On the way, Tom crossed his 2 million mile mark (on Delta) and was rewarded with a special snack pack and note from the flight attendants and his own wings!!

Now we’re both 2 million milers on Delta - which makes us’gold’ forever!

The Commodore Hotel

The Commodore Hotel, just 5 minutes from the airport, is a landmark in Christchurch. Built in 1971, it’s been owned by the same 2 families - now in the 3rd generation. It has a lot of repeat visitors, airline crew, scientists rotating to Antarctica, and of course- people getting ready to go on a Fantasy RV tour.

Tropical Garden at Commodore Hotel

Dinner at Botanica

We found a foodie spot in downtown Christchurch. It serves dinner till 8pm, and becomes a gin bar and dance spot till late night!

Irish Bar

We found the locals at the Irish Bar on St Patty’s night!

Veggies

Cheese

The cheese mongers worked out of a tiny truck outfitted with a tiny refrigerator in the back. But the flavors were anything but tiny! We bought several kinds for the road.

Hot Cross Buns

The bakery truck was a popular place! Dana saw. Hot Cross Buns for the first time, but didn’t get to sample them.

Tasmanian Blue Gum Tree

This massive tree was planted in 1857. It’s labeled as Tree #15 on the NZ “Notable Tree Registry’.

Riccarton House

The museum housed planes from all ages!

Many were military craft. \240

Dave teaching Jill to Fly

Dana as a Helicopter Pilot (in miniature)

Eating at Odeon

We joined Pete and Cindy from our RV group to make a table of 6 - so we could sample the chef’s tasting menu. We dined on sushi (crudo) with grapefruit, clams, toast with white anchovy and shaved \240tuna, salad, grilled portobello, \240veal, braised chicken, red gurnard (fish) and a dessert of salted plum sorbet with dark chocolate mousse in a chocolate tart. We were so full they had to roll us into our Ubers.

Redwood from USA

This park was an amazing place to spend a gorgeous day! The trees were magnificent and representative of species from all over the world.

Massive Begonia’s

The flowers were on steroids! We have never seen begonias this large!

A Living Sundial!

The rose garden was beginning to wane as mid- March is the start of autumn. But, with over 104 species of roses, many were still in bloom. In the middle was a sundial, but the pointer (or gnomon) was missing - so Tom stood in!

There were many picturesque ponds, framed by the boughs of strange trees that captured the reflection from the azure sky.

Swamp Harrier

Eucalyptus Tree.

We found a perfect photo moment!

Hagglund

Upon arrival at the center, we all jumped in a Hagglund, the vehicles that are used to transport researchers around Antartica for a ride through a simulated trek. It was a cross between a roller coaster and a centrifuge and it was fun!

Jill and Dave’s ‘before’ pics!

After the introductory ride, we had a chance to experience a ‘summer’ storm at base camp. The snow is real! So is the cold!

Dave found the snow mobiles a little slow for his liking.

But Tom got his ready to go!

And then the storm hit! The room darkened, the wind blew, and the temperature dropped. It was cool … OK, more like frigid!!

Blue Penquins

After the winter storm, we visited the ‘little penquins’, also known as ‘fairy penquins’ or ‘blue penguins’. The 17 penquins in the exhibit have all been injured in the wild and could not be rehabbed for release. They appeared to be quite content, and we certainly enjoyed their antics.

Māori

We met 3 different types of huskies and their handler. The handler is a Māori from the North Island with traditional facial tattoos. He shared a bit about his culture which includes a reverence for all living things.

The huskies included breeds from Alaska, Greenland and Siberia, which differed in size, coat thickness and density, as well as working purpose. But all of them were well suited to working in cold snowy climates. Today, there are no dogs in Antartica. The last dogs were removed in the mid 1990s in an effort to prevent intrusion of non-marine animals and diseases into the continent.

Alaskan Husky

At the South Pole (Photo Booth!)

USA Antarctic Program

Right across the street is the US Antartic Program headquarters where the US research team organizes its missions before heading down to Antartica.

Mona Vale, with its homestead formerly known as Karewa, is a public park of about 12 acres in the Christchurch. \240The homestead, built in 1899 and gate house are both listed as heritage buildings with Heritage New Zealand. The city purchased the property in 1969.

