Page 19 - New Zealand holiday

The geothermal area, known as Te Puia, also has bubbling mud and pools of boiling water still used for cooking. The food is cooked inside boiling water in flax baskets and using a natural steam vent cooker is also a traditional Maori custom. Our young Maori guide took us to all the major sites and she was both informative and very entertaining, telling us about the traditions in her nearby village.