Today was our second day in Ratoura, New Zealand. We started off our day with a 7am wake up call. After getting up, and having a buffet breakfast we jumped on an amphibious duck tour boat. To my surprise, the tour was not to go look at ducks. It was a WWII boat/car that traveled on land and water. It took us through the various lakes and mountains so we got to see some pretty spectacular views of Ratoura.

We then went to a jade factory and got to see how jade was made in New Zealand. Jade is a huge part of New Zealand culture. They believe that everyone has a piece of jade just for them. They also told us that the stone ‘speaks’ to the carver telling them what to make it into.  I was amazed at how intricate and long the process was. It was amazing to see how much patience and talent they had to have.   

Next, we hoped back on our bus and headed for a sheep shearing demonstration. Once there we got a chance to go in and play with some baby sheep and see a multitude of different animals. We also witnessed a sheep dog performance and I got to bottle feed a baby sheep!

Finally, we headed off to our last journey of the day, a Hungi performance and dinner. It was absolutely spectacular. We were shown their war dance, and customs. We learned about how they trained their warriors,  the games they played, the war dance of there tribe, and about their history. It was so much fun; I volunteered for every activity there.

We then went to their meeting house where we were entertained by their various dances and songs. Later they served us a typical Hungi dinner witch was cooked underground. It was buffet style with a vast variety of food. It was the best food I had eaten on the trip so far.  Their way of life is so much different than ours and it was so cool to learn about their cultures.

Overall, it was a jam-packed and long day but it was an entertaining and amazing day.