High Tea

The homestead pantry serves high tea and we got to enjoy this very British experience! For those of us Americans who are unfamiliar with this practice the addition of the word "high" to the phrase "high tea" is believed to differentiate between the afternoon tea that is traditionally served on low, comfortable, parlor chairs or relaxing in the garden and the worker’s after-work high tea that is served at the table and seated on high back dining chairs. Apparently, today, the evening meal in working-class households is still often called "tea" but as working patterns have changed yet again, many households now refer to the evening meal as supper.

Picking up the RV

It took most of the morning for us to pick up our RV, grab some groceries, and make our way 250km (155 miles) to Oamaru.

We all have the same rig, but different things work on different rigs. We haven’t found one where everything works yet!

Tom Driving

The Inside!

It is a whole lot smaller than it seems in the pic!

The Duncan Flat

We stopped for lunch in Temuka at the Monach Cafe and had a lovely relaxing time. But as we left the establishment, we discovered that Dave and Jill’s front tire had relaxed a little too much. \240It was flat ( or ‘flatty’ as it’s called here).

Roadside Service

The rental company provided roadside service, but the spare tire wasn’t adequate for the type of driving we had to look forward to.

Tyre General

Fortunately, it was a short couple of kilometers to a tire store, and after a hour they were able to continue.

Windy App

The second half of the drive was a bit gruesome! We drove through rain and sustained headwinds of 40mph with side gusts to 70mph. \240Dana didn’t get any pictures though - she was holding on white knuckled!

Oamaru Top 10 Holiday

And as we made it through our harrowing first drive the rain slowed and the wind dropped and we settled in for our first night.

But a new study suggests they grow within months to years.

This explains why these \240concretions contain well-preserved fossils of soft tissues that are rarely fossilized under other conditions. In other words - they are ‘alien eggs’!

This one looks like a broken egg with the yellow yolk drying in the sun!

Tom, Dana, Jill, Dave

Freezing on the beach!

A Boulder Emerging From the Bluff

It’s thought that all the boulders found on the beach come from erosion of the 20 - 30 foot bluffs that surrounds the beach. It was surreal to see a perfectly formed spherical rock emerging from the dirt of the cliffs.

Here we are trying to keep \240this one from rolling onto the beach!

Jill’s Beach Shot

Boulders In the Sand

Moeraki Beach

Dunedin

The Dunedin Railway Station

The Dunedin Railway Station is one of the city’s most prominent architectural landmarks. Built in 1906, this Flemish Renaissance-style is made of Oamaru limestone and black basalt rock, giving it a gingerbread house appearance.

The Dunedin Railway Station

This mosaic floor in the booking hall is made of 750,000 tiles of Royal Doulton porcelain.

A View from Above

The Guinness World Records calls Baldwin Street the steepest street in the world, meaning no street gains more altitude in 10 horizontal metres, measured along the street's centreline.

The street's steepness was unintentional. As with many other parts of early Dunedin, and indeed New Zealand, streets were laid out in a grid pattern with no consideration for the terrain, usually by planners in London. In the case of Baldwin Street (and much of the Dunedin street plan), the layout was surveyed by Charles Kettle in the mid-19th century. The street is named after William Baldwin, an Otago Provincial Councillor and newspaper founder, who subdivided the area. \240Of course our group decided to hike up!

Which is Crooked, House or Mailbox?

After a few yards, it became quite steep. Dana had to stop every 50 feet or so to catch her breath.

But … we kept climbing …. and most of our group made it to the top!

… where we had a chance to refresh with water and a rest on a bench before heading back down!

Larnach Castle

William searched the area to build his home sans settled on the top of Otago peninsula where it has wonderful panoramic views of Dunedin, Otago Harbour, the Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean. \240 Approximately 200 men spent three years building the shell of the Castle and then gifted European craftsmen spent 12 years embellishing the interior.

Materials from all over the world were used - marble from Italy, slate from Wales, floor tiles from England, glass from Venice and France. No expense was spared in creating Larnach's dream home! Many New Zealand native woods were also used - kauri ceilings, rimu floors and honeysuckle panelling. In 1885 a 3,000 square foot Ballroom was added. Today, it is used as a cafe where high tea is served!

Piano ca 1870

Our Guide

View From the Top

One of the Gardens

Established in 1876 by James Speight, Charles Greenslade and William Dawson after they had left their positions at Wellpark Brewery(known today as the Tennent Caledonian), by 1880, Speight's won a gold medal at the Melbourne International Exhibition, giving rise to the Speight's Gold Medal Ale brand. By 1887 it had become the largest brewery in New Zealand,

And by the end of the tour, Dana was ready to try a beer … and it was really good!

