Day 1 Auckland to Thames
To get to Auckland , New Zealand we flew from Boston to Los Angels. The next day we flew to Tahiti where we stayed for 4 days, before flying to New Zealand. We landed in Auckland about noontime. A taxi took us to Ace Car Rental where we had a reservation. In general, it is usually cheaper to rent a car away from the airport since you can avoid various user fees that way. Our camper van was nothing special, just an empty space in the back where a custom fitted mattress had been installed. And oh yes, there were adjustable curtains which came in handy for providing darkness when we wanted to sleep.

Realizing that we might be tired from the flight, and leery about driving on the left hand side of the road, we wanted to minimize the driving on the first day. So we had chosen our destination for the first day to be relatively close by at Thames. To get there, we took SH1 south to Pokeno, then SH2 east to a little before Magatarata where we picked up SH25 east which we followed to Thames. After shopping in Thames we continued a few km to the town of Waiomu, where we had a reservation at the Sea Spray Motel.

Day 2 Thames to Whangamata
The area around Thames is well known to rock hounds (people who hunt for agates and other neat rocks). Sandy being a rock hound, and me a convert, we did spend some time searching for specimens. We mostly looked in Waiomu where we stayed, not wanting to make a larger time commitment to search along the Kauaeranga River where the best rocks are to be found (we had previously spent much time in Nova Scotia rock hounding, and wanted to concentrate on New Zealands scenic beauty).

We then continued along SH25 which traverses much of the perimeter of the Coromandel Peninsula. We came to think that this part of the north island is second to none when it comes to scenery. The price we had to pay was a twisty, hilly drive, but well worth the slow speed and concentration it required. Our first stop was at the town of Coromandel, which is an old gold mining town. We walked along the street and went in gift shops. Then we drove across to Whitianga where there were lots of shells on the beach plus people in the water gathering mussels.

We drove on to Hot Water Beach where the word has it you can dig a hole in the sand and find hot water. But that only works at near low tide, and it had not waited for us. So we just lay on the beach- made of crushed shells- and listened to very international groups of kids talking to each other. The country is filled with backpackers from everywhere. Close by is Cathedral Cove which supposedly has a great beach and a large rock arch at its southern end. But since that would have required a boat ride and at least a two hour commitment, we passed.

We continued on to Whangamata and went to the information center where a nice woman told us how to get to Pinefield Top 10 Holiday Park and gave lots of brochures and tips about what to see. In general, we found the New Zealanders always friendly and happy to help us enjoy our visit.

Campgrounds in New Zealand are inexpensive and most offer many amenities. The typical campground offers sites without power for tenters and basic camper vans like ours, powered sites, basic cabins, and fancier cabins.

Day 3 Whangamata to Rotorua
From Whangamata, we continued on SH25 until we came to Waihi, another gold mining town. We stopped to see the statue of a gold miner and a cute one of two children by the edge of the sidewalk, supposedly dabbling their feet in the warm water coming from the mining operation. We went to a bakery where Sandy got a whipped creamy apricot pastry while Dick got a whole wheat roll which he liked so much he went back for another.

In Waihi we picked up SH2 and followed it to Katikati where many of the shops had murals depicting events in the town's history, as well as a statue of a man reading a newspaper sitting on a park bench. In addition to Katikati, there are many towns in New Zealand with fascinating names such as Whatawhata or Whakapapa!

We drove to Te Puke where there was a kiwi fruit tourist attraction. We walked through the gift shop which had lots of honey stuff as well as kiwi, and sat and had liquid kiwi fruit drink. We decided we didn't care enough to stick around 45 minutes for the next tour and settled for looking at the kiwis growing overhead in a trellis.

Shortly after Te Puke, we turned onto SH33 and headed south. That road brought us to Lake Rotorua which formed in the crater of an ancient volcano. At the outskirts of Rotorua , we followed the signs to Hell's Gate via SH30 . Hell's Gate is a thermal area and spa. We walked the trail, seeing boiling mud holes, steam rising everywhere and the famous hot water waterfall. There was enough breeze to keep the smell of sulfur from becoming overwhelming. They had an area where you could see crystallized sulfur and other minerals.

