View from Kitchen Sink

You wouldn't even care if you had to do dishes.

Repeating Sunday

Bob greeted us at the airport with real leis. 

We drove to their beautiful house and took in the stunning view. 

That's Diamond Head in the background. 

Waiting in the VIP Lounge

Well it can be a long wait til a midnight flight but thanks to Vic we're in the Hawaiian Airlines VIP lounge with free drinks 

And an amazing 'snack' buffet. 

Thanks Vic!

Leaving Auckland

Marc picked us up at the bus stop when we arrived in Auckland. We went out for our final dinner. His wife Jo came and joined us. 

We stopped at Countdown to get some pineapple lumps to take home for our Canadian Kiwi - Wayne. And some Jaffa's for Cathy. 

We're waiting to check in for our flight. 

It's sooo confusing because Hawaii is two hours ahead but a day behind. We leave just after midnight so it's Monday, fly for eight hours and Bob picks us up Sunday morning. 

Time travel...

Travel Day

Yesterday, we went to a night market for dinner. It was well attended by the locals. The stall with the biggest line up was this deep fried bread served with slabs of butter - no thanks. 

Today, we take the afternoon bus to Auckland and then make our way to the airport to catch a plane to Hawaii just after midnight. 

It's going to be a long day. 

Hamilton

We're on our way back to Auckland so we can fly to Hawaii but first a quick overnight visit in Hamilton. 

Hamilton is known for its free public gardens. The gardens are large and beautiful and cover garden styles from all over the world. However, it was cold (although sunny) so Vic set a very fast pace with her long legs and we were through the gardens in about 90 minutes. 

We're at the hotel warming up and then going to some night markets. 

Canadian Atop Rotorua

We loved the Skyline gondola and beautiful views of Rotorua. I was inspired to pull out my cape!

Tomorrow we are up early to catch a 8:00 am bus to Hamilton for an overnight stay. 

Up the Chair Lift

The chair lift takes you and the carts back to the top. I thought it was super fun!!!

Luge Track

They have these luge tracks and you can get going pretty fast and they have some very tight corners. 

Skyline Rotorua

Then we walked a short distance to Skyline and took the gondola up to the top of the hill. 

We had lunch at the top and also did some wine tasting. They had a JellyBelly store so we sampled some jelly beans too. 

OGO

The girls went rolling down the hill in these inflatable balls. Once together and then separate and Emelia did her second turn with water inside. 

Vic and I cheered. 

Duck Tour

In the afternoon, we went on a Duck Tour to the three nearby lakes and surrounding area.

We got to take a turn driving when it was in water. 

It looked like Cultus except with palm trees on the mountains. 

More Zipping

The whole adventure took three hours and was super fun! We learned a lot about birds and trees. 

Cayley didn't make it to the platform on one line and drifted back to the middle. The guide had to zip down to get her so she got and extra long turn. 

I highly recommend this activity if you're in Rotorua. 

Coffee Break

We stopped for coffee/hot chocolate way up in the canopy. We here about the birds and pest control (possums, rats, stouts) and conservation efforts. 

More Zip Lining

We went forwards and backwards and the girls hung upside down. 

Zip Lining

This morning we went zip lining through the forest. There were six lines and two rope bridges. One zip was 220 meters - it was super fun. Just the four of us and our two guides. 

Haka

There was singing and dancing which of course included the haka. 

There were glow worms and a sacred bubbling spring. 

The dinner was delicious. 

Mitai Maori Village

Last night we went to a Maori cultural performance and hangi meal which is baked in the ground. 

It consisted of chicken, lamb, potatoes and more!

Bus Ride

Here us the bus we took from Auckland to Rotorua. The girls were concerned about the dress code. See company name. 

Auckland Museum

Then we went through the Auckland Museum which had a lot of information on Maori culture, and lots of information on local plants and animals. 

Tomorrow we take a bus to Rotorua. Stay tuned...

Sea Life

After our helicopter tour, Marc drove us out to Sea Life. 

We saw penguins and sharks and lots of sea life unique to this area of the world. 

Scenery from the Helicopter

That's looking into the crater of a volcano. 

Thank You Wayne

The helicopter ride was sooo amazing!!! Thank you Wayne! What a great surprise! The weather was great and the views were spectacular!  Thank you for arranging everything for us and thank you Marc!

Wayne used to fly for this company and contacted his buddies to take us out - it was just awesome!

Helicopter Tour