Alan, Debra and Tom

Tom Enjoying a Speights!

Driving toward the New Zealand Alps!

The drive wound through sheep pastures and apple orchards and wineries and miles and miles of stunning scenery!

Once we arrived in Queenstown, we walked a few blocks to the gondola and made our way to the top of the closest peak, Bob’s peak.

The view of the Remakable Mountain range from Bob’s Peak was spectacular. Just a few weeks prior, there was no snow at the top, but over the last few weeks, the snow had started to settle on the highest peaks. The Remarkable Mountains are named so because they are one of the few mountain ranges to run from true north to true south.

Remarkable Mountains

We got to do 2 luge runs and had time to enjoy the scenery before dinner.

The mechanism for managing the luge run was pretty neat. The chair lift, besides grabbing us, \240 also grabbed up to 3 luge carts to haul back to the top of the run … ready for the next luge!

Luge Life

Steering the luge was easy. Stopping wasn’t too hard either. But getting in and out of these small luges, just inches from the ground, was a bit challenging!

Shotover River

This river is very important to New Zealanders. In November 1862, Thomas Arthur and Harry Redfern discovered about 4 ounces of gold within 3 hours in the area of today's Arthurs Point - close to Skippers homestead. Arthur and Redfern made no secret of their gold discoveries and soon the area was swarmed by miners trying to find their luck. This was the beginning of one of the largest gold rushes that occurred in the Otago province of New Zealand. \240Soon after the start of the gold rush, the miners referred to the Shotover River as the 'richest river in the world'.

The gravel road out to Skipper’s canyon is narrow and treacherous with sheer drops offs of nearly 500 feet! \240 As we entered this forbidding gravel road, we encountered this warning sign.

And they weren’t kidding! The drop off was steep, with no guard rails. Exhilarating!!

Lighthouse Rock

The vistas were spectacular and along the way we learned that two of the rock formations we passed were used in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies. This one and the following are the pillars of the Gates of Mordor.

The movie, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ used many places throughout New Zealand to capture ‘middle-earth’.

Shotover River Canyon

Picture Perfect

The scenery along this canyon has been used for many films including feature films such as MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT, A WRINKLE IN TIME, THE HOBBIT and LORD OF THE RINGS trilogies and X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE.

Skipper’s Canyon Jetboat

This is one of the two jetboats that’s we rode. Ours was driven by Ben, the son of the owner. Their family goes back to some of the original gold miners. They’ve expanded their claim now and continue to live along the river and mine for gold. But they’ve also expanded a bit into tourism.

Here we go!

Jetboating Is Exciting!

Dana Panning for Gold

And She Found One Gold Flake!

The Kawarau Bridge Bungy is the original bungy jump. While none of our group chose to take the plunge of 43m (470 feet) from the historic Kawarau Bridge., we did film a brave soul!

It was thrilling just to watch!

Arrowhead

Arrowtown was established in 1862, along the gold-rich Arrow river, during the height of the Otago gold rush. It consists mainly of a picturesque 19th century street with a number of shops to peruse and the remnants of a Chinese miner settlement.

Chinese Gold Miners Historical Settlement

By \2401876 4000 Chinese miners were picking over ground that European miners had abandoned (not that it stopped the Europeans from howling about race contagion). Almost entirely male (only nine of the 5004 Chinese here in 1881 were women), these hardy, mainly Cantonese migrants built their own isolated little communities such as the one in this pic. \240Few made enough money to return home and most died here, old and racially persecuted. A discriminatory poll-tax on Chinese immigrants was not abolished until 1944. It took until 2002 for the New Zealand government to formally apologize to the Chinese community.

Public Toilet - Star Trek Style

We experienced the most futuristic public toilets in Arrowtown. The stainless steel building at the edge of town houses 8 toilets. Each door has a red led button lit when in use, green if available, and yellow when time was up and it was about to be available. To enter, you tap the green button. The door slides shut behind you with an airlock sound and the lights dim and a soothing sound track with birds chirping surrounds the space. After using the toilet, a sign over the sink informs you that the toilet will flush when you wash your hands. The soap, water and dryer were integrated into the sink and,, yes, while cleaning up, the toilet flushed. A quick tap on the exit button presents \240you, all clean and fresh, to the waiting public!