When we left there, we retraced our path on SH30 back to SH33 we drove into Rotorua which is a pretty busy small city. Our favorite part of the city was the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. (in hyperlink add stuff about Kiwi house). Not only did it have typical Maori buildings and craft demonstrations, it had a thermal area with geysers, boiling mud, etc. that were more impressive than the offering at Hell's Gate.

We found a site at the Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park close to the Institute, then drove back into Rotorua and had dinner. After that we headed for the camp ground's thermal pool- large hot tub sized, and soaked for a while, even though it was cool outside. We had it to ourselves. Then we showered and planned the next day.

DAY 4 Rotorua to Tolaga Bay
We left Rotorua and headed east on SH30 towards Whakatane which boasts being one of the sunniest towns in New Zealand . We continued on to Opotiki where we picked up SH35 ( East Cape Road ) which is the perimeter road for the large eastern peninsula appropriately referred to as Eastland. We decided to take this longer route, instead of the more direct SH2 which goes from Opotiki to Gisborne, because Eastland is where the Mauri culture is most unspoiled.

We went down several small roads with Marae (Maori meeting houses) signs and photographed a few from the outside, respecting their long standing request of not taking a camera inside. In Te Araroa we saw the country's largest Pohutukawa tree. The Anglican church in Tikitiki is a beautiful church that combines the traditional layoutand of an Anglican church with Mauri decorations. Our final stop for the day was in Tolaga Bay where the southern hemisphere's longest pier is located (660 meter). We stayed at Holiday Camp which is adjacent to the impressive pier. As an added bonus, the sky was so clear that night and city light nonexisant that we were able to clearly see the Milky way and several other galaxies!

DAY 5 Tolaga Bay to Dannevirke
The drive from Toloaga Bay south to Gisborne can be done in an hour. We took half a day because we wanted to explore the site where Whale Rider was filmed in Whangara . Finding Whangara was a challenge because the town is doing its best to avoid being overrun by tourists. A small sign to the school in Whangara gave us the necessary clue. Since most of Whale Rider was filmed on location, we were able to recognize many of the settings. The front of the marae even had the figures of the whale and person on top decorating its peak.

Between Whangara and Gisborne we took advantage of many photo op stops. Gisborne is a good size city. Not being city folk, we did little in Gisborne other than shop for necessities. Our most appreciated purchase was a blanket, because nights in the camper were getting colder despite being in PJ's with fleece jogging suits over them.

Near Napier we stopped at a vineyard to get some wine. The grounds there were beautiful. We tried three different kinds of wine, and the pourer was a typical ‘wine guy.' Prices started at about $18, and we ended up with a Riesling for that. Then we drove into Napier which is famous for its art deco architecture. We were in luck because the town was having its Art Deco Weekend so it was lots of fun to walk around, seeing all the people in costume. The town was almost a mall, with one small lane conceded for cars. The posts and all the round benches had tile tops, the seats as mosaics. Even the manhole covers were done in elaborate patterns.

Leaving Napier, we picked up SH2 which we planned to stay on for a couple of days until we reached Wellington . As we continued on, the wind approached hurricane force, accompanied by rain. The driving was nerve-wracking with the van being blown around. We didn't have any fixed plans for spending the night, so Sandy looked up a place on the way into Dannevirke, in the heart of the Scandinavian area of New Zealand. The low part of Dick's day occurred when he was attacked by a German Shepard after asking for directions at a police station! Fortunately a raised arm in the Schutzen defense position, and an authoritative yell caused the dog to do no real damage. Following directions and signs, we made our way to the Dannevirke Holiday Park and drove down in the dark past their animal exhibits, and found our place for the night. We were tired enough that we didn't do much but shower, read a little, and go to sleep.

DAY 6 Dannevirke to Tongariro National Park
Today's weather was an improvement over yesterday's, but still the winds promised to make driving the van a challenge. The winds were supposed to increase as we went south to Wellington , plus the prior heavy rain had even closed some major roads. So we decided to forego Wellington , and add a “free” day to our schedule. That was fortunate, as we needed a free day later in the vacation when another rainy day washed out our plans. But it was even more fortunate because there were many more closed roads than we anticipated. Stay tuned.

