New Zealand North Island Trip

After leaving the Glow Worm Caves we drove north towards Auckland. We stopped off in Hamilton to take pictures of the temple. We had reservations in Auckland for the night and had to be there so that we could get up at 6 am to catch our tour bus to the Bay of Islands the next morning.

New Zealand North Island Trip

Upon our arrival in Wellington, New Zealand we rented a car, then drove for 6 hours to Rotorua, the tourist capital of the North Island. We stayed at the Westminster Lodge, a quaint bed and breakfast located in hills above the city. We arrived late at night so the people had left the key in the door of our cottage and we went in and went right to bed.
The next morning we were aroused by cows mooing and sounds reminicent of Switzerland. We ate breakfast and soon found out that the people who own the place are excommunicated Mormons who left the Church because of all the changes that were made in the temple ceremony and giving the Priesthood to the blacks. They were nice but did not know what they were talking about.
After breakfast we went into the city and visited the Maori village and Thermal pools. We then left, drove through the town to take pictures on the lake and then headed for the Glow Worm Caves which was our next stop. We don't have pictures of the caves as photography was not allowed.

View of Rotorua from where we stayed.

Our little cottage at Westminster Lodge.

Westminster Lodge. Rotorua.

Westminster Lodge in Rotorua
Maori Village Te Puia

Thermal Pools at Te Pui

Meeting Hall where Maori Dancers performed.

Wood carvings in meeting hall.

Song and dance.

Maori show and dancers.

Doing the Haka.
Wood Carvings

Black Swans on the lake in Rotarua.
Museum in Rotorua.

New Zealand South Island Tour 16-21 November 2008

We began our tour of the South Island by being picked up at our hotel and going to the central bus station where we caught our coach for the first day of our adventure. We then traveled through the county of Canterbury through fields of sheep and beautiful green fields dotted with yellow flowers. We were told that the beautiful yellow flowers were actually weeds that the farmers hated. I thought they were spectacular. Because it is just coming spring, the wildflowers were everywhere and it was very alive with yellow and green splashes of color and white mountain peaks.
Dairy Farm.
Tree Hedges. The paddocks are separated with tree hedges, large rows of tall trees that have been planted close together and then cut to make a hedge.
Beautiful Southern Alps.
Yellow and green everywhere.

Lake Tekapo, our first glacier lake. Note the turquoise color.
Lupin flowers, fields of them.
Monument to the sheep dog. It takes one sheep dog to know one.
We traveled towards Mt. Cook which is the highest mountain peek in New Zealand. Sir Edmund Hilary trained for Mt. Everest on this mountain. Today, however, the weather did not cooperate for us and as we got closer to Mt. Cook Village it started to rain. This picture of Mt. Cook is a postcard I scanned.
Mt. Cook, highest mountain peak in New Zealand
Mountains near Mt. Cook Village.
Mt. Cook Village.
Fileds of lupin flowers and glacier rivers.
Glacier lakes

After having lunch and spending some time at Mt. Cook Village we continued our trip to Queenstown. Later in the afternoon the weather had gotten better and by the time we reached Queenstown the sun was shining.
First bungy jump in the world took place just outside of Queenstown.

Queenstown in situated on Lake Wakatupi which is surrounded by high mountain ranges. It is a beautiful setting. The mountain that Queenstown sits at the base of has a cable car that takes you to the top. After checking in to our hotel and getting situated we walked to the cable car station and rode it up. The view from the top was spectacular.
Lake Wakatipu
Our hotel, the Blue Peaks.
Jay at the Blue Peaks Lodge.
Cable car in Queenstown.
Riding the cable car.
Queenstown from the top of the mountain.
Last Resort Hotel
Beautiful purple flowers.
Shopping street in Queenstown.
Condos and flowers in Queenstown.