Welcome to the North Island of New Zealand, October 30, 2019

Welcome to the North Island. We had a really smooth 3 hour crossing from Picton across the Cook Straight to Wellington, the NZ capital. We planned to only stay one day in Wellington due to a very busy schedule of things we wanted to see. That plan, unfortunately went down the tubes our first evening in Wellington. After we picked up our cases from the ferry we hired a taxi to take us to our rental car facility. By the time we got there the place was closed which left us without a car for the night. The taxi driver willingly took us to our hotel and gave us suggestions about what to do about the car. However, we decided to try and collect the car the next morning. To collect the car meant another expensive taxi ride or a ride on the bus with all our luggage. Gary decided to give the bus a try and leave me at the hotel with the luggage. Gary arrived back at the hotel accompanied by the car around 12 noon which meant we had lost significant time for our travels. So, we decided to skip the east coast and make our way slowly towards Auckland.

The first interesting thing we saw on our journey was a group of older men driving wind propelled 3 wheeled carts. It was surprising how fast the carts could go.

Some of the scenery we passed was very dry and reminded us of Washington State and the east side of the Cascades.

From the dryness and the barren landscape we progressed to mountain tops covered in snow.

In the distance we could see a huge storm brewing and hoped it would be going the opposite way to where we were going. We were lucky, the storm went off in the opposite direction.

An interesting sign seen frequently on the NZ roads. We had no excuse for driving on the right.

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We stopped at Tokaanu Hot Springs.

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I thought the lower photograph was interesting as it is a closeup of the chemical buildup around one of the hot springs.

Since being in NZ we have never seen a white swan. The swans have always been black, which is rare in the US.

Many of the signposts in North NZ have a Maori translation which is very difficult to pronounce.

We stopped at the side of the road for me to take photos of Lake Taupo. The following photo shows a plant very similar to lupines. However, they only came in yellow.

This fisherman was waist high in the cold water and wearing a hooded jacket. Heaven  knows what he was wearing below his waist.

Lovely orange poppies in full bloom.

Breakfast the next morning took us to the Cadillac Cafe for one of the best omelettes I have had in a while. I had a laugh at the sign on the door to the toilets. A penny! You can spend a lot more nowadays.

The photos above and below are of the Tui, a bird that is native to NZ. He was quite cute with the white pompoms underneath his throat.

Huka Falls

Some of the lovely NZ scenery.

 Many of the fields are covered in ridges. We do not know why but will try to find out.

We arrived at Rotorua for a two nights stay. On one of the nights we went to the Tanaki Village for a Maori meal and an interpretation of their culture. We were welcomed by a Maori War Party sporting their body tattoos and pulling faces (bulging eyeballs, protruding tongues).  Apparently, this is how the Maori would attack opponents. I'm afraid the bulging of eyes and protruding tongues would not have scared me, it would have made me laugh. However, the facial expressions were accompanied with war cries which were a little more scary.

The men in the audience were asked to join in the war dance. I do not think Gary looks too ferocious, do you?

Maori dancing with pois and swirling bead skirt. You can just see the facial expression on the woman in the lower photograph.

Part of the evening included a meal cooked in a geothermal hangi-earth oven. The photo above shows the food after it had been pulled from the oven. The meal comprised of lamb, chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, stuffing and fish and it was very good. Dessert comprised of fruit, a pavlova and a choice of custard or fresh cream.
Today, yes I am finally up to date with my blog, we went to Waimangu Volcanic Valley. It was cool when the day started out but it warmed up as the day went on. The valley which was created by a volcanic explosion on Mt Tarawera in 1886 had had no previous surface hydrothermal activity prior to that year. The event completely destroyed all plant, animal and bird life in the surrounding area. The present vegetation has resulted from re-colonisation since that date.

                                                   

I took a walk around the lake and saw some lovely sights.

I really enjoyed seeing the bird life.

On the ride to the hotel from Waimangu we passed an old mail box. I guessed it was old due to the lichen growing on it.

Tomorrow, we make our way to Auckland to see my cousin Corinne and her husband Paul. It has been many years since I have seen her so I am looking forward to the reunion. Auckland marks the last sight we will see before leaving for Los Angeles on Tuesday.