We continued south on SH2 until the small town of Woodville where we picked up SH3 and headed west through Palmerston North eventually arriving at Wanganui our first anticipated destination on this newly planned day. On a hillside overlooking the city is an old tower built of fossilized limestone with lots of shells showing. We climbed a set of steep stairs to reach the tower and the view which was great (the visibility had improved by then). Then we took the Durie Hill Elevator down through the center of the hill. When we got out, there was a long tunnel to walk out of the hill, with Maori carved decorations at the end.

Our plan was to take SH4 from Wanganui to the Tonagariro National Park , but a few miles north of Wanganui a sign indicated our plans would have to be changed yet again since all roads north in that direction were closed due to washouts. So we retraced our tire tracks back to Bulls, where we picked up SH1 and headed north again.

We stopped at Taihape, the Gumboot Throwing Capital of the World, and had Chinese for lunch. For those of us not in the know, gumboots were worn in the old days by Kiwis who dug up gum from the roots of old karui trees. We bought more bread and cheese and headed on.

At Waiouru, still on SH1, we reached the environs of Tongariro National Park which is famous for its volcanoes. None are presently active, but the scenery is beautiful and the park is a trekker's paradise. During this day and the next one, we traversed most of the park's perimeter by taking SH49 west , then SH49A west, SH4 north, SH47 east, and SH46 east until we rejoined SH1. We mostly stuck to the park's perimeter because only one road ventures into the park. From SH47, SH48 goes to the very small town of Whakapapa (what a great name!).

We spent Night 6 at a campground near the junction of SH7 and SH48 . Even though we had already traversed much of the park's perimeter, we had only one good view of a volcano because the visibility still was not good. But before calling it a day, we did go down SH48 a brief way to do a short walk to a waterfall and also did the Mounds Walk – a 15 minute hike which offered good potential views. The views did not live up to their potential, but the walk was still fun.

DAY 7 Tongariro National Park to Taupo
The previous night we stayed at a nondescript campground. But the lackluster grounds were forgiven the next morning when we awoke near dawn to great views of the volcanoes. Those views are what makes the camp ground special. And the campground/restaurant/motel provides shuttle services for trekkers. This morning, the manager of the campground took a group of German trekkers to where they could start the 7 hours Tangariro Crossing. He was scheduled to pick them up at the end of their hike.

And today the weather gods shone on them and us – the visibility was great. We drove back up SH48 and began walking a longer trail we hadn't done before. It was billed as a 2 hour hike. But more than half way down it, we figured it was a one-way trail leading to Whakapapa town and we'd have to hike all the way back, So we cut our losses and turned around and went back. It was a neat trail with boardwalks along the way and nice views of the rushing stream that went to the waterfall from yesterday. We kept looking for sleeping kiwis without any luck.

We followed SH46 back to SH1 and headed for our next destination, Lake Taupo, which formed in the very large crater of an extinct volcano. In fact, that ancient explosion supposedly had 100 times the force of the one at Mt. St. Helens , so we were glad to have missed the big event. We liked the city of Taupo . It is nestled on the shores of Lake Taupo, and has a pleasant laid back backpacker feel. It also has a classy bathroom called the Super Loo (in the States it would probably be called the Big John). The bathroom had everything and was just made for backpackers with showers, hair dryers, soap, and towels for rent too. Plus the Burger King in that town was the coolest we had ever seen. It was all decorated in 60's style with a big picture of Elvis, pelvis forward, up on his toes, as well as ads for the cars of that era.

After eating we drove down along the Waikato River until we found Taupo Bungee. The platform was high up and stretching out from high cliffs so jumpers could go down to the river far below. We watched a few jump, but were not tempted to try! From Taupo Bungee we drove to Huka Falls, further up the Waikato River . The falls weren't at all steep but they were extremely powerful, especially with the abundant rainfall of the previous days! We walked down along the falls with many other sightseers, and loved the varied shades of blue and turquoise in the tumbling water.

