New Zeland - North Island

Kia Ora or greetings from New Zealand! In October 2000, we took Qantas Airlines to start our three week Australia Pacific Tour.

The first stop is Auckland, which is called the City of Sails. We certainly did see that as there were boats everywhere. The Kiwi’s, as they are called, never let you forget that they have won the "America's Cup".

(Just wait until 2002) ;o) With two harbors, and Mission Bay, there are lots of great photo opportunities. Some of the group took advantage of the casino in the Sky Tower, or in what was called "retail

therapy". I'm afraid I contributed a little to the NZ economy. The exchange rate was so favorable at the present time, we almost "had" to shop, shop, shop. I think most would agree.....Auckland is a beautiful city! Some of the photos were taken high above the city at the Michael Joseph Sawyer Memorial Park and on Mission Bay. The cattle were considered "lawn mowers", and just roamed free to join in whatever activities they

found. One family had a picnic disturbed by an inquisitive animal. I found some unusual trees, one being a Norfolk Pine or

Christianity tree. Its top branch resembles a cross. Another is the Chinese elm tree with all the pretty blossoms. The next day we are off towards Waitomo Glowworm Caves. This is an area of miles of underground caves all with the glowworms, which are tiny larvae, living on the cave ceilings. They snare their prey by dangling filaments of tiny, sticky beads, which trap insects which have been attracted to the light. Its rather an eerie feeling to be sitting in a boat, underground, in total silence, knowing all these little things are just above your head. Unfortunately they don't like flashlights or light in general, so, I'm afraid there are no pictures. Later we arrive

at Rotorua. This is our opportunity to see a Maori Hangi and Concert. The Maori are the pre-European inhabitants of New Zealand. During a dinner we had the first of our many versions of pumpkin soup. <Their pumpkin is not a jack-o-lantern, but

has more of a squash taste> Its delicious! The concert is most entertaining, and we learn about the most famous Maori love story. The Maori make faces to scare off their enemies, however this gentleman doesn't look too frightened. We've also seen that along with lamb, and cattle, there are a lot of domestic deer raised. The meat is called "cervina".

Did you know there were 18 varieties of sheep being raised in New Zealand? I sure didn’t, but found out when we saw examples of each breed at the Agrodome. We also learned about the different dogs used in herding sheep. A mix of Border Collie, Shepherd, Bood Hound AND lab makes the "Huntaway" which is a loud barking dog. The Huntaway and Border Collie makes a "Strong Eye Heading <pronounced heeding> dog. Next we stopped at Rainbow Springs, where we saw rainbow trout and several other varieties. We learned that trout were imported from the USA, and are now being exported back! We also were lucky enough to see a real live Kiwi bird. The Kiwi is only found in New Zealand and is so well camouflaged, it is difficult to see. It took us two trips into the Kiwi house before we could spot it. The picture you see is a stuffed bird. They ask that you not take pictures since the bird is nocturnal and very protected. Being around all these animals did make us hungry, and we wandered around Rotorua and found a very small takeaway shop, which had some of the BEST fish and chips.

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit and spend the night with Ann Marie and John Renshaw. They were very gracious in showing us their beautiful cattle farm. We were even shown John’s brand new milking facility and we got to see lots of dairy cattle. The new milking barn seems very efficient. I can highly recommend doing a "Home Stay" in New Zealand. Not only do you get to meet some new and very friendly people, but if its anything like what we had…..you will be served the most delicious food! Our time was over too quickly with the Renshaws and we had to see the Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve and the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. There are trails winding thru the 500 streaming pools, spitting mud ponds, and amazing geysers. These springs vary from cold to violently boiling. Some are crystal clear, which others plop with mud. Look for the steam in some of the photos. We also saw a reconstructed Maori village with houses, gates, and a meeting house. This center also has a great display of the Maori life and wood carvings, including their school for new carvers.

This was the end of our stay on New Zealand's North Island. We have been staying in some beautiful hotels and eating way too much, but it was all delicious! Soon we are leaving for Christ Church and the South Island. This will be coming next. For more information on our tour, and the hotels we stayed in, please see below.