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!
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| The sight as we sailed into the harbour |
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| at the start of our climb up The Mount |
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| this is on an old water tank |
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| we sailed in down this channel |
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| This beach is one of the top rated ones in New Zealand |
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| the trail near the top |
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| our ship in the harbor |
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| the trail |
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| my cousin and Kathy led the way |
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| This tree is called the Christmas Tree as it normally blooms around Christmas |
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| We stopped here for lunch |
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| the street beside the quiet beach inside the harbor |
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| at the Rotorua geyser basin |
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| mud pots |
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| these geese had the right of way in a park near Lake Rotorua |
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| golden Kiwi fruit |
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| a field of kiwi fruit with a wind-break beside it |
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| the plants grown up and over tressels so the fruit can be picked from below |
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| it is about a month and a half before the fruit will be ready to be picked |
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| after sunset |
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| we sailed away after dark because we had to wait for the low tide because of the strong currents |
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| the city as seen after sail away |
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| there are 4 stars near the center which make up the Southern Cross |
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