Then we went a little further to the Craters of the Moon volcanic area in Wairakei Park . This area was as impressive as Hell's Gate, and was actually free! The thermal feature were inclosed in what looked to be the remains of a volcano. It took about an hour to walk around the whole area and even with the other two similar areas we had been to, it was well worth doing. An specially neat feature that

We stayed at The Barn, an odd place just north of Taupo and next to the Wairakei Geothermal Power Plant. Llamas, cutely shaved like pet poodles, sheep, goats, rabbits- lop eared and otherwise, peacocks and all kinds of ducks, geese and chickens roamed the grounds. If you don't mind lots animal droppings and rather primitive camping facilities, we recommend the place!

DAY 8 Taupo to Kawhia
To be precise, we started this day in Wairakei, not Taupo. Our immediate destination was Waitomo because we wanted to see its famous caves. We followed SH1 north until Atiamuri where we turned left onto SH30 and headed west for a couple of hours to the end of SH30 in Te Kuiti. SH3 took us in a northerly direction to Wangatiki where we turned left and followed the signs to the Waitomo Caves.

First was the Aranui Cave. The limestone formations inside were beautiful. Next was the Glowworm Cave . Dick choose not to do this one because his research indicated the Aranui Cave was more interesting geologically, and photography was not allowed in deference to the glowworms. Sandy did enjoy the Glowworm Cave and the facts she learned about them.

From Waitomo we drove toward Marokopa and went on a short hike to the Mangaphohue Natural Bridge, formed when a cave collapsed, leaving just the bridge section standing. It was lovely and rainforest like along the way. The way out led through pasture like land with outcroppings of rocks, some of which had large fossilized oyster shells. Dick referred to this area as Hobbitsville. Further on we stopped for a walk down to Marokopa Falls which were beautiful.

Our next destination was Kawhia which is on the coast. Have you guessed by now we like camping near the ocean! We followed signs to Oparau, turned left and then followed signs to Kawhia which was only a short distance away, but we added to the distance by taking a wrong turn! While retracing our path, we found our way blocked by two very recently fallen trees . Nothing to do but wait, and fortunately a short time later a local drove up, looked over the situation, and off he went to fetch the adjacent farmer and his chainsaw. The farmer sawed, we hauled aside the debris, and we soon on our way again, Dick having had a vicarious chainsawing outing.

We stopped at a very nice campground in Kawhai at the Kawhia Camping Grounds in a pretty much residential area. But the owner was great and told us how to reach the hot water beach and loaned us a shovel so we could dig down to the thermally heated water. Again we were unsuccessful in finding the warm water, perhaps because our first and only try on the beach was not in an optimal location. Driving sand from the strong winds discouraged us from extending this snipe hunt any longer.

DAY 9 Kawhia to Sandspit
We left Kawhia, retraced our path to Oparau and followed the signs to Hamilton, driving past without stopping. We then took SH1 to Auckland where we didn't stop either! We were on a roll because we wanted to start our exploration of Northland, the area north of Auckland . We planned to sightsee in Auckland during our last day of vacation.

Or first stop beyond Auckland was Puhio. The city traffic had long since vanished and we were in the pleasant countryside again. We continued on SH1 to Warkworth where we went to the Warkworth District Museum and Parry Kauri Park. The museum had a small collection of historic buildings and boats, but we were most impressed by the kauri trees, the first we had seen in New Zealand . The featured kauri tree there, referred to as McKinney , is perhaps 800 year old and close to 10 feet in diameter. Then back to the town of Warkworth where we got directions to the next campground at Sandspit.

Sandspit Camp Ground was really memorable. It was campy with rows of historical shops between our waterside campsite and the trellis covered entry to the ablution block (tathroom, kitchen and laundry). There was a dress shop with two dummies in old fashioned clothes, a garage with the legs of a mechanic sticking out from under an old car, a newspaper office and a display window of old cameras. They also had two areas with gas grills and covered picnic tables. One was by the bathrooms and kitchen, the other was formed by tying a tarp over the roots and branches of a toppled tree and was really a charming area.

