Spring has sprung here. Layers of blooms. I reckon we need to increase the flower budget in our desert HOA to come even close.
Blentham botanical gardens in full bloom. The tulips were bigger than my fist.
Marlborough Rock Daisy can only be found in this South Island region.
Nikita and Fred are the fourth generation to live on, cherish and nurture the Kaituna Ranges farm in traditional and sustainable ways.
The sheep herding dogs amazed us all as they eagerly obeyed and responded to Fred’s unique whistle (from his lips, not a device!) to herd sheep waaaaay up the side of mountain. In the video below, Donna gets to feed one of the orphaned lambs that the family nurses and cares for until they are ready to join the herd. Ewes often deliver twins, sometimes triplets. In the latter case, Mom can only nurse two, so one is abandoned. Many ooohhhs and ahhhs and sighs accompanied the baby lamb feeding.
Boarding the Odyssey catamaran in Picton.
And we’re off to Queen Charlotte Sound.
Cold, windy, but on the water is Donna and Terri’s happy place today.
Green shell mussels aka green lip muscles ready for the feast.
Mussel Eating at Sea 101.
Yummy, yummy, soon-to-be-happy tummy and taste buds.
John snuggling to stay warm. Yes, Tim Langhans, that’s your hat. Dad’s keeping it safe until California Christmas.
Rotorua on the North IslandDay 8 and 9
We walk high in the Rotorua Redwoods via 28 suspension bridges, 27 platforms. Magical!
Boiling mud at Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve. Whaka for short. We opted for the shorter version and the English pronunciation of the “wh” as it is in the word “what.” In the Maori language “wh” is pronounced as an “f.” ‘Nuf said.In the Whaka Reserve, the Pohutu Geyser did not disappoint.
Traditional ancestral methods are taught in the Te Puia centers for wood caring, flax weaving and jade/bone carving. We were pleased to learn that the bone is from whales who died and washed up on shore. Whew. Phew.
Carved long boat replica of how the Maoris migrated from South Pacific islands.
Onward to Auckland for our last three nights
Photos could not begin to capture the pastoral beauty, contrasts and more shades of green than I could describe. At one point, I told John and Donna that it was like driving through a Barnes & Noble Calendar. (Do they even make one anymore?) Enjoy the other shenanigans easily captured.
Self-explanatory I would hope.
God bless the green screen. Photography was prohibited in the caves.
“God rays” via Photoshop, I believe.
New Zealand’s national rugby team is the All Blacks. The “Experience” was full of heart, connection, legacy and spirit the binds not only the team, but the entire country. John and Terri are just being silly here. Otherwise, we were moved and inspired by the tour.
From the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, Skytower Auckland.
No one opted for the bungie jump. Trick photography was good enough.
We could see our hotel from the tower. They say viaduct, we say harbor.
We end the way we started. Yes, in a bar, but more than that with deeper friendships and memories. L to R: Donna Halker, Janet Breedison Fohr, Bruce Fohr, John and Terri Langhans.
We’ll be back in the USA before we leave New Zealand. Depart Oct. 15 and 8 pm, arrive Oct. 15, 1 pm.
