After more than 2 weeks exploring the South Island, we took a ferry from Picton to Wellington. It was a rainy and foggy day so there wasn’t much to see along the way, which was disappointing because we knew that on a clear day the scenery would be amazing. Instead of sitting outside, we found a quiet inside corner and caught up on some reading. The view leaving Picton was lovely and here’s a photo of another ferry with lots of camper vans packed on to the deck. (People love traveling around NZ in camper vans, which seems cost-efficient but is definitely not our style.)
We had mostly gloomy weather in Wellington, so we don’t have many photos to share from our less than 48 hours there. Our activities included walking along the waterfront and visiting Te Papa Tongarewa / Museum of New Zealand. There is a terrific art collection, including many Māori artists, along with various cultural displays about Māori customs. During our time in NZ we enjoyed learning about Māori history and the evolution of the relationship between the Māori tribes and the government. NZ has done better than most countries with its indigenous population, but the historic mistreatment is still abhorrent.
From Wellington we flew to Rotorua. For Hobbit/Lord of the Rings fans, the airport terminal in Wellington has two giant eagles, one being ridden by Gandalf, made by Peter Jackson’s Weta Workshop. Pretty cool.
Rotorua, on the central eastern coast of the North Island, is well known as a geothermal region filled with geysers and hot pools. Our visit to Te Puia included a tour of the Māori Arts and Craft Institute, where we saw woodworkers in action, and a visit to the Kiwi Conservation Center, the only place we saw Kiwi birds -- the symbol of New Zealand. They are shy and nocturnal flightless birds that are difficult to encounter in the wild. The steaming geyser, which is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere was impressive even if we did not see it erupt.
We had one really packed day that started with a soak in the hot pools at the Polynesian Spa. We continued to Waimangu Volcano Valley to walk through the otherworldly landscape created by a massive 1886 volcanic eruption (the volcano, now not active, is in the bottom right photo below), and see the ongoing volcanic activity in the area (yes, the water in the second photo is practically boiling -- really cool). We finished the day on stand-up paddle boards exploring caves with glowworms within. It was a super interesting and fun-filled day. And, since the clouds cleared during our tour, we got our first really good look at a clear New Zealand night, and the amazing stars of the Southern Hemisphere.
On our way to Auckland, we stopped in Taraunga, a small coastal city where we hiked up Mount Maunganui. The very steep climb up was worth it for the views.
As you can see, NZ’s scenery continues to amaze us. We’re almost done with our NZ sojourn, but are already plotting to return soon.
Happy trails,
Shana & Jeff
PS – while in Auckland we watched an amazing documentary on Netflix recommended by my sister about one of NZ’s volcanoes – Whakaari / White Island, which erupted in 2019 and is in the Bay of Plenty, not that far from Taraunga. It was fascinating.
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