Time has flown by really fast in Auckland and its hard to believe that we've covered so much territory and put so many kilometres on the Toyota Camry over the two weeks we've been in Auckland. The photos on this latest posting are all labelled so if you click on the photo, you will be able to tell what is pictured more clearly. The photos in this particular section are grouped from the most recent to the ones taken earlier during our stay in the Auckland area.We've done some more touring of the Auckland area including a visit to a beach on the west coast near the city, KareKare, where the movie, The Piano, was filmed. The beach close to it, Pihau, is one of Auckland's most closely guarded secrets. Our travels have taken us into the Northland as far as the Bay of Islands and the Waitingi Treaty Grounds where the famous treaty between the British and the Maori was signed in 1840. We've also travelled south to the Ruakuri Cave which was recently re-opened in 2005 following extensive upgrades making it much more accessible. The incredible underground caverns at this location were quite dramatic and there are over two kilometres of tunnels well over 40 metres below the ground. One of the most interesting elements of this cave complex is the glow worms which hang tiny webs from the ceiling and glow brightly in the dark.
We've also travelled south of Auckland to the city of Rotorua which is a very famous geothermal area. In that area, we visited Te Puia park where we saw the famous Pohutu Geyser and numerous hot steaming mud pits. It was really fascinating to see steam coming out of everywhere all over the land. Quite a fascinating experience, really. We also enjoyed a cultural Maori show at Te Puia to which Trevor was obliged to be an audience participant after he was randomly picked from the crowd to come to the front. Oh joy, Oh bliss!
In Auckland, itself, we have also enjoyed the Botanical Gardens, the Auckland Museum, the views from the Skytower, a visit to Manerewa High School (Ethni's school), a tour of Dominion Breweries (Gillian's workplace) and the America's Cup Sailing Race.
Photos In Order (most recent first)1. Lorraine at Te Puia Thermal Park in Rotorua
2. Pohutu Geyser in full eruption mode
3. Trevor participates in an ancient Maori ceremony
4. Trevor and Lorraine at Pohutu Geyser in Te Puia Thermal Park
5. Trevor at Te Puia
6. Trevor, Lorraine and Gillian at DB Brewery's bar
7. Trevor above the packaging line at DB Brewery
8. Trevor and Lorraine at the Ruakuri Cave
9. Trevor at Ruakuri Cave
10. Group at Ruakuri
11. Glow Worms bioluminescence
12. Glow Worms up close in light
13. Carbon monoxide detector in the caves.
14. Lorraine with a Maori war canoe at the Auckland Museum
15. Trevor at the Waitingi Treaty Grounds, Bay Of Islands.
16. Wharf in Auckland
17. Trevor's part time job to pay for this trip
18. Lorraine at the Sky Tower
19. America's Cup race photo taken on Auckland Harbour from Andre's boat
20. At Pihau beach
21. Trevor at KareKare beach
22. Auckland Botanical Gardens
23. Shelley Beach
24. Macadamia Nut shells at the plantation
25. Macadamia nuts growing on a tree.
26. Lorraine along the highway north of Auckland.
27. Trevor and Lorraine at Savage Memorial Park
