Auckland and Rotorua

Auckland

    The flight was good with very little turbulence.  Since it was nearly a twelve-hour flight, there was plenty of time to sleep.  Once we crossed the international date line, we jumped to December
29.  Since we were able to sleep a fair amount, it wasn't too hard to wake up when breakfast was served.  We landed around dawn and went through customs without problems.  They even let Mom keep her almonds she brought with her.  They had a dog sniffing people's luggage to find produce.  They warned that there were big fines if you were caught bringing food into the country.
    Once out of immigration, we went to rent a phone and to pick up our rental car.  Suddenly Papa figured out that my small bag was never claimed!  I took our baggage claim tags and asked at the information desk where to go.  The elderly gentleman called me madame and pointed where to go.  I was able to find the right place quite easily and the lady behind the counter was very helpful.  She took my tags and after ten minutes or so, returned with the bag!  By the time I got back, the rental car was all arranged.  Papa was in line to get the phone.  In the end, he bought a disposable phone that you can put credit onto when you run out.  It cost NZ$0.89 a minute to call in the country and to call mobile phones abroad, and NZ$2 for an hour to call a land line abroad.    We pulled our luggage out to the parking lot where the rental cars were at.  When I first saw the car we were to have, I had to laugh.  It was a small, yellow Hyundai.  They have very little trunk room.  It was not the same car that they told us we would have when Mom booked it back at home.  At first, I didn't think our things would fit in there.  We had three suitcases, one small bag, a large computer bag and multiple small bags.  Papa looked at it and decided that since one third of the back seat could fold down, we should be able to fit everything in.  Sure enough! 
    The back seat where I sat wasn't too crowded.  We started our drive, using a basic map Mom got from one of our travel books.  We drove towards Auckland, but ow soon we could check in to get cleaned up.  The earliest was 2:00pm!  We were ready to eat again, but it was still morning.  So we decided to get a second breakfast and then figure out what to do with our time until then.  We took an exit that looked promising and drove into a more residential area.  After driving up and down the main road and seeing nothing more than fast food, we stopped at a gas/petrol station to ask directions.  Someone said there was a Denny's around the corner that was open 24 hours a day.  We found it fairly easily, passing two banks on the way and making note of them.  We had thought about exchanging money at the airport, but Papa thought the rate was too low and that we would have better luck in the city.
    It was strange eating in an American restaurant while in another country.  But at least the menu was familiar.  We could relax since it wasn't busy and plan the rest of the day.  We looked through the travel guides and decided to drive from where we were to Devonport which is north of Auckland across the bay.  You can even take a ferry over there; but we decided to drive.  First we had to find out where we were!  We asked the waitress and she said we were in North Shore.
    We left from there and drove back to the bank we past on the way there.  Papa and I went inside.  The teller was very friendly.  When she told Papa the exchange rate, he seemed to think it was low.  So she went and checked the latest rate which was basically the same.  It was also a minimal difference from the airport.  At last he was satisfied and exchanged some of his US dollars.  I did as well.  Then we asked the teller where a good place was to buy things like sunglasses and sun block.  She directed us to a small strip mall in a nearby area called Sunnynook.  There was a chemist, a bakery, a book/paper store, a grocery store, and other stores.  I was able to get a pair of sunglasses since I left mine at home.  Papa found a good road atlas of New Zealand at the book store for a good price.  We also got a nice calendar with scenes of New Zealand.  Mom went to the grocery store to buy scotch tape and bottled water to drink in the car.  After our shopping, we examined the map and found our way to Devonport.

Devonport - starting to sight see across the bay from the city

View of the city from the harbor

    It was a quick drive, even though we got turned around several times.  No sooner had we arrived and Mom decided to call Grandma Marlene to let her know we had arrived safely.  We parked and began to walk around and enjoy the wharf and small-town charm.  We walked past a horse-drawn wagon that was giving tourists rides around town.  Past the pier, or quay as they are called here, we had an excellent view of Auckland across the bay.  We took many pictures before exploring the quay.  It had several small shops, many of which were closed.  At the end was where people could board the ferry and was enclosed; so we had to take pictures through the glass.
    Next we drove across this narrow part of the country to the west side with its black sand beaches on the Tasman Sea.  We drove on a lot of very small and narrow roads, enjoying the nature view.  Once we arrived at Bethells Beach parking area, we saw we had to walk a ways out to the water.  So Papa stayed with the car and Mom and I attempted to find the path to the beach.  Following the footprints, we found ourselves at the top of a sand dune that was fenced off.  Signs asked visitors not to walk on the dunes except on the designated paths to prevent them from erosion.  After looking around and out to the beach, we headed back down.

