3/30/18

garden color

Even though autumn is on the calendar and in the air, the garden 
still has plenty of color.










3/28/18

Wednesday around the World


This is another shot of the stromatolites  at Wai-iti Beach.

What is your world looking like this week?
Link up below and show us!

Just click the blue 'add your link' button below.


3/27/18

Maori legends

While we were in Whakatane, we visited some Maori sights.

This is Muriwai's Cave, one of the three landmarks Toroa was told to look for when returning to New Zealand from Hawaiki.
Click here for the legend behind the cave.

Wairere Falls, the second place in the legend.

Irakewa Rock is the third place in the legend. It seems that most of it was
destroyed but some remains.
Click here for more information.


This is the statue of Wairaka that stands in Whakatane Harbor.

Every time I've taken her photo, I've had to 'remove' a seagull from her head!!

3/25/18

some of this and that from our holiday


This cheeky guy watched us eat our brunch from the next table.

And this guy watched us eat lunch!

We went to Hot Water Beach, where you can dig your own thermal pool on the beach!






mailbox

3/24/18

Rangiriri Heritage Center

When we stopped for coffee at this little place, I had been looking out the side window (as usual) when the car stopped, so the sign below made me giggle out loud when I looked up. 
[In Maori, 'wh' is pronounced 'f', so the sign said 'coffee' after a think.]
Our coffee and snack were delicious and the cashier/host was lovely to us.

There were some really interesting things to see in their museum that was attached to the cafe.
I wish I had taken more photos. But, I'm sure we'll stop there again sometime. Their Facebook page has the most information that I can find on the Rangiriri Heritage Center.




3/22/18

lakeland queen cruise, rotorua

Our original trip to White Island was cancelled due to weather, so Hubby drove us over
to Rotorua for a lunch cruise on the Lakeland Queen, a gorgeous paddleboat.


We had seen black swans along the edge of the lake before, but today was scaups.
scaups

While we took a one-hour cruise around Lake Rotorua, we had a lovely lunch buffet.
The food was fabulous and the crew were awesome.
paddleboat

I love the idea that we were on a paddleboat.

The weather in Rotorua wasn't much better, but it was lovely to see the scenery 
from a different perspective.

This church  on Lake Rotorua is part of the Ohinemutu Maori Village.

You can take tours of different types of buildings but the weather kept us in the car.


3/21/18

WATW


In case you need a shot of spring, here's one!

What is your world looking like this week? Link up your
blog and show us! Just click the blue 'add your link' button.


3/19/18

Okere Falls

 Hubby finds the best stuff to see when he plans our holidays!
One stop was at Okere Falls Scenic Reserve which is a small but gorgeous place.

There were ferns of all kinds growing along the walkways.



It seemed like forever, but I did make it to the bottom of Hinemoa's Steps! Click here for her story.



The roar of the water was fantastic to hear.


The following photos are Hubby's that he took at the Trout Pool Falls.