Moving On

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We've been at the Bay of Islands and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where in 1840 the founding document of New Zealand as a nation was signed. This was done with the majority of the Maori tribes along with the British government. As with so many native treaties signed around the world, the Maori people were also subjected to broken promises and their land stolen from them. On the Waitangi Treaty Grounds are both the British house and the Maori ceremonial house, where many meetings and celebrations took place. Both of these facilities are the originals, and have been very well preserved. I was especially impressed by the Maori building with all of the intricate carvings, and the stories each one of them told of their lives long ago. One evening we attended an acting/musical performance with the performers being decendents of both Maori and British. This performance was incredible, and gave an accounting of the timeline of the Maori's history beginning way before any foreigners stood on the shores of this country. We also went on a couple of cruises around the harbor and over to a small island, which is where we experienced the famous Hole in The Rock. We were also greeted by a pod of bottlenose dolphins as they swam and played all around the boat. Unfortunately, with so many people on the boat who just had to get pictures and had no plans to share space with us, we were only able to get pics of the dolphins as they were diving---only got their backs and tails! Now we are back in Auckland where we actually began this adventure, and had time to take a walk around the city. We mostly people-watched, but did visit one of the oldest graveyards in the country. Most of the markers that we could read were from the early 1700s to the late 1800s; of course I took pictures! Tomorrow we are once again on the road as we begin our travels south. We will leave Auckland in the morning and will drive to Rotorua. On the way, we'll visit a working dairy farm and have a lunch of Lamb roast. I tasted a bite of John's one day and quickly decided that I won't be doing that again! Guess I'll be a vegetarian for that meal. Afterwards, we'll press on to the area where the Pohutu Geyser and other thermal pools are located. I'd love to bathe in some of those healing waters for a while; could use some muscle relaxation. We'll be there for 2 nights, and will also tour the Te Puia Thermal Reserve, the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, see mud pools, the thermal valley, and that big Geyser again. Oh, I forgot to mention that we did a horse ride at the Bay of Islands up into the forest. The horses were very well taken care of and fairly attractive. Of course, I was assigned to one of their most "spirited" geldings who likes to be the boss. John got a nice quiet gelding and had a very pleasent ride without incident. Our guide told me that my horse, Hudini, liked to go into the grassy areas outside of the trail, but for me to just keep a strong hand on him and all would be well. Ok, so being the good little student, I followed those instructions keeping the horse on a short rein, and refusing to let him drag me all over the place. Well, I could tell that the "guy" didn't like being told what to do, but really thought things would end well with us. Guess I was wrong! As we were moving down hill, this boy decided to tell me just how angry he really was. John said he actually kicked up his back end a little, then he took off with me down this hill trying to run into the side bushes, all while I"m telling him "whoa" and pulling the reins shorter. Guess that made him even madder, so he never acknowledged my commands and kept his pace down the hill. By this time, I was losing my balance as we were riding in English flat saddles, and weaving side to side. Thought I had it made, but lost my right stirrup and that was "all she wrote." Yes, down I went on the right, banging the back of my head, and pulling my hip a bit out of whack. Needless to say, I was pissed, and slapped Hudini's nose as he bent down to check me out on the ground. So, for the remainder of the ride our instructor traded horses with me, and schooled Hudini the rest of the way back. No worries though, I'm okay with the exception of a torqued right hip joint! You would have laughed your heads off.....

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Comments

[Stacey]

Laughing my butt off
Thanks for the update! I actually did laugh my butt off as I was reading your horse adventure!!!! Of course it happened to you Nana. You get all the rough horse experiences... Glad you are having a wonderful time. I hope the hip doesn't give you too much trouble! Hugs and love, Stacey and family