Bay of Islands

 The last day of our trip we started the drive home stopping a Paihia. Paihia sits at the base of the Bay of Islands, a bay full of islands. Our first stop was the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the comprehensive treaty that formed modern New Zealand was signed. A giant Maori canoe located there is still used for ceremonial occasions.

Then on to the harbor where we boarded a boat for a cruise through the bay to the Hole in the Rock, an open archway through an island outside the bay.

Leaches, Ryttings, Smiths and Hafens on the boat

We cruised through the Hole in the Rock!

Golf at Carrington Country Club

 Elder Brad Smith (the Area Dental Adviser) and I played golf while the rest of the group kayaked and paddle-boarded at a lake. 

Cape Reigna and 90 Mile Beach

We drive a few hours to the very northern tip of New Zealand to the Cape Reigna Lighthouse.

View to the southeast

 

The view to the southwest

On the way back to Karikari, we stop and drive along 90 Mile Beach.

Irene enjoying the drive!

Tour of the northern part of the north island

Starting on Christmas Day, we drove north from Takapuna to the Karikari peninsula where we are staying at an AirBnB with some other couples; Paul & Irene Rytting, Rick and Susan Hafen, John and Linda Leach, and Brad and Sherrie Smith. 

Dinner at Carrington Country Club
front to back
Ryttings, Hafens, Leaches, Smiths

Summertime Christmas!

 Christmas in New Zealand means it is the start of summer!

A sign of Christmas is the Pohutukawa tree blooming its bright red flowers.

All the senior missionaries at the Jaggi's flat to celebrate

Our hosts Elder and Sister Jaggi!

Sister Sherrie Smith (Insta @sherrie.bakes.cakes) always brings the A-level treats!

Takapuna Christmas decorations!

Otorohanga and home

 Leaving New Plymouth we stopped off at a Christmas Village shop hoping for some New Zealand decor but all we found were "Made in China" kitsch. Driving north we saw a sign we couldn't believe and had to turn around, go back, and make sure we weren't seeing things.

(Google tells us that the facial eczema risk here is to livestock, not people...)

On a side excursion to a beach, we saw this on someone's back fence!

We then again drive to Otorohanga but this time we stop at the National Kiwi Hatchery. Kiwi live in underground dens and are only active at night so seeing one in the wild is very, very rare. At the hatchery they have a room that is kept dark in the daytime and lit at night. Kiwi are very territorial so a pretty large area houses a single pair. The female was in the den when we visited but the male was out enjoying his breakfast. It was very hard to see but was bigger than expected. (This photo is of a statute and is not life-sized!; they are about the size of a chicken and are brown.)

We then drove up to the Hamilton Temple.

(photo from a previous trip; there were two weddings when we visited this time, very crowded)

and then home to Takapuna!

New Plymouth

 From the southernmost part of the north island we drive to the westernmost part and the city of New Plymouth. On the way we stop for lunch at Whanganui. As we walk around, we enjoy the vibrant downtown area of this city that has retained a mix of the old and the new.

A modern mural (one of many)

An art gallery in the main square

The peninsula that juts out into the Tasman Sea was formed by Mt Taranaki, an almost perfect volcanic cone. We were pleased that, as we approached the peak, the clouds cleared away giving us a great view.

Mt. Taranaki

In New Plymouth, we stayed at the very nice King and Queen Hotel Suites. Our third floor room looked out over the city's main art gallery.

Taupo to Wellington

We spent the night in Taupo, the town on Lake Taupo. Taupo is home to some large lake trout and fishing is a big deal here. We stopped in Turangi at the National Trout Center, with its interesting museum of fly fishing in New Zealand, a hatchery operation and the chance to throw food pellets at some gigantic Rainbows living in the river (a no-fishing protected area like the spot on the Henry's Fork where we always stop and feed the trout.)

We then drove into Tongariro National Park, the home to three large volcanoes. Our plan was to ride the gondola up the largest of the volcanoes BUT the weather was very windy and the tops of the mountains covered in clouds. We tried to eat at the cafe only to discover that it had been condemned (?). One of the Whakapapa visitor's center's rangers was from a nearby town so we drove on to Ohakune and had lunch at the Utopia Cafe.

We then drove down to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and the third largest city in the country. Fun facts: Wellington is the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed. It is a natural harbor protected on three sides by land and offers beautiful views.

We spend the night at the Raumati "Resort", a nice motel on Raumati Beach and have dinner at the Waterfront, a beach-front restaurant that reminds us both of Half Moon Bay.

The view out to Kapiti Island

The drive to Wellington

Rotorua

Rotorua is the part of New Zealand that has geothermal sites perhaps the second best area for seeing them behind only Yellowstone. Our first stop was at Whahakarewarewa Village, a Maori town located on a geothermal area where the people incorporate the hot water into their lives, using it for cooking, cleaning and bathing.

Whakarewarewa (seen from above, photo mural in the cafe)

Hot springs

A larger hot spring used as the source for bathing water

Our Guide, who was raised in the village

A built-in steamer

The long word at the bottom is the actual name of the village meaning:
"The Uprising of the War Parties of Wahiao"

Our tour included a cultural show with Maori songs and dances and a tour of the village.

We then drove south towards Lake Taupo stopping off at the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, a recent geothermal area formed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

To visit the valley we hiked down towards a lake

The view down the valley (another photo of a photo in the visitor's centre)

But luckily there was a bus ride back up the valley!!

A side trip to Huka Falls