DSC_9755.JPGWe stopped at a swing bridge on our way to Rotorua.
Towards the end of October, Eliz & I took about three weeks holiday in New Zealand, having signed up for Haka Tours North-South island adventure tour. This was my selfish birthday present to Elizabeth, and I had insisted despite our busy schedules that we go before the end of the calendar year. We had a terrific time, and met a wonderful group of young people who had also signed on. (While Haka assured us we wouldn't be the oldest ones on our tour, we had at least a quarter century on all of them.)
Between us, we took almost 3000 photos, which I've winnowed down to about 750. I've further broken these into 24 pages, which you can jump between more easily. A few of the pages have linked video, or will have when I get around to uploading them.
Page 1, wherein we arrive to Auckland and explore the town and harbor.
Page 2, wherein we meet our tour group and head in the bus for our first destination on the north island, Whtianga.
Page 3, wherein a handful of our group go on a "black water rafting" adventure and check out a glow worm cave.
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We stopped at a swing bridge on our way to Rotorua.
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I’m not sure why it was there, but it offered
a nice view of the river and dam.
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The fern is an important New Zealand symbol, which symbolizes
something important, which I forgot.
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We stopped and played frisbee and goofed around for
a bit. The area is known for its pure water and we filled
our water bottles at a public fountain.
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Next, we took a short walk to the Blue Spring, described
here (so I don’t have to remember anything).
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There were quite a few plants growing in the water,
but I guess that doesn’t affect its potability.
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It is quite blue.
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And clear
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Another group shot opportunity, not to be missed.
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That evening, we attended a special Maori dinner and
performance by the local Mitai tribe.
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This was one of our hosts for the evening.
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They showed us their very pure spring, which probably
came from the same source as the other.
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At first, I thought that was steam coming up, which
led me to wonder why the trout wasn’t parboiled,
but it turned out it was just sand.
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The canoe was pretty cool.
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I was selected as the evening’s "chief"
for our group. The guy next to me was the other group’s
chief. Sadly, there was no competitive event.
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I had to hold a leaf, and say a few thankful words,
which I don’t recall at all.
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Oh, and I had to bump foreheads with the Maori chief.
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He was very impressive, despite the bandaged knee.
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This was our other host, who also liked to drive the
bus multiple times around every roundabout.
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Halloween Scaries
Appropriate to Halloween, we had a nighttime tour of
a Maori village.
Page 5, wherein Elizabeth and I go zip-lining in a native rain forest.
Page 6, wherein we visit the Waiotapu Thermal Park and check out the natural hot springs and Huka waterfall in Taupo.
Page 7, wherein we sail Lake Taupo on a boat that once belonged to Errol Flynn.
Page 8, wherein we enjoy a group barbecue and try our hands at Gumboot Throwing. We arrive to Wellington and enjoy a nice dinner.
Page 9, wherein Eliz and I hike to a view atop Mount Victoria, then check out the Wellington museum and the botanical gardens.
Page 10, wherein we meet the others for some street food and fireworks to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. The next morning, we leave our bus for a ferry ride to the south island. (Just in time as it turns out, since Ronnie lost her rear suspension towards the end and broke down completely when the next group took her over.)
Page 11, wherein we travel to Kaikoura, and Eliz & I swim with some dolphins. We end the day at a nice Haka lodge in Christchurch.
Page 12, wherein we go hot-air ballooning with Yen & Brian, then check out the Christchurch Art Museum.
Page 13, wherein we meet up with our group and head out to Tekapo, where we were all surprised by a snowstorm in the night.
Page 14, wherein we enjoy our first afternoon in Queenstown and take a gondola up to Bob's Peak to be amazed by the view and learn how to luge.
Page 15, wherein Eliz & I are joined by Lauren on a horse trek near Glenorchy.
Page 16, wherein Jon, Brian, and Yen join us in a "canyoning" adventure that was more than we'd signed up for.
Page 17, wherein Eliz & I enjoy a leisurely day on Lake Wakapitu.
Page 18, wherein we drive over a mountain pass to get to Wanaka. The following day, most of us take a hike up Mount Iron. Some of us also go to see "The Lonely Tree"
Page 19, wherein we make a number of stops for beauty on the way to the Franz Josef glacier.
Page 20, wherein some of our group hike to see the glacier.
Page 21, wherein about half of us go on a final group kayaking adventure on Lake Mapourika.
Page 22, wherein some brave singers stand up for karaoke night at the pub. The next day, we stop in Hokitika and see some live kiwi birds on our way to catch the train in Greymouth.
Page 23, wherein everyone but our leader boards the Alpine Express bound for Christchurch, the final destination for the organized part of our trip.
Page 24, wherein Eliz & I have a final day on our own in Christchurch, which we spend wandering in search of good eats and take a ferry to Diamond harbor. We also finally get a chance to check out the Christchurch botanical garden, which is definitely worth the visit.
Page created Nov 27 2017