Blogs from Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 5

Vandaag hebben we genoten van een luie voormiddag. Lees: we geraakten niet uit ons bed :). Daarna gingen we vol goede hoop naar de i-site (toeristenbureau) van Whakatane. We wouden informeren voor 2 zaken: 1. Een bezoek aan White Island, een actieve vulkaan die met gasmaskers te bezoeken is. (volledig afhankelijk van hoe actief hij op dat moment natuurlijk is...) 2. Een boottochtje nemen in de hoop de lokale sperm whales te zien (sperm whale = potvis. Waarom die specifieke naam? Geen idee.) Antwoord: 1. Geen probleem. Kost 200 dollar per persoon. Vonden we een beetje te veel. 2. Die boten varen pas uit vanaf november. Vonden we een beetje jammer. Resultaat: Het enige andere alternatief dat hier te doen is, is een lange wandeling. Vond Ruben heel leuk. Vond ik wat minder leuk. Maar het ... read more

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24thFebruary Tauranga, New Zealand Our first view of New Zealand is the approach to the city of Tauranga past Mount Maunganui on our port side and berthing in the port of Tauranga. Tauranga is the largest city in the Bay of Plenty and is a fast growing metropolis; its port is the largest in terms of gross export tonnage. The city is known for its export of avocados and kiwifruit. In Maori, Tauranga means ‘an anchorage’ or ‘resting place’ and it is believed that the Maoris settled here in the late 12th Century having made the sea crossing from Polynesia. Captain Cook (1879) was so impressed by the agricultural riches when he arrived on the Endeavour he named the area Bay of Plenty. Settlers took land that belonged to the Maoris which led to the ‘Land ... read more

Urlaubszeit! Endlich unser wohlverdienter Urlaub - in diesem Jahr zieht es uns in die wunderschoene Bay of Islands, eine Woche in Whangarei und eine weitere Woche in Russell.... read more

Friday January 3rd, 2014. Volcanic Valley and Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty, North Island, NZ After breakfast we jumped back in the car and returned to WOT. The reason for this is that our ticket from yesterday included a visit to the Lady Knox Geyser which spouts every morning at 10.15 am. We had to leave by 9.00 in order to make sure we were there in time for this daily event. This geyser is not in the main body of WOT, it is located up the road down a side track. We arrived and joined hundreds of others in the queue to park and then made our way through the entrance to the geyser. It was laid out like an auditorium with terraces of seating in a semi-circle around the main attraction, the geyser, which ... read more