19th January 2008

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19th January 2008
Today we started heading south in North Island. We left Vern & Annettes house at Mangawhai early, on the start of our journey to Rotorua. On route we stopped at Zealandia for Vernon to approve the purchase of a sculpture. A beautiful one off piece of Terry Stringer's work. Annette took a picture of me looking at a giant Kauri tree with a dog sculpture.
Then we called on Corrie and Patrick Dark in Auckland and had coffee with them. As we last saw them when they were youngsters it was lovely to meet up with them again and hear of their careers and plans for the future. See you in UK one day Corrie and Patrick!
We all witnessed a first for Vern as he sent his first text message ever while we were having a snack in Matamata, a small town in the midst of horse rearing country. Every paddock we passed was full of beautiful thoroughbreds and their foals.
We crossed the Hauraki Plains (dragon country) past the home of Annette's dragons. She has three very beautiful dragon's living at her house made by a lady sculptress in Kaiawau.
We have now checked into the Coachman Motel in Rotoura and been for a walk in the Redwood Forest.The giant trees and tree ferns make the forest a cool and peaceful place to walk. The temperature today has been cooler at about 21 degrees, but it has felt much fresher because the humidity is now much lower.
The town of Rotorua is permeated by the smell of sulphur from the hot springs which lie under the ground and steam puffs up everywhere. Tomorrow we are going to see the geysers and hot mud.
We have just come back from an excellent meal at a Japanese restaurant where Bob tried sushi for the first time.

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Comments

[Lucy, Gran and Peta]

Catching up
Wow, really exciting stuff. Glad to hear you had some rain, its all we've been getting since you left. Gran says I've got moles in the garden, any suggestions for humane mole removal? Oh and Mole came to visit with baby Isobel. Peta says the sculptures look phenomenal, have checked out the website and chosen my sculpture for you to get me for my 40th! Lucy says have to limit myself to looking at the blog cos its in danger of making me book a ticket to join you!

[Corrie]

sculptures
lovely to see you both again too :) Thought you'd like to know that The three building sculptures represent buildings that once stood in Auckland. Apparently there is also some "sophisticated park furniture" "with a hint of art nouveau" created by local artist and silversmith Matthew von Sturmer in the park... I can only assume they mean the park benches.. who knew? :)