My diary
Dear Diary
Today we went to the geysers. it was so fun we went to hells gate we went on a native bush walk that had a number of plant species that are unique to New Zealand -like the silver fern. This fern’s leaves are green on top but silver underneath. It is worn as a symbol on all of New Zealand's National Teams uniforms such as the All Blacks and the Silver Ferns netball team. it was really interesting. we also went to the largest hot waterfall in the southern hemisphere. Its temperature is approximately 40°C, which is a nice hot shower. The falls hold a special place for Maori people, in that they were used by warriors to bathe and cleanse themselves of the blood of battle when they returned. The sulphur in the water was very good in that it acted as a salve to the wounds and scratches, that the warriors received at the hands of their enemies. The full name of the falls is ‘O Te Mimi O Te Kakahi’ which is translated into 'the urine of Kakahi'. The reason behind this name is that like all indigenous people, our Maori warriors knew that urine is also a great salve that you could apply to cuts and wounds when you were not able to come to these falls. Kakahi was a noted warrior of Rangiteaorere and hence the name.The other reason why this site is of importance to Rotorua Maori was that the Tohunga or Medicine man for the tribe would bring the new born baby boys to these falls and dedicate the boys to the God of War. This ceremony which was very similar to a Christian Baptism took place in the hollowed area directly below the middle waterspout. thats what dad told me. lastly we went to the geothermal hot pools were historically used to cook food by Rotorua Maori! The most important aspect of this pool, is that it has a constant temperature of approximately 93oC through the year and although it smells of sulphur and is black, the rules are, what you see and smell does not taint the food. When vegetables are cooked in this pool, they end up with a very soft skin due to the natural softeners in the water. If you look closely around the edge of the pool you will see what appears to be a growth of some kind. Most people have heard of or seen sea coral. This growth is the closest thing to land coral. It’s alive and consists of thermophyllic bacteria which is bacteria that likes heat. This bacteria lives on the nutrients in the water and over time the bacteria gets coated with the silica in the water to produce the coral type formation that you see here. This process only occurs in the three pools in this area, as they are have the correct temperature and the correct balance of nutrients. now we are back and really tired. goodnight.
ewilson
19 chapters
16 Apr 2020
Chapter 7
somewhere
Dear Diary
Today we went to the geysers. it was so fun we went to hells gate we went on a native bush walk that had a number of plant species that are unique to New Zealand -like the silver fern. This fern’s leaves are green on top but silver underneath. It is worn as a symbol on all of New Zealand's National Teams uniforms such as the All Blacks and the Silver Ferns netball team. it was really interesting. we also went to the largest hot waterfall in the southern hemisphere. Its temperature is approximately 40°C, which is a nice hot shower. The falls hold a special place for Maori people, in that they were used by warriors to bathe and cleanse themselves of the blood of battle when they returned. The sulphur in the water was very good in that it acted as a salve to the wounds and scratches, that the warriors received at the hands of their enemies. The full name of the falls is ‘O Te Mimi O Te Kakahi’ which is translated into 'the urine of Kakahi'. The reason behind this name is that like all indigenous people, our Maori warriors knew that urine is also a great salve that you could apply to cuts and wounds when you were not able to come to these falls. Kakahi was a noted warrior of Rangiteaorere and hence the name.The other reason why this site is of importance to Rotorua Maori was that the Tohunga or Medicine man for the tribe would bring the new born baby boys to these falls and dedicate the boys to the God of War. This ceremony which was very similar to a Christian Baptism took place in the hollowed area directly below the middle waterspout. thats what dad told me. lastly we went to the geothermal hot pools were historically used to cook food by Rotorua Maori! The most important aspect of this pool, is that it has a constant temperature of approximately 93oC through the year and although it smells of sulphur and is black, the rules are, what you see and smell does not taint the food. When vegetables are cooked in this pool, they end up with a very soft skin due to the natural softeners in the water. If you look closely around the edge of the pool you will see what appears to be a growth of some kind. Most people have heard of or seen sea coral. This growth is the closest thing to land coral. It’s alive and consists of thermophyllic bacteria which is bacteria that likes heat. This bacteria lives on the nutrients in the water and over time the bacteria gets coated with the silica in the water to produce the coral type formation that you see here. This process only occurs in the three pools in this area, as they are have the correct temperature and the correct balance of nutrients. now we are back and really tired. goodnight.
