NomadGirl Travels

Rotorua is one of my favourite cities in New Zealand. It doesn't feel like a city, it is small, and it is loaded with  Māori c ulture - an interesting part of what makes Rotorua so unique compared to the rest of New Zealand. Rotorua is located in the northern central part of the North Island, about two hours north of Taupo. It also serves as the gateway to the Bay of Plenty.  This city is very cool. One of the things that makes it unique is that there is a lot of  Māori culture in the city. I found that when I went to any tourist gift shop anywhere else in New Zealand, standard items would be for sale:  Paua Shells Photographs of famous New Zealand sites, including the Coromandel Tiles with New Zealand icons, including ferns and Kiwi birds Māori   inspired jewelry Hats, T-shirts, Hoodies etc. In Rotorua, it was slightly different. You would find  Māori wood and jade carvings, for example.  Māori masks as well.  Māori  carvings depicting the main figures in the famous l

Fiji time...that is a concept in Fiji where things happen when they happen, if they happen. It's Fiji Time. Whenever.  Fiji time can be frustrating and liberating. You just have to embrace it. However, some things did happen on time - the boat was always on time and meals were always on time. I really liked my short but relaxing trip to the Yasawa Islands. I went to Waya Lailai Ecohaven on Waya Lailai Island, which had good food and hammocks. I went snorkeling there and the coral was just as great as the Great Barrier Reef. The fish were not as good though. The ocean was a royal blue. It was very pretty. I slept a lot, just relaxed and read my books. One morning I got up at 4am to hike up the mountain in order to see the sunrise from the top. The hike was supposed to start at 4:15am. A group of us waited for an hour before the guide showed up to tell us that the hike was cancelled. Fiji time. Since I was up already, I decided to watch the sunrise. Sunrise in Fiji