Blogs from Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 4

Breakfast of champions this morning included a sampling of Dunkin Donuts, which happened to be a two minute walk from our hostel and quite convenient. It was a hell of a sugar rush for first thing in the morning, and really not very good. I wouldn't eat Dunkin Donuts back home in California. I was just hoping it might taste better in New Zealand. Oh well. I walked down the street and bought some savory potato pastries to ease the glycemic surge. They tasted ok. We loaded up in our giant van and headed out to the Waiotapu Geothermal Walk. There were various loops you can do but our group did the smaller of the loops. It seemed like it would be the more interesting part anyway. However, first, we were told we had to head ... read more

Today we traveled from Auckland by bus on our way to Rotorua, NZ (Rotorua meaning lake number two in the Maori language). Along the way the the landscape looked similar to the US with cattle and farming land along the highway. There were also many sheep; the tour guide told us there are 6 sheep per person in NZ. I am happy to leave the city as most have told me the beauty of NZ is in the land. An interesting coincidence is Aukland, NZ is on the 36th parallel south while Nashville, TN is on the 36th parallel north. it is summertime here in NZ, but the weather is much cooler than a Nashville summer, being a high yesterday of 72, in the middle of summer. We stopped at the 54 acre Hamilton Gardens, which ... read more

Geo: -38.1398, 176.247This morning, we caught the ferry back to Auckland from Waiheke Island. Then, jumped on a motor coach for a 5 hour drive to Rotorua. (Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, with a population of 660,000. The total population of New Zealand is only 4.5 million, and it is 2.4 times the size of Virginia.)Once we were out of the city and driving through the center of the north island, the landscape reminded me of southwestern Virginia; a lot of farmland and cattle, with mountains resembling the Blue Ridge in the distance. As we got closer to Rotorua, we drove through more dense forests, with large ferns and palms.Rotorua is a geothermal wonderland in the central North Island that is also home to rich Maori culture and heritage. We checked into our ... read more

We spent yesterday in and around Rotorua. Well not much time in Rotorua after McDonalds charged me $9.40 for 2 medium coffees! We toured the redwood forest and walked the trail to see the geothermal area from the backside, saving the $48.50/each to do the tour. Then Bob wanted to get closer so we found an unmarked trail and were within a few feet of the steam, he's such a rebel. So 12 km of walking later we jumped in the car and drove to Murupara, where we camped for the night. Took some pictures, but they are on my phone and it's dead, will load them later. Off to Whirinaki Conservation Park today, making our way slowly south.... read more

Je poste un message pour un shift sur facebook, je trouve Alessia 33 ans, italienne. Je la recupère à Tauranga après une visite des mines d'or de Karangahake On visite LA VILLE DE LA GEOTHERMIE ! et en rentrant de la balade pour voir le geyser, je me fait arreter par la police... très gentille d'ailleurs ici, excès de vitesse 72 pour 50, enfin je suivais la file de voiture... négocier de 80$ à 30$, sont cools les flics ici ! Ce soir première biere dans un pub, 9$ mais quel bonheur !... read more