Day 36 - at Sea - sailing south to Wellington, New Zealand

We had another rough day while sailing south from Tauranga to Wellington on Thursday. We were sailing directly into a 50 knot wind most of the afternoon. During the day, there were a group of Maoris on board to entertain and educate us about their culture.

the moon and 3 planets - Venus, Saturn and Jupiter were visible this morning

sunrise

rough seas

Maori entertainers

a bite of a rainbow in the spray

Day 35 - Tauranga, New Zealand

On Wednesday, our stop was in Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located in the Bay of Plenty.  It was a very special day.  Our host and guide was a 4th cousin that I made contact with  2  1/2 years ago while doing ancestry research.  She and her family have lived here all their lives.  First we walked up the trails to the top of Mount Maunganui  (or Mauao) and known locally as simply "The Mount",   the extinct volcano that sits at the edge of the harbor. It is 721 feet high and the views from it were spectacular!  Then we stopped for lunch at a restaurant across the road from a beach that is rated as the top one in New Zealand by Trip Adviser.  Next we drove to Rotorua to see New Zealand's largest geo-thermal reserve. There is a spectacular  geyser which erupts  about every 1/2 hour.  There were also mud pools, steam vents and extinct geyser formations to see. Then we drove to my cousin's house to see the golden kiwi fruit farm they have operate.  To top off this great day, I was able to see identify and see the Southern Cross, the star constellation  seen only in the southern hemisphere that was used  for celestial navigation..

What a  day!  

The sight as we sailed into the harbour

at the start of our climb up The Mount

this is on an old water tank

we sailed in down this channel

This beach is one of the top rated ones in New Zealand

the trail near the top

our ship in the harbor

the trail

my cousin and Kathy led the way

This tree is called the Christmas Tree as it normally blooms around Christmas

We stopped here for lunch

the street beside the quiet beach inside the harbor

at the Rotorua geyser basin

mud pots

these geese had the right of way in a park near Lake Rotorua

golden Kiwi fruit

a field of kiwi fruit with a wind-break beside it

the plants grown up and over tressels so the fruit can be picked from below

it is about a month and a half before the fruit will be ready to be picked

after sunset

we sailed away after dark because we had to wait for the low tide because of the strong currents

the city  as seen after sail away

there are 4 stars near the center which make up the Southern Cross