lakeside

recap of the last few days. (i've figured out that i need to do this rather frequently so i don't forget!)

the butterfly and orchid farm in thames was actually pretty amazing. imagine walking into a large, tropical greenhouse and being surrounded by exotic orchids and butterflies flying everywhere. they came so close, i could feel their wings flapping. it was very lovely. there were many different species of amazing colors. it's a shame most butterflies die after two weeks time.

the next day we saw a huge, fully-operational goldmine. i'm not one who supports the ruination of the planet by creating huge holes, but this hole was insane. i mean i-n-s-a-n-e. i took pics so you'll see for your own eyes later, but if you can imagine one of those huge crane/tonka trucks in a hole so big it looks like an ant, you'd be just about right. i was impressed simply by the sheer size of it. learning about it later in this cute little museum was interesting, too, i will admit.

after the gold mine, we did THE COOLEST thing i've done so far. not to take any credit away from all the scenic beaches and such, but this particular adventure ranks high in my book of fun and unique things to do. we found out about this gorge called karangahake. i thought, sure, another cool gorge, nothing is going to beat the partnach in garmisch. this one in nz doesn't necessarily beat it in beauty, but it did in radness! it was the remains of an old gold mine. we walked along this lovely gorge and suddenly came upon old goldmining tracks. it was so indiana jones (which by the way, comes out tomorrow and i am going to see!) . the tracks led us into these tunnels and then they even led into these tunnels/caves deep in the mountain. all i could think of was that if this was america, it'd be all cordoned off or made into an amusement park. it was so awesome exploring all the old caves and tunnels with complete freedom. i loved it! we even saw glow worms. they glow blue from the poo in their butts. hehe! finally, we walked through this mile long, abandoned railway tunnel. (we checked, don't worry.) it was spooky and relieving to see the light way at the end of the tunnel. an awesome day, in my opinion.

yesterday, we rolled into rotorua, the sulfer smelling, geothermal town. it sits upon an active thermal system and steam erupts all over town. stinky, but interesting. we signed up for an official marae/hangi introduction, which is a ceremonial traditional feast and dance prepared by the local maori tribe, the native people of new zealand. if you've been to a luau, this is very similar. the ceremony was fun to watch and the dances as well. the food, the hangi, was awesome!!! they cook meat and potatoes under the earth for three hours and the ending result is savory, sweet morsels for my salivating palate to consume! we ate and we ate a lot.

today we're heading to see a geyser and some more thermal spots. we spent last night camping on blue lake. we even kayaked around the lake last night at sunset for free. it was very relaxing, even if it's not the easiest thing to do. the weather is very nice right now, so i'm looking forward to our day. we may also be visiting some local redwoods that were planted here from california. i do love them redwoods!

next time i write, we should be in taupo or waitomo. taupo is a beautiful alpine lake and waitomo is the home to glow worm caves and black water rafting. check it out online if you're interested. i think it's going to be awesome!!

thanks to those of you who keep in touch. i love hearing from you. happy birthday to carl's mom, grandpa and sister back home. happy birthday to anyone else who i've forgotten. xo