Tasman Sea cost

Climbing the black sand dune

    Once we were at the bottom of the dune, we could see the path we were supposed to take to the beach.  Since it was quite a long walk there, we decided to head back to the car.  Once there, we drove into the city to eat lunch.
    Our tour books suggested an area down by the courthouse and we navigated our way there.  There is a pedestrian street that has a lot of restaurants on it.  We found a place to park near by where you have to pay for parking at a machine and then display the receipt in your front window.  You can even pay with a credit card.  But we couldn't make the machine work.  A local lady also wanted to use the machine and tried to help us without luck.  So she gave us a dollar to use towards the NZ$4/hour rate until we could get change from paper money to coins.
    As we walked down Courthous Lane, we began to look at the different restaurants, many of which had someone standing in the street and trying to get you to come into their establishments.  They also had menus outside so you could see what they had to offer.

Lunch on Courthouse Street







 We finally chose place that had fish and chips on the menu and went in.  The table next to us overfilled with Japanese who brought sushi from some other place for their appetizer.  We ordered two plates of fish and chips and shared them.  They came with a beautiful salad.  It was all very delicious and we cleaned our plates!



    By then we decided to find our hotel, check in, and get cleaned up.  We wanted to see the Sky Tower and go on a tour bus ride around the city next.  It wasn't too hard to find the hotel, but we were a little bit confused about getting into the parking garage since there was a gate across he entrance.  But then we saw an intercom and the gate was opened for us.  We got our things to the room and made ourselves at home... after calling the front desk about why the lights and TV wouldn't come on.  Apparently, you have to put your key card into a slot inside the room in order for the electrical system to turn on.  The room had a large bed,  was able to take a shower and put on clean clothes before we headed out for our next adventure.

Sights on the way to Sky Tower




    The hotel reception called for us about the tour bus and told us we had several more hours before they quit for the day.  We went to Sky Tower to pick up the tour bus, but had a very hard time figuring out exactly where to pay for the tickets.  Finally, Mom figured out where to buy them.  But she was told that the buses had just finished for the day.  So she priced going up in the Sky Tower and dinner in the restaurant at the top.  In the mean time, we watched wire jumpers jump off the tower.  It's something like bungee jumping except that you are attached to two wires that the harness is suspended between and that it runs down as the jumper descends.  It didn't look that impressive from the bottom until the jumper got close to the ground.
    What Mom found out was that it wasn't too cheap to go up in the tower and you weren't allowed to take pictures once you got up there.  Dinner at the top was over NZ$60 per person and it was completely booked.  I voted to just forget the whole thing because it was hardly worth it to go all the way to the top and not be able to take pictures.  But Papa wanted to and so we did.  I'm glad we did because once we got up there, everyone was taking pictures and no one even tried to stop them.  Mom must have misunderstood.  Before we took the long elevator ride to the observation deck, we watched a short video about the history of Auckland and how it was settled.

Sky Tower

View through the floor with the shadow of Sky Tower

View from the top

Cafe at the top

    Our view from the top was incredible.  Like the video said, we could see many of the volcanic mountains that surround the area.  There were even portions of the floor made of thick glass and you could see all the way down to the side walk through them.  Even though we knew it was strong, Mom and I could
not bring ourselves to stand on it.  It was hard enough to look and to take pictures through it!  We took our time going around looking at the 360 degree panorama.  There was a cafe on the next level down, and we walked down to get a little snack and continue to enjoy the view.  Hot drinks and a muffin made us all feel better.
    In the distance, we could see Albert Park and Mom and I decided we wanted to go there next.  Papa did not feel up to walking so much, so he went back to the hotel as we headed off in the opposite direction.  First we had to walk down the street before getting to the park.  Then once we arrived, we were greeted with a climb up stairs and a ramp into the heart of the park.  Once we got to the top, we saw statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, flowers, and a beautiful fountain.

