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Published: September 27th 2014
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September 22 – Our last day in Auckland was dreary, wet, and cold with a stiff breeze. Pat dropped us off at the rental car agency. Goodbyes are always hard but, in this case, we will get to meet again in another couple of weeks before we leave for Canada.
I was very tired today and had a hard time keeping awake as David drove to Rotorua. (Perhaps it was the three glasses of wine I had last night – a lot for me.) I did wake from time to time as there were fierce downpours and stiff winds blowing much of the way. Later, we learned that there were power outages in much of Auckland after we left. It seems this kind of thing happens when we leave a place; Darwin also lost power for several days after we left. (A tremor in the Force?)
We arrived in Rotorua and found our home for the night, the Tresco B&B. It was a run by an interesting couple originally from China. The best part was the on-site Roman bath that David and I had all to ourselves in the evening as there were no other
guests at the B&B on this day.
September 23 – After eating breakfast and saying goodbye to Frank and Monica, we drove around Rotorua trying to get a feel for the place. We drove up to two little lakes – the Blue Lake and the Green Lake. We tried to go on a hike, but the rain had saturated the ground making the path very muddy. We did have hiking boots, but didn’t want to take our luggage apart in the parking lot. So we decided to try out another hiking trail in Redwood Forest. Although it was wet, it was much less muddy. The Redwood or Whakarewarewa Forest is one of the oldest exotic forests in New Zealand and is a fascinating place just on the edge of the community. Over 170 tree species were planted in the early 1900's, and although many did not survive, there is still a diverse range of exotic tree species and mix of native plants and shrubs.
After our walk, we checked in at our next B&B – the Redwood Bed and Breakfast (how appropriate), and met our wonderful host, Vivian who has a vast knowledge of
the area and was most eager to share. A good B&B can make all the difference in the world, and this one is top-notch. Vivian so 'got us' and provided a host of services that included a great breakfast, ideas of where to visit, and she even booked some of our reservations -- she was like a personal travel agent!
For supper this evening, we strolled around the chilly, windy downtown. We eventually decided on a place called ‘Lovely India’; however, within minutes of being seated, it became apparent that ‘Lovely India’ was much too cold for this Canadian. We quickly said our goodbyes to our startled hosts explaining that we required a restaurant with heat. A little further down the block, we found ‘The Thai Restaurant’ that was somewhat warmer and gave us a nice table with an overhead heater. (I am mystified at the people in New Zealand who remark about Canada being a cold place, and then have no heat whatsoever in their buildings! Canada is cold
outside, but you can always find a warm place
inside!)
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Green Lake
Beautiful