Brennan Winery

Of course we had to try a winery in this section of New Zealand, best known for Pinot Noirs.

A Typical Dinner

The camp grounds that we stay at here in New Zealand have communal kitchens and we cooked and are several delicious meals along the way … and managed to put away a few bottles of Pinot Noir!

Lake Wanaka

Fantail Falls

We passed many waterfalls, but this one warranted a stop!

Cairns at Fantail Falls

On the rocky river flood bed there were many cairns. Many were built on the rocky floor, but most were stacked on this old tree trunk.

Dave quickly made his own cairn. It will be a memorial of our visit … At least until the next flood!

Periodically we came out of the rain forest to drive along the west coast of New Zealand to view the Tasman Sea.

Walk to Fox Glacier

We passed several glaciers along this drive. and even stopped to hike to the Fox glacier. But it was too foggy to view the glacier.

The New Zealand Rain Forest

The Tasman Sea

We stopped at Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Walk and had a windy walk along the coast to view the limestone formations.

Pancake Rock Formation

The foundations of the Pancake Rocks were formed 30 million years ago when minute fragments of dead marine creatures and plants landed on the seabed about 2 km below the surface.

Immense water pressure caused them to solidify into layers of more resistant limestone and softer, thin, mud-rich layers.

Gradually seismic action lifted the limestone above the seabed where water, wind and salt spray eroded the softer layers leaving a "pancake" like stack of harder limestone.

The landscape looks otherworldly and the surf rushing in made eerie sounds as it crowded into blowholes.

Surf Rushing In

It is easy to see the surf at work creating the unique formations of this part of the world.

Tauranga Seal Colony

Close to our camp site is a beautiful path that overlooks the Tauranga seal colony. We immediately spotted this mom and pup.

Find the Seals

There are around 20 seals in this picture. But they are so well camouflaged they blend in with the rocks and debris. Can you find them?

Buller River

Clouds hover over the Buller river on our morning drive. Most of our drive today will follow this river.

Venison Farm

New Zealand is the only country we’ve visited that raises domestic venison. These deer were happily grazing in a large fenced pasture. The fence is higher than what is used for sheep and cow - because the deer are better jumpers. But the deer really don’t try to escape. They are content to stay and graze.

Buller Gorge Swinging Bridge

We stopped to walk across the longest swinging bridge in New Zealand. At 565 feet above the Buller River, this see-through experience was a fun start to the day!

Chilly Hike

On the other side of the bridge, we walked along evidence of old gold mining among the rocks and learned of the gorge’s formation during the 1911 earthquake.

Spy Valley Winery

We stopped for a mid afternoon wine tasting in the middle of Mahlborough at Spy Valley Winery. It is harvest time and the tasting room was a quiet and tranquil place to spend a bit of time.

Lonely vines

These vines have been harvested, but have not yet turned colors or dropped their leaves - even though it is now fall in New Zealand. Without grapes, they are still resplendent in the sun!

Hydrangeas and Grapes

The magenta hydrangeas grow everywhere in New Zealand. I’ve never seen this color in the US. The manager at Spy Valley had made this arrangement earlier today using hydrangeas and grapes from the property.

St. Clair Winery

We were supposed to put our RVs on a ferry to cross the Tasman Sea to Wellington on the North Island today. But the winds have the sea kicked up too high and the ferries are not running. So we we made the most of it!

Wine is a relatively new crop In New Zealand. Grapes have only been commercially planted since 1973. The grapes that succeed in the Marlborough climate are Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and now there are over 80,000 acres growing 56 million vines. There are 153 wineries in Marlborough and 35 have tasting rooms (aka cellar doors). So we had to get started early!

Our first winery and \240lunch was at St Claire - and it was fabulous!

Hunter Winery

Our second winery was where the start of the commercial wine industry in New Zealand can be traced. \240Hunter’s Wines had been a failure until Ernie Hunter picked up a German tourist hitchhiker who happened to be a winemaker. She told him he was planting the wrong grapes for the terroir. He said ‘if I plant them right grapes, will you stay and help me’ and the rest is history. Today, Hunter’s Wines it’s run by Jane Hunter, a world renowned wine maker and produces award winning Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Rose and Pinot noir.