On the way from our camping spot there was a building with a ping pong table and piano. In a locked glass case there were a lot of very old books. Just outside on the patio, they had painted a Snakes and Ladders game on the floor and further along was an outside chess board with two foot wooden chess pieces, some of which had definitely seen better days. Both the mens and womens bathrooms had a “Loo with a View” toilet set (along with other mundane toilet seats) made by an Australian firm that casts sand, shells, starfish, etc. in the seats and covers

Then we headed across the small golf course and past the donkeys, going up the hill to a very nice bushwalk, again through areas that looked like rainforest. Sandy was still on a quest to find sleeping kiwis, but was unsuccessful once again. We saw an old kauri or two, then walked across a meadow down to the seashore to walk back to the campground. We came to an area that looked as if it had been formed by hot mud bubbles which turned to rock. The patterns were wonderful.

DAY 10 Sandspit to Tutukaka
First stop today was a little north of Sandspit at Goat Island Marine Reserve where we had breakfast. In this area it is illegal to fish, so it is a good place for snorkeling and diving. However, the water temperature would have required a wetsuit, so we passed. We continued on the coastal road past Pakiri until we reached SH1 again.

In Whangarei and walked near the harbor and then found a neat pub close to the waterfront for lunch. Shortly after Whangarei, we left SH1 and again headed to the coast. We stopped at the Whangarei Falls, then continued on to Tutukaka for the night, another memorable name.

The manager of the campsite suggested a beach where we might snorkel. At the parking lot, there was a hand lettered sign warning people that many cars had been broken into by local people. We initially ignored the sign and went down a path that was jungly to the point of seeming like a tunnel at times. When we got to the beach , we decided the water was too cold for us. Dick felt uneasy about leaving the car up there, so he went back and lay on a towel next to the car and did see one car with teenagers suspiciously drive in, observe that the car was guarded, and leave immediately. Meanwhile Sandy blissfully beach combed her heart out, finding quite a lot of nice pieces of beach glass. Before returning to the campground, we continued on to two other bays/beaches that were both picturesque. We finished the day at Tutukaka wharf where we had pizza, eating out on the deck and finishing our bottle of wine.

DAY 11 Tutukaka To Mangonui
From Tutukaka we continued along the coast road and followed the main road until it joined SH1 again. A little before the Bay of Islands , we stopped at Kawakawa. Its not every town that is famous for its municipal bathroom! And Kawakawa is rightly proud. The bathroom was designed by Frederich Hundterwasser, an Austrian artist who loved New Zealand and the environment, and was actually buried on his property in New Zealand . It's been called the most beautiful bathroom in the world, and it certainly is the loveliest one we've seen.

We drove on to Paihia where we saw the ferry that goes to Russell, but the seas were too rough to interest us. Just up the road was Waitangi where saw the Treaty House, where the treaty between the Maoris and Paheka (Europeans) was signed. On the grounds there was a large war canoe in a shed and a marae that had a light show, describing the totem gods that were on each of the carved panels. The gardens were very English and pretty and some very old trees were on the grounds.

From Waitangi there is a ferry that goes to the historic town of Russell. We cancelled our plans because it was rainy and windy, not the time for a boat ride. In fact, the weather was not conducive to picture taking for the next day (so no hypertext links for a while). Via SH10 we went to Doubtless Bay (Captain Cook, on seeing it said it was doubtless a bay, and the name stuck.) and found a campground in Mangonui at the Hihi Beach Holiday Camp.

DAY 12 Mangonui to Dargaville
We awoke to a dreary day, but decided to stick to our plan of going to Ninety Mile Beach anyway. That beach is famous for being real long, (although more like 93 km) and having a hard surface that allows vehicles to drive on it; but of course not near high tide. We drove to Awanui and then briefly north until we came to Waipapakauri Ramp which provides vehicle access to the beach.. Several cars and trucks drove down the ramp and onto the sand, but we were leery to, and our rental insurance forbade it. So we braved the wind and walked for a little while. The beach reminded Dick of the one at Daytona where cars can also drive, but Ninety Mile Beach is much more isolated. The rain gods favored us and the rain held off for our half hour walk, but it poured when we returned to the car!

