Cook in waters fueled by natural geothermal energy
It is a long way to Rotorua from my corner in Maryland, but my love for my only sibling and his wife drew me to this place.
Also, the fact that I love visiting tribes, various native cultures, and far-flung places to see how people live.
My friends in Hamilton, New Zealand being the fabulous people they are, took time off to take us to this bucket list place!
It was exciting to go with my mother and daughter.
Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand
Rotorua is about a couple of hours from Auckland, New Zealand.
A drive that takes you past Hobbiton and the land of The Lord of the Rings.
Rotorua is situated on a volcanic plateau in the north-central part of the North Island of New Zealand.
It is a geothermal paradise featuring, active geysers that spout off once a day at least, boiling mud pools, and sulfur springs.
Tongue Twister Tip: The ‘Wh’ is pronounced as an ‘f’ in English.
There is a living Maori village in Rotorua. We set out one morning to visit it.
As we walked into the village we met our guide who helped us pronounce the complicated name. Whakarewarewa.
Go ahead and try to pronounce this tongue twister.
As we walked into the village, this is what we saw — steam coming out from the center of the earth. Fabulous and ominous at the same time.
Reverence for Natural Environment
The Maori take great pride and revere the environment they live in. They venerate nature and ascribe deities to the mountains, lakes, geysers, and pools.
Tip: When walking around the village, make sure you read and pay attention to the signs. Ignoring them may land you in hot water. Literally.
What I found amazing was that even though the earth seemed to erupt in different places at different times, it is the Maori who adjust their living to nature.
It reminded me of India, the country I grew up in. The tribes, animistic in nature also had the same reverence.
Corn on the Cob — Hanging out in a pool
Our guide showed us how the Maori cook their veggies and other food in preparation for a Hangi meal.
We gathered beside a steaming pool. The water at the top is 96 to 100 degrees celsius but at 50 feet into the pool, was a scalding 285 degrees Celsius (545 degrees Fahrenheit).
They gather the corn on the cob into a mesh-like bag and let it hang over the side walls of the pool for about 15 minutes. Then, Bam! It is ready.
Corn and other veggies take between 10–15 minutes. Prawns, lobster, and mussels take about 5 minutes.
A natural oven in the ground
Next, we walked over to a large box-like structure in the ground. Our guide pulled on the handle of the box and it slid open to reveal a hole with steam emanating from it.
In the hole sat a few foil-covered portions of meat which cooked in the natural steam for a few hours till the meat fell off the bone.
Our guide likened the box to a natural microwave. Talk about eco-friendly!
Traditionally, the families put the meats in to cook around the morning, go to work, and then around 3 pm take it out to put together the Hangi meal.
Hangi Cuisine
Here is a list of favorite Maori foods as well as those items that are on the ‘do not eat’ list.
Maori cooking reminds me of the tandoori oven and other forms of earthen Indian cooking. But more about that later.
Hangi cuisine has a simple earthen flavor. Sometimes they use a cheese sauce with their food.
If you would like to try out a Maori hangi recipe in a crock pot, I have linked one here.
Is there an eco-friendly and sustainable way of cooking that you would like to share?
Comment below.