Among the Vines at Hunter’s

The third winery was Forrest Winery where we were served our tasting by Bridgette Forrest, one of the owners. Both she and her husband are physicians who have transitioned to winemakers- quite successfully, I’d have to say. We had promised ourselves that we were not buying any wine today - but we left this winery with 3 bottles!

Forrest Winery

The logo of Forrest Winery depicts Albert Einstein on a bicycle. Quite fitting, given the owners love of science and biking!

Air New Zealand Turbo Prop Plane

Fantasy RV Tours did a great job making last minute reservations and managed to fly all 35 of us to Rotorua and book hotels and a tour bus for the rest of our stay in New Zealand. We couldn’t all fit on one plane, but we all managed to get there one way or another on various Air New Zealand flights.

Oceania Tour Bus - our ride to the next two weeks!

Huka Falls

Huka Falls

Just before the river reaches \240the Huka Falls, it enters a shallow ravine of hard volcanic rock. The effect is nature's large-scale equivalent of a fire hose feeding into a very narrow ravine.

A Quiet Pool

At the beginning of our river cruise we watched the release of 20% of the river’s capacity through a spillway. This is done 3 or 4 times daily just for tourists. The river mainly travels from there through a 1 km long tunnel to a hydroelectric plant.

The Pool Fills in 3 Minutes!

Huka Falls

About 40 minutes up river we arrived at Huka Falls. They were not very tall, but the amount of water flowing over created quite a current - and the flow was only at 40% on this day!

Siberian Huskies

These racing huskies come from kennels in Duluth, MN and Alaska. Originating from Siberian Huskies, racing huskies are smaller (40 lb) which is considered the perfect size for speed dogs while still retaining their strength.

Getting Ready for the Harness

Geronimo is the lead male dog, son of Timber, for whom the farm is named. \240Currently they have 17 racing huskies. There is very little snow in New Zealand, so most of the training is done in the field pulling a 4-wheeler.

And They’re Off!

8 dogs and a 4 wheeler head off for 2 laps around the track.

Rounding the Corner for Home!

Training Trike

This is a 2-person contraption used for training the dogs through forests. \240The mesh hanging in the middle is used to brake the trike. It drops to drag in the middle and then the heaviest person jumps on it to slow the dogs.

105 degree Tub

Only a few braved the hottest tub. But it felt good for a few minutes. The next tub down was the coolest and the largest tub was 94 - 98 degrees.

Tom Enjoying a Soak

Signs in the reception suggested to wait 4-8 hours before showering to let the minerals from the water soak in. Perhaps we’ll all come out younger, more beautiful, and all of our joints will move better!!

Wairakei Terraces

Wairakei Geiser

Boiling Pot

Waiotapu formed approximately 160,000 years ago. It is covered with collapsed craters, cold and boiling pools of mud, water and steaming fumaroles.

Champagne Pool

This pool has multiple colors, but we don’t think it looks like champagne! \240Unlike the rainbow pool in Yellowstone where it’s colors are formed by bacteria -the colors in this pool are caused by the various chemicals in the water.

Tom and Dana at the other side of Champagne Pool

Roto Karikitea

This lake’s green color comes from the chemicals suspended in it. Today, it was reflecting a neon \240chartreuse green. While no one felt inclined to dip a finger into this water due to the strange color, and the pH of 2 (very acidic)was also a big discouragement.

Green Moss

The moss nearly matched the green of the lake.

Stalactites

Stalactites are formed when water rich in CO2 drops through the rocks of the ceiling. As the drip hangs, the water evaporates leaving calcium carbonate deposits. In the early stages, which may take thousands of years, the formation is a hollow tube. But as the years go by, the tube closes and they become solid.

Cave Curtains

These cave curtains were streaked with iron oxide deposits giving it the look of bacon slabs hanging from the ceiling.

Cave Curtain

These formations,called curtains or veils, are created when water runs down along a curved wall.

Glow Worms

Arachnocampa luminosa, a glowworm species found exclusively in New Zealand, resides in this cave. Glowworms are not actually worms, but the larvae of fungus gnats, an insect that looks like a mosquito. There are two types of fungus gnats – those that feed on fungi like mushrooms, and those that are carnivorous and feed on other smaller insects. The glowworms in New Zealand and Australia are the larvae of the carnivorous fungus gnats. They remain in this larvae state for 9 months, weaving 10 to 70 sticky silk strings to capture flying insects for their meal. Their bioluminescence, glowing blue in the blackness of the cave, attracts the insects.

