Day 7 (12/28): Today we go kayaking. Yesterday's cloudy, rainy weather is hanging around but it's good enough for a kayak trip around Lake Rotoiti, a more protected lake nearby. A quick lesson and some fitting has us ready to go. The kayaking is a great way to get close to the wildlife on the lake. We see ducks and black swans tooling around the lake. The lake is rougher than expected but we forge ahead, expecting the weather to fine up. We cross the lake to bask in some sulfur hot pools for a bit. It's time to head for our lunch spot but the wind has picked up, turning it into a challenging paddle. A few tiring false starts sees our group getting divided into people taking a boat ride back to the start and people willing to paddle through the rain and whitecaps back to the beginning. We were the former. The boat ride and lunch were interspersed with rain showers, wind and fine weather, a wacky but not unusual day in New Zealand. The afternoon was spent in town, doing a bit of shopping. The evening we are treated to some traditional Maori songs and dancing, including a haka. The haka is the dance Maori warriors do before entering into battle, it's part intimidation for the enemy and part motivation for the warriors. It was a very interesting performance with some audience participation to add some good-natured humorous entertainment to the event. We finished up with another sumptuous meal.

Kayaking with schnauzers

Haka done the right way

Haka done the wrong way