Tongariro

At the center of the North Island is a set of volcanoes in the Tongariro National Park, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site.  We spent a day driving around (counterclockwise) the park.  Lake Taupo in the foreground and Tongariro in the distance.

Driving up to the plateau looking back at Lake Taupo.

The juxtaposition of a palm tree and volcano releasing steam.

Tongariro.  Two nights before we arrived in the mountains, there was a large snow that covered the mountain.  Talking to locals, this was the first time the snow was heavy enough to cover the entire top of the mountain.  We were witness to a rare event....and on a cloudless sunny day!

There is a famous hike called the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which was snow covered.  Something to do when I come back during a summer vacation.

Lunch spot with Mt. Ruapehu in the background.  Tongariro, at the north, is the catch all for three peaks.  The middle is Ruapehu.

The southern most peak, Ngauruhoe.

So New Zealand towns love celebrating their specialties with gigantic statues of that item in which they take pride.  This town, settled by Chinese immigrants, is the carrot capital of New Zealand.

The east side of the mountains as the sun set.

That evening, we drove to the town of Napier on the eastern coast of the North Island to stay an evening with a friend of Carlos.  It was the first game of a huge set of matches against rival Australia.  We watched it with locals at a bar.

New Zealand IS known for its sheep.

Carlos' friend John and his family.  He's a urologist from Oregon.  Because there are only 6 urologists in all of New Zealand, one of them went on maternity leave and so New Zealand runs a program to import doctors to fill in when there is a need.  So, that's why they are here for six months.

Our last day on the North Island was spent hanging around Napier with John and then driving to Wellington to catch our 130AM ferry to the South Island.  However, along the way we stopped in Palmerston North (there is a Palmerston on the South Island, I found it on the map!) at the Rugby Museum.

Ok, actually, just the gift shop.  Eleni and Mario have All Blacks rugby's on the way!  Wear with pride.

Why are we stopping at a garbage dump in Palmerston North?

Legend has it that the famed Monty Python star John Cleese once insulted the town of Palmerston North (he called it boring), so the city apparently named it's dump pile after him.  Although the "recovery park" was locked and closed, we could see in the distance this pile, which Carlos and I will, in our minds, believe is the infamous Mr. Cleese.

Rotorua

After Hobbiton, we drove just down the road to Rotorua, which is the center of Maori culture.  We attended a evening culture performance/dinner at a Maori center.  We arrived and were asked to wait here at the entrance.  It felt like a Survivor tribal council.

Then we were greeted by a Maori "warrior" who performed to show his fierceness.

And then placed a silver fern as a peace offering to welcome us as guests.

The next hour was cultural as we spent time at different stations learning about Maori culture.  Here are some of the guys learning and performing the haka.

I got roped into a stick game which practiced agility for battle.

Moving inside, we got a performance and explanation of Maori history.

Dinner was cooked in these pits where hot stones are placed and food is cooked inside.

Buffet!!!

The next day, we toured a Maori hot spring village.

The hot water springs provide heat and springs have been known to suddenly appear in peoples yards and homes.  The minerals from the springs cover every surface!

The Maori did not have written language (until the English created one for them in the late 1800's) and so passed down history and tradition orally and with their wood carvings.

They have adopted modern Christianity.....here we have Jesus with Maori clothing!

Maori were also part of the New Zealand troops that fought in both world wars.

Just south of Rotorua, are a couple thermal parks.  I do have to admit, having already seen Yellowstone earlier in the summer, the sites were not as dramatic and the colors, generally, not as stunning.

There is also a geyser that erupts at the same time every day, except it is an "artificial" timeliness.  The park drops in a surfactant (essentially soap) which induces the geyser to spew!

10:15AM every day.

I do have to admit that the green of the Devil's Paint Pot was better than anything I had seen.  Unbelievable!

After Rotorua, we drove west to see the glowworms at Waitomo!  In the caverns below, we took a boat ride in the underground river, looked up and saw the threadlike worms hanging, which at their tip they emitted a blue light.  Entire parts of the cave ceiling glowed.  Stunning!

Hobbiton

Morning sunrise on Day 2 in New Zealand!  This was the view from our camping site.

The highlight of Day 2 was a visit to the site where they filmed the Lord of the Ring series.  When they asked who had not seen the movies, I was one of the few who raised my hand.  The tour guide asked, "Why are you here?"  I apparently have some homework to do.

Regardless, the tour was cool.  And I'll have the reverse reaction of everyone who saw the movie first.  I'm going to watch the moving and go...."oh, that's where I walked!"

This family owned farm was selected by the director and the family asked to keep the set as is.  They are now in charge of maintaining it, although part of the profits go to the production company.  This is Hobbiton...and up top is Bilbo Baggin's home!

To be a Hobbit extra, you could be no taller than 5'4".  They built many different sized doors to provide different scale.

Bilbo's door.  I don't really yet understand the significance of this photo, but when I watch the movies I will.  The interior scenes were filmed on set in Wellington.

Samwise Gamgee's house!