Tourist activities for International Team
September 27 and 28, 2009

The International Team will enjoy some typical Kiwi (New Zealand) tourist activities as they travel from Auckland to Wellington.

Te Puia, New Zealand’s premier cultural
and geothermal experience
Rotorua

At Te Puia, the World Marchers will see demonstrations of Maori arts and crafts, experience Maori cultural ceremonies and performances, and embark on magnificent walks amongst natural geysers, boiling mud pools and volcanic landscapes. They will also see visit the Kiwi house – which is helping save New Zealand’s iconic bird from extinction.

Huka Falls
Taupo

The team will feel the power of the Huka Falls on the Waikato River. Every second up to 220,000 litres of water gushes through a narrow gorge and shoots out over 8 metres beyond to create a beautiful blue/green pool. The river, which is normally 100m wide, is squeezed through a 20 metre wide gorge and over a 20m drop. The name Huka is the Maori word for 'foam', which is appropriate as the falling water and rapids certainly resembles foam, especially under flooding conditions.

Otumuheke natural hot stream
Taupo

The World Marchers will soak in natural hot waters which run from the Otumuheke hot spring into the cool Waikato river providing variable temperatures depending on how far out into the river one swims. Like with many of New Zealand’s treasures, there is no charge to visit and enjoy.

Tauhara Centre

The Peace Marchers will stay the night at Tauhara Centre which overlooks Lake Taupo. Tauhara was founded to create a spiritual and educational centre which would draw together people of differing viewpoints and methods of working, but united in their search for truth and the establishment of goodwill and understanding in the world. "Kotahi tonu te Wairua o nga mea katoa: There is one Spirit that flows through all"

Tongariro National Park

The Peace Marchers will travel through Tongariro National Park, the oldest national park in New Zealand and the fourth oldest in the world. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 25 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites. During the 1800s, large areas of Maori land were being seized and divided up by European settlers. In order to protect the sacred mountains (volcanoes) of Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngaruahoe, Maori Rangatira (Chief) Te Heuheu Tukino IV gifted them to the Crown in 1887 on the condition that they be made into a protected area. This became the Tongariro National Park. Ruapehu is still active and occasionally erupts.

Mokai Gravity Canyon
Taihape

Team members will ride the Gravity Canyon extreme flying fox, feel the thrill of a 50-metre freefall on the bridge swing, or experience the ultimate thrill of an 80-metre bungy – a jump from the bridge with only rubber bands (strong ones of course) tied to their feet to stop them diving into the river way below.

Bungy jumping – a typical New Zealand experience

The most adventurous of the Peace Marchers will do the bungy – a jump from a high bridge with rubber bands tied to their ankles to stop their fall. The Bungy jump was developed into an outdoor adventure activity by New Zealander A.J. Hackett. However, it originates in the Pacific islands, with islanders jumping off towers or cliffs with vines attached to their legs and anchored above to stop their fall. Legend says that it was started by a Vanuatu woman as a trick she played on her abusing husband – daring him to follow her in jumping off a cliff without revealing that she had vines attached to her legs and a tree. She survived the jump. He perished. It was then developed into a women’s ritual to oppose violence against them. Later, men also picked up the practice. Now it is a must-do activity for thrill-seeking visitors to New Zealand.

Lindale agricultural centre and farm
Paraparaumu

Lindale is an agricultural centre and visitor farm where the team will see (and feed) a range of farm animals and sample dairy products made on site (ice cream, cheese…).