Downtown sites

Sculpture downtown

Victoria Park




Auckland University



    We decided to rest on park benches and enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes before walking on to other parts of the park.  There were some interesting trees and a gazebo.  Once we got to the other side of the park, we began to walk on the campus of Auckland University.  It was clearly closed for either the holidays, summer vacation, or both.  After a while, I got tired of walking and we went back to the hotel.
    Papa was rested up and we decided to drive to the district of Parnell, which a man at the information center in Sky Tower had told her was a nice district for restaurants.  Once we figured out how to open the gate to drive out, we were on our way.  We found Parnell fairly easily and once we drove past where the restaurants were, found a place to park and went on foot.  There were many menus to consider along the way.  We were attracted to a little courtyard tucked away from the main street buy a cozy alley.  There were pretty flowering trees, cobble stone walkways, and diners eating outdoors.  We liked the menu of the Italian restaurant, Di Mare Restaurant & Café and decided to stay.

Dinner in Parnell




    Mom asked for a special pasta dish to be made just the way she wanted and the waitress was happy to accommodate her.  Papa ordered a venison dish and I ordered the lamb.  When our food arrived we
were all pleased with.  Papa and then found that our meat was undercooked though his was worse than mine.  Somehow, the chef must have realized it from across the room because he soon arrived to ask if everything was all right.  Papa told him it was not done enough, so he took it back to cook it some more.  When it returned, it still didn't taste very good to him and he didn't eat much of it.  Mom and I finished our plates.  When the waitress saw how little of his meal he ate, she asked him about it.  When she heard that he didn't like it, she asked if she could bring him something else.  Papa declined, so she only charged him half price for his dinner.
    We drove back to our hotel, trying to find a grocery store to get some breakfast items on the way.  We never did find one, so we just went to the hotel and right to bed.

Night view of Sky Tower




Rotorua

30 December 2010
    We started off by packing the car for our drive to Rotorua.  Then we decided to eat breakfast in the hotel's restaurant.  Papa thought it would be easier than driving around looking for somewhere to eat.  They offered a hot and a cold breakfast.  Part of the hot breakfast was baked beans!  The Maître d was very
friendly and came up to ask us about our religion and my occupation.  He saw my shirt from PMC.
    Soon we were on our way.  On the way, we decided that we wanted to do a Duck Tour which is a tour on a WWII amphibious vehicle called duck.  So Mom called for reservations.  But as the roads became more and more like back roads, we had to slow down and found that even though Papa was driving quite fast, we would not make it to Rotorua in time.  Fortunately, we were able to reschedule it for later in the day.  As we continued on, we passed a McDonald's with free WiFi, so we stopped to check our e-mail and for mom to do some on-line business for her practice.  Then it was back in the car and keep driving.
    We arrived in Rotorua with an hour to spare before the Duck Tour.  So we went to find lunch after finding a place to park.  We started walking back towards the information centre. 
    We came across a man who was a tourism guide.  We asked him where to eat when we were in a hurry and he suggested some cafe's close to were the duck tours left from.  We ended up at the "Art Cafe" and sat outdoors to enjoy sandwiches and salad.  Once we finished, we walked back to the information centre.  We only had a few minutes to wait before the first Duck arrived.  It was an impressive, large, and very yellow vehicle.  We found out we were on the second Duck and had to wait a few more minutes for it to arrive.  Once it did, we were able to climb aboard right away.  Once everyone was on, our driver, Johnny, collected payment, gave everyone a mandatory duck quacker and then gave us a brief safety talk before heading out.  We were told to blow the quackers at people we passed.  There was a large group of retired tourists who were the worst for blowing the quackers.  Johnny told us about the things we were passing along the way as he drove.  He also gave us some information about the vehicle.