Fossilized Clam Shell

There have been several sea fossils found in \240the cave. Clam and oyster shells as well as whales bone fistula have been found among the caves in the north island.

A Hobbit Hole

The original set for the first Lord off the Rings movie was temporary and was removed after the filming. But so many people wanted to visit the set, that when the Hobbit movies began film production in 2010, the construction process was more permanent.

The sign directing us to the movie set states ‘tourist farm’. But there were so many people there, we don’t think they need to grow any more! \240The movie set has over 600,000 visitors each year! \240Some of us were concerned that this would be a ‘hokie’’ tour, but it was actually a very nice stroll with a ton of information about how the setting was discovered, why it was chosen, and how it was made into a set and later into a tourist attraction.

The land for the set is owned by the Alexander family who moved to the 500-hectare (1,200-acre) property of rolling grassland where the set is located in 1978. Since then it has been a livestock ranch with 13,000 sheep and 300 Angus beef cattle. The main sources of income from farming are mutton, wool and beef as well as income from the set rental and now tourism.

Tom and Dana in a Hobbit Hole

While this Hobbit Hole was large enough for Tom and Dana, most of the ones on set were sized for a half-size Hobbit. Peter Jackson, the director of the movies and the creator of much of the special effects, used a traditional Forced Perspective technique to create the illusion of one actor being smaller than the other. This included different-sized props (chairs, mugs, etc.) and carefully positioning a character such as Frodo in relation to another of regular stature, giving the impression that two similarly-sized actors were actually of vastly differing heights.

Bilbo Baggin’s Home

The more affluent hobbits lived at the top of the hill. Bilbo Baggin’s home is featured in several movies - always with an oak tree growing above it. But the oak tree is fake! \240It’s the only fake tree on the set and trunk is wire mesh with cement bark and the 500,000 leaves are made of silicon. Still, if we hadn’t been told, I don’t think we could have differentiated it from all the live trees on the property!

The Baker

Each Hobbit Hole on the set represented different everyday life activities. This is the baker, but there was also a bee keeper, a fishmonger, a gardener, an apothecary, and a town drunk!

The Green Dragon

This local watering hole is featured in several films. We were pleased to find it open and serving beer and cider at the end of our tour!

Inside the Green Dragon

The beer was real but the cakes were fake. Still it lent an air of being a part of everyday life in Hobbiton.

AirBnB

This structure was built across the bridge from the Green Dragon as accommodations for guests. Sponsored by AirBnb, the first guests must have been quite demanding. Only 3 reservations were ever accepted!

Tom, Dana, Dave and Jill

Many Different Breeds of Sheep

At the Agrodome, we learned much about sheep! All these sheep were off the side of the stage for us too meet and greet. They were a bit smelly, but seemed tame enough. Then the show began and the host announced each sheep breed and each one ran to his position in the pyramid. ( It helps that there was food in the tray beside their spot!).

Shearing the Sheep

There are sheep bred for wool and sheep bred for meat - and some bred for both. But regardless of what the sheep’s ultimate purpose is, they all need to be sheared one or twice a year. Interestingly, once you have a skittish sheep on its back, it will stay perfectly still - which makes the shearing a bit easier.

Removing the Wool

But not much! Our Māori host wasn’t trying to set a speed record. The professional sheep shearers will shear around 300 sheep in an 8 hour day. Since they get paid by the sheep, not the hour, it pays to be quick!

Sheep Dogs

We saw several different types of sheep dogs, called Kuri in the Maori language. The New Zealand header dog move sheep just by staring at them. They are very fast and will herd anything - except cows which just ignore them. Huntaway dogs use their deep bark to drive sheep. \240Backer dogs climb across sheep backs to control the herd. We saw all of them in action!

Boarding the Ferry to Russell - the first capital of New Zealand

Canon

This old canon was first used aboard the Sourabaya, which was determined to be unseaworthy. The ship was broken up in 1840 and the canon was installed to defend the township against a Māori chief. It was unsuccessful, but remains as a tribute to the heritage of Russell, also known as Kororareka in Maori.

Trees Along the Walk

Pompallier House

The house once served as the headquarters for the French Catholic Mission in the Western Pacific. Besides being the oldest Roman Catholic building in NZ, it is also the oldest rammed earth building and oldest industrial building. The building also houses the first printing press in NZ.

Russell Bay

It was a blustery day, but the sailboats rested peacefully in the protected bay.

