session along the Taupo Lake, we took off to the Wairakei Terraces and Thermal Health Spa. There we spent about three hours. Most of the time spent there was amazing, especially the pools and the massage; the walk around the so called geyser and vegetation is not worth, so save the money!

From the spa we went back to the Acacia Bay, but because of the weather we shot two pictures and then left to the central Taupo for lunch at Piccolo Restaurant.

After the lunch, with the clouds surveying the region we decided to head to Napier. As soon a we set the address on the GPS we learned that there are about 150 km between the two cities. Moreover, we understood that we will drive mainly through the nature since at the exit from Taupo there is a traffic sign indicating that the first petrol station will be after 130 km!!! Our thoughts proved to be true when we found ourselves driving around green surroundings, with interesting vegetation and many slopes and S curves. Even though there was an deserted area, we meet also a police car checking the traffic…to our big surprise.

After almost two hours we entered Napier. The city was threatened by dark and heavy clouds, but they got away with the time. The city is nice, having a special charm due to its architecture and proximity to the sea. We had a walk in the windy and chilly weather and then had dinner at Mister D Restaurant.

Tomorrow we plan to visit some of the attractions in Napier, afterward we’ll travel many km to Wellington. We are waiting forward to this trip.

Whakarewarewa & Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

Today’s ride was a quite short one, with short distances driven back and forth around Rotoura.

First we hit to the central Rotoura to drink a coffee and enjoy something to eat. The state of mind was shaky due to the rainy weather; first day of rain since we arrived in New Zealand, and not the last one!

Sipping from the warm coffee we decided to first head to Whakarewarewa Maori Village. It is at only four km away from Rotoura and we wanted anyhow to visit some Maori villages. The ticket we bought from the iVisitor in Rotoura; if you buy it from there you get a discount of 5 NZD per ticket; with these money saved we paid out coffee ;-)!

Then we headed to the park through the light rain. Rotoura smelt like rotten eggs since we arrived, and the closer we came to the village, the strong the smell was! There is no need to look around you, trying to figure out the reason; it smells this way because of the sulfate; and the closer one came to the Whakarewarewa village, the more will “enjoy” this smell. This is because there are also some geysers apart from the Maori culture. We missed the eventual eruption of any of the geysers, but we saw them and listen to the Maori stories told by our Maori guide. However, by far the most exciting experience was participating to the Maori program. There were sang local songs and danced haka. To my excitement I took part -together with other men from the audience- to the haka dance on the stage. Moreover, anyone had the chance to take pictures with the members of the Maori group.

The Maori show was the last ting we did in Whakarewarewa village. From there we headed to the geysers from Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. Rain again! Not very strong rain but annoying! At the park the rain was very light, however it had an sort of negative influence over the visit, because it affected the view of the beautiful and colorful geysers. No eruption here either; the only one happening here take place at 10:15 everyday; so we missed it. However, the walk around the geysers was exciting. It allowed us to see different and strange geysers with many colours and shapes. The last one we visited was the one that impressed us the most; it is called Devils Bath and it has a great green colour; it is breathtaking, and it is an attraction in itself. The park has also a big diversity of products, and the prices are not bigger than the ones down in town.

Once we finished we had a frugal lunch at the cafe inside the souvenir shop, and then we left the place for Taupo. On the way there we stopped to see the Huka Falls. Amazing place as well, and very close to central Taupo.

The falls was the last touristic thing we did; the rain got stronger and didn’t let us visit much. Tomorrow the weather is expected to be more or less the same, but no matter what we will find something to do; beside we will hit to Napier.

I’ll be back tomorrow ;-)!