Today we flew from Rotorua to Christchurch to Queenstown. We were concerned with the flight since Cyclone Lusi struck New Zealand last night! But, we made it with no problem.
Tonight we took a Gondola to the top of mountain overlooking Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu for dinner.
On Friday we went to the Rotorua Museum which used to be a bath house. Some of the techniques they used seem quite barbaric now! The building itself is very beautiful.
Next we went to Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters). We walked through geothermal activity. There were volcanic displays in pools, lakes, steam vents and mineral terraces. We stopped at a Mud Pool next. Amazing to see the mud bubble and pop.
Next was a walk through the Redwoods...who knew there were California Redwoods in New Zealand? They were planted 100 years ago.
Final activity today was the Maori feast and concert. I went onstage to do the Poi Dance
Today we drove from Auckland to Rotorua. We stopped at Hobbiton where they filmed part of The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies. It took 2 years to build the set, 12 days to film and you see it for 12 seconds in the movie! It was fun to see. We also saw them shear a sheep and train a sheep dog.
The drive was through farmland with lots of dairy cows. They sell milk powder to China. They are harvesting potatoes and maize right now. They also raise deer for the velvet which is also sold to China.
Rotorua has lots of thermal activity. We have two steam springs outside our window tonight.
I have very little internet tonight and will have none tomorrow. So pictures will have to wait a couple of days.
We took a bus tour of Auckland today with stops at the Aquarium and the War Memorial Museum. The aquarium had several animals we had not seen before. The War Memorial Museum had an excellent exhibit on Maori carvings. At stop lights, all traffic stops to allow pedestrians to cross from every direction. Then, we went on the ferry to Devonport Island. Check out the bungy ride by our hotel...no we didn't ride in it!
We are staying at the SkyCity Hotel.. The tower is 1076 feet and was built as a communications tower. (The Space Needle is 605 ft.) We ate lunch at the Deli and Noodle Bar. Apparently, noodle bars are something you should try! I had Hoki...a kind of fish and chips that was delicious.
Auckland (pronounced Oakland) is the City of Sails. New Zealand has 4 million people, 30 million sheep and 70 million opossum. Best wool is Merino and possum. Possum is warm, Merino is strong. I was going to buy a sweater, but they were $425!!! Hills are dormant volcanoes. City is built on them. The North Island is surround on 2 sides by the Tasman Sea and the other 2 by the Pacific Ocean.
It took us 27 hours from home to Auckland on a miserably bumpy ride. Air New Zealand is known for their excellent service...and it was! Both meals were excellent as well. Dinner was paprika beef tips with carrots and mashed potatoes with a salad, a roll, cheese and crackers, and cheesecake. There is no charge for movies, drinks, meals, or snacks. It is 6,583 miles from LAX to Auckland.