We are currently in Wellington, NZ. We flew into Auckland last week, and from there made our way to Rotorua (the Maori cultural center/geothermal hub of NZ) where we spent a couple days, and then yesterday we hopped on a bus and cruised 7 hours south to Wellington, a pleasant harbor-side city full of history and fun free things to do!
Some of the most impressive things so far:
1) Waiheke Island (Auckland, NZ) - Stonyridge Winery
~Leaving Auckland by high-speed ferry for a day trip to Waiheke Island~
~A view of the vineyard - this is the greenest place I've ever seen!~
~Unfortunately, August in NZ is winter...so there were no grapes :( ~2) Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Zone (Taupo, NZ)
~This area is the most active geothermal zone on the planet~
~The flora of this area was so unique, due to the generally inhospitable environment produced by the mineral-rich geothermal pools~
~All of these pools were near boiling temperature - and brightly colored due to the various mineral deposits present~
~This area is the most active geothermal zone on the planet~
~The flora of this area was so unique, due to the generally inhospitable environment produced by the mineral-rich geothermal pools~
~All of these pools were near boiling temperature - and brightly colored due to the various mineral deposits present~We're currently in the process of exploring Wellington City; today we visited the Botanical Gardens and the world-famous Te Papa Museum, an AWESOME interactive museum covering everything from the driving geological forces behind the formation of New Zealand to the rich cultural history of the indigenous Maori tribes that once lived an isolated life on these remote islands. We learned so much today!
So far Wellington is my favorite place we've visited. Its got a blend of visible, preserved history and a modern attitude, where the people are friendly and there are lots of places to explore.
We're slated to take a ferry on Thursday morning to the South Island, where we'll finish our trek through NZ with stops in Kaikoura and Christchurch before heading to Sydney on the 8th. In Auckland, the temps hovered in the 55-65 range during the day, and about 50 at night. As we head farther south, it gets colder and colder! Right now its about 45 outside and its 8:30 PM. By the time we get to Christchurch, it'll be even colder...quite the shock coming from a Seoul summer to a New Zealand winter in only 12 hours!
Please pray for our safety and our relationships with each other - so far we're having a blast! 1 week down, 5 to go!
So far Wellington is my favorite place we've visited. Its got a blend of visible, preserved history and a modern attitude, where the people are friendly and there are lots of places to explore.
We're slated to take a ferry on Thursday morning to the South Island, where we'll finish our trek through NZ with stops in Kaikoura and Christchurch before heading to Sydney on the 8th. In Auckland, the temps hovered in the 55-65 range during the day, and about 50 at night. As we head farther south, it gets colder and colder! Right now its about 45 outside and its 8:30 PM. By the time we get to Christchurch, it'll be even colder...quite the shock coming from a Seoul summer to a New Zealand winter in only 12 hours!
Please pray for our safety and our relationships with each other - so far we're having a blast! 1 week down, 5 to go!
1 comment:
Thanks so much for sharing this time - it is so great to see what you are doing! Take good care & have a blast - you deserve it after the year you have had!
LH:)
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