Duck Tour
WWII US amphibious vehicle

View from the Duck on the way to the lakes

Coming out of the lake

    The first thing we saw was the Bathhouse, now known as the Rotorua Museum of Art and History.  We didn't stop, but we could easily see the building and the rose garden as we went by.  From there, we drove to the shore of Rotorua Lake.  Johnny told us that we were not allowed to drive into the lake because of "the weeds" in the lake.  The authorities did not want them to be dragged into the other lakes.  So we just looked at it from the shoreline.  Johnny told us some of the Maori traditions and history surrounding the lake.
    We also drove past one of the hot springs called Rachael Spring where the water reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was named after a cosmetician who claimed it would make one look youthful since the silica in the water softened the skin.  Then we drove on to Tikitapu (Blue Lake), passing the experimental forest.  In this forest, many types of trees were planted to see which ones grew the best.  Today it is a thick woods of many types of trees as so many of them survived.  Johnny told us that an American Red Wood tree can grow to maturity in 15 years... about twice as fast as in California.
    When we arrived at Tikitapu, we drove right into the water.  Johnny amused us by playing the theme music to "Mission Impossible" as we drove in, making everyone laugh.  It was a short little tour around the lake before driving back out, blowing our duck quackers at the sunbathers, and then on to Rotokakahi (Green Lake).  It was a fairly short drive until we arrived there and again, drove straight into the water... opting for the music again!  Johnny told us about the guest houses along the lake, including an extremely extravagant one that costs NZ$8000 per night to stay there.  He pointed out another house close by which he said was his.  I wasn't sure if he was joking or telling the truth.
    After driving about on the lake for a while, we headed back to shore, passing the other Duck on the way.  After driving up on the land, we were able to get out and watch the other Duck come up on land which was interesting to see.  Then it was back into our Duck to get back to the information centre.  On the way, Johnny amused us with stories of going shopping in the Duck and even gave us a quiz over the information he had given us on the tour, mints being the prize.
    It was a very fun way to see the surrounding areas and to go out on the lakes!  Aftermgetting off the Duck, we walked to the bath house museum.  The gateway is shaped like a crown and was originally erected in honor of the visit in 1901 of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary).  The gardens were also very beautiful and we walked through the front one on our way to the building.


Bath House Museum and Gardens

View from the top

    Inside is a museum with a gift shop and cafeteria.  We looked around the gift shop, waiting for our chance to see a short film about the eruption of Mount Tarawera.  We didn't realize that it was going to be like an amusement ride where the seats shake and dry ice billows in.
    After the film, we went on a self-guided tour to see some of the history about the volcano, the bath house, and Rotorua.  On the upper floor were displays about the history of the bath house including pictures from when it was more like a club.  There were also displays of local potery and dishware.  The view through the large window on the upper level was beautiful out over the front lawn.  It let in a lot of natural light into the upper and main levels.  Some of the old bathing rooms where people took hot springs treatments were preserved and we could see what the baths themselves looked liked.  Glass covered over some of them so we could look down into them safely.  At the end, we were able to climb up to roof and view the grounds out to the lake.  It was a great place to take pictures.  After climbing back down to the main floor, we went down into the basement to see what the pipes looked like and where the mud baths were given.
















    Then we went out to enjoy the flower gardens on our way back to the car.  There were many beautiful flowers as well as vegetables in the different flower beds.  The evening light made them fun to photograph!  As we walked to our car, we could hear singing over a sound system.  Across the front lawn we saw a wedding in progress.  A man and a women were singing, "The Prayer" which sounded pretty good.  We were all pretty hungry, so we made our way to Aorangi Peak Restaurant, a restaurant high up on a hill overlooking Rotorua and the lake.  When we arrived, the view from the glass window across the restaurant was spectacular.  We even went out on the patio to take pictures.  A lama walked up from somewhere on the property.  Papa ordered a steak and Mom and I enjoyed a deep sea fish while we watched the sun set out the big window.


Dinner overlooking Rotorua






 
    After dinner, we drove back down to Rotorua and went to the Polynesian Spa where we rented a private hot pool for 30 minutes.  The water was smelled mildly
sulfurous and the heat felt very good. 
    We could view out to the lake from our pool, even though it was dark.  There was also a cool breeze that came in from the lake.  When our time was up, we went on to our hotel, Distinction Hotel.