Dinner at Terra

Back in Paihia, which is a tiny tourist town, but we lucked upon Terra - a chef’s tasting restaurant and were pleasantly surprised!

Cape Reinga Lighthouse

Tane Mahuta

Some specimens grow larger than redwood trees..Tāne Mahuta, also called "God of the Forest", is a giant kauri tree in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. Its age is unknown but is estimated to be between 1,250 and 2,500 years and is still growing. \240It is the largest living Kauri specimen and may be the largest tree in the world.

The trunk is greyish, with a pattern caused by the bark falling off in flakes. The long leaves are bronze when young, and turn bright green as the tree ages. This trees was massive!

Tane Mahuta “God of the Forest”

From here we traveled to the Kauri Museum.

Kauri Perspective

This wall shows rings that display the circumference of known Kauri trees. The largest tree died thousands of years ago and was uncovered in a swamp in the 1800s. The smallest ring represents Tane Mahuta that we saw today.

Kauri Museum

Kauri were mined extensively in the 1800s. Their massive trunks, free from knots, and beautifully finished, was used to make highly sought-after furniture, boats and utensils. Today, the Kauri is protected. But the museum shares much about the tree and the processes used to fell, transport, cut and finish it.

3000 year old Kauri found in swamp

Today, only dead Kauri, the remnants found preserved in swamps, are available to be used to manufacture items.

Kauri Gum

Kauri gum forms when resin from kauri trees leaks out through fractures or cracks in the bark, hardening with the exposure to air. Lumps commonly fall to the ground and can be covered with soil and forest litter, eventually fossilising. Other lumps form as branches forked or trees are damaged, releasing the resin. The gum is used for crafts and there was an entire room at the museum filled with treasures!

Chapel made from Kauri Gum

The Māori called kauri gum kāpia. They chewed it like chewing gum. They used gum to start fires, because it burns easily. They mixed the soot from burnt gum with oil or fat, and used it in moko (facial tattoos). There were incredible art pieces made from the kauri on exhibit, like this chapel.

More Kauri Gum Art

… and these Maori figures.

Auckland

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand - well, actually it’s really the only large city. \240Christchurch is a distant second and charmingly small in comparison. Over 1.6 million people live in this cosmopolitan metro area - which is 30% of the total population of New Zealand.

Sky City

We stayed at the iconic Sky City hotel and casino. The tower, at 1076 feet, commandeers the city skyline.

The Sky Tower offers several arial adventures, and jumping off in a controlled fall is one of them. Our friend, Cindy, took the plunge!

Dinner at the Sky Tower Orbit 360

We had a nice dinner while rotating at the top of the tower!

The Maritime Museum

We spent a couple of hours at the Maritime Museum learning about how the sea factored into the history and culture of New Zealand. This pic is a replica of the canoes that brought the early Polynesian people, who became known as the Maori. This was built and sailed by Maori in the 1980s to prove that they still possessed the old seafaring skills.

The War Museum

The War Museum honored the men and women who fought in various wars in the 20th century. But it was so much more! There were galleries of Māori art and historical items.

The Giant Moa

Now extinct, this flightless bird which was endemic to the South Island of New Zealand was over 12 feet tall and weighed over 500lbs. Nearly twice the size of an ostrich, it was hunted by the Maori and a single bird could feed a family over the winter.

Bones

The large bone in front is from the extinct Moa. The next is from an ostrich. The tiny white bone at the very back is from a chicken. BIG difference!

Kiwi

Approximately the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are the smallest living ratite or flightless bird (which \240also include ostriches, emus, rheas and cassowaries). They are endemic only to New Zealand and have become the mascot of the country. Their existence is in peril, though. Until Europeans came to New Zealand, there were no mammals and no predators to threaten the Kiwi. Today, rats and possums eat the kiwi eggs (and they only lay one egg each mating). The kiwi egg is unique among birds. It \240is about 1/4 of the body size of the kiwi - nearly the size of an ostrich’s egg!

Ancient Māori Carving

This carving travels the world for major events. \240It’s next journey will be to London for the coronation of King Charles III.

Sailing Auckland Harbor

We went sailing on Auckland harbor. There were retired America’s racing boats next to the ones we used, but we didn’t get an opportunity to go out in them.

Dave the Sailor

Still several of us took a turn at the wheel (helm) and no one fell overboard!

Auckland from the Harbor