It has been a busy couple of weeks. We shifted houses (again) to a little place on the edge of town. The views are very nice to wake up to. I haven't taken a photo of the outside of the place yet, possibly because since we've moved in it has either been raining or I have had laundry hanging on the front porch. It's basic accommodation but it has a solid roof and a heat pump, both of which have come in handy--it's definitely turning toward winter in NZ.
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| From the front porch of 8 Ouruwhero Rd. |
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| Otorohanga College just across the street and to our left a wee bit. |
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| Ruben's lovely coworker Maria Beltran, MD. She is a long-term locums doc in Otorohanga from Spain. |
The biggest development since my last post is definitely the arrival of Mom and Elaine! They left Chicago Thursday, May 30, and arrived in Auckland Saturday, June 1. They had swollen ankles but were in great spirits when they disembarked the InterCity Coach that brought them to Otorohanga. After showers they didn't even want to nap--they were good to go!
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| Who's happy to see her mommy? |
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| And her sister, too! |
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| First stop in Otorohanga |
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| Elaine decided quickly that she likes kiwis! |
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| Nancy the pukeko in Otorohanga |
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| Mom was intrigued by the cemetery she spied out the window as she came into town so we went back to look. |
We did allow Mom and Elaine to get some sleep Saturday night (Elaine made it to 7 pm, Mom made it to about 8 pm), but following church at St Bride's Sunday morning we packed into our Toyota Yaris and headed for Rotorua, a 2-hour drive. Our first destination was a Maori village that has coexisted with the geothermal activity in its midst for hundreds of years. About a hundred years ago the villagers realized that visitors were interested in how the live with and around their environment and started hosting guided tours. It was a chilly, cloudy day so we could really see the steam rising from cracks in the footpaths and water bodies. The pavement was nice and warm, too!
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| A geyeser. |
Our tour included a Maori culture show, with dancers, a haka (war chant), and some interesting history lessons.
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| Gayle joined in for Maori hokey-pokey. |
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| We were hoping for a hangi meal (cooked in steam over a naturally occurring vent), but they weren't cooking in the village that day. So we went to the Pig and Whistle in Rotorua. Mom and Elaine tried out Speights, the local beer. They approve. |
We stayed at a motor inn call Brylin Motel in Rotorua. This is a great way to travel in NZ. We had a two-bedroom unit with a small lounge, eating area, and basic cooking facilities. We also had a spa pool that wasn't geothermally heated, but the bright side is that the whole place didn't smell like sulphur!
Monday was a public holiday (observance of the Queen's birthday), so we explored Waimangu Volcanic Valley. What a neat place!
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| Mom identifying fern species. |
We decided to take the long way home to go through Taupo, one of R's favorite NZ locations. We had a bit of trouble finding late lunch/early dinner at 4 pm, the time that falls in the gap when most kitchens in NZ are closed (between 2 and 5 or 5:30). We still haven't gotten used to this. We found a great place that was open--Turkish Kebabs. We have discovered that we like Turkish kebabs (served in a toasted pita with salad rather than on skewers) and we were happy to share this find with Mom and Elaine. The restaurant also served hot apple tea, which Mom and I cuddled for warmth before drinking!
We made one more stop before taking on the winding road back to Otorohanga: Huka Falls near Lake Taupo. R and I discovered this spot when we were based in Turangi. We knew that if they were impressed by the waterfalls we say in the thermal areas they would be blown away by Huka Falls. They also thought the winding state highway back to Otorohanga was crazy.
Tuesday was Waitomo Day for Gayle, Muriel, and Elaine. We explored two caves: Rurakuri on foot and a glowworm cave by boat. It's hard to take pictures in caves. And in the glowworm caves photography is discouraged because it disrupts the bioluminescent activity.
Wednesday we went to Billy Black's Kiwi Culture Show. A very entertaining and educational show. We especially enjoyed the possum (Not a creepy US possum) and the sheep shearing demonstration.
The show grounds were just lovely and the sun came out for us!
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| Parting shot. |