We headed south along the western coast route until we came to the town of Kahukohu . There we took the Hokianga vehicle ferry and continued via SH12 to the Waipoua Forest . This contains many kauri trees and the most famous one of all, Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest ) thought to be 1,200 years old and the largest Kauri tree in New Zealand . This 15 foot in diameter tree was special, a wonderful memory of New Zealand to take home with us.

It was raining all the while, and lowlands were starting to flood! We decided to find a room for the night so that our laundry might finally have a chance to dry. We drove to Dargaville and found the Dargaville Campervan Park . The room we chose was a reconditioned railway car with an en suite bathroom! This was a gem, cozy and quaint.

DAY 13 Dargaville to Dargaville
We decided to stay another day in Dargaville and wait the storm out in comfort. The owner told us the railroad cars (all 4) used to be butter transportation cars, not refrigerated but very thick walled. We complimented him on how nice they were and what fun to stay in. Then we drove up the hill to the Dargaville Museum which has the masts from the Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace vessel sunk by the French when it was protesting their nuclear testing. Inside it had displays of old furniture and medical equipment and large cases displaying kauri gum which was used in varnish, but also was a form of amber, sometimes having trapped insects inside. There was a large industry digging for kauri gum at one time and, because a touring group of MG owners had requested it, the men at the museum fired up the old gum washing machine they had had restored. Belts pumped water to scrub the gum in a drum like a washing machine. Gumdiggers sheds, shovels and boots were on display. There was a very old Maori canoe and lots of other relics. We passed a couple of pleasant hours there.

We had lunch and then headed back toward the kauri forests, since we had not seen enough the previous day to do them justice. And by now the rain had finally stopped. There was lots of flooding on the way, in fields and even across the road in one place. We turned off the main road and went to the Trounson Kauri Park and walked the forty minute trail through dense forest, looking a lot like rainforest again. We saw lots of huge Kauri trees including a group called the Four Sisters and heard the crack of a tree falling a distance from us.

On the way back we saw a group of renegade cows strolling back and forth across the road and took a picture to go with our Wandering Stock sign . We went to Bayley's Beach and walked a little but rain drove us away again. By the time we were back in Dargaville, the rain was pretty much over so, we decided to walk around town. We found a neat park with a large playground ship for kids, an area with a mosaic pool and a greenhouse.

Because of the rain we learned to appreciate what a nice town Dargaville is.

DAY 14 Dargaville to Parakai
Our last full day in New Zealand, the plan was to find a campground close to Auckland , but still in the country. Since Dargaville is not very far from Auckland, we got to our intended campground in Parakai Springs Aquatic Park by 10:30 AM and checked in. We then left to explore the nearby country side.

We drove up a peninsula to Shelly Beach and found a few shells, but it was pretty windy and we didn't stay long. We drove on passing a couple of homes where you could buy plastic bags of ‘horse poop' for a dollar. It would have been hard to bring through US customs, plus we can get manure for free at home, so we let the opportunity pass.

At South Head at the end of the peninsula, a very steep path went down to the beach. Dick was not encouraged by the name - Mosquito Beach, plus he was still nervous about leaving the van unattended in a remote area. So Sandy went alone down the steep path thinking unhappy thoughts of the climb back up, but determined to go down and see it. The beach was deserted and ok, but nothing special. The scene across the bay was pretty, but then almost every view in New Zealand was at least pretty. She walked around for a while then headed back up.

We went back to the campground and swam in the outdoor thermally heated pool. The pool water was great, about 90 degrees. After dinner we took another dip, starting at the indoor pool which was about as hot as a hot tub, then going to the outdoor pool to cool off, then back in to heat up again. A nice relaxing evening.

DAY 15 Parakai to Auckland
We drove to Muriwai Beach for breakfast. After breakfast Sandy went on a short hike to see a the gannet colony, some nesting birds. The view of the colony was really neat, each bird having its own territory so that they looked like someone had spaced them evenly out on the rocks.

We had to return the van mid morning so it could be readied for the next renter. The early arrival gave us a half day in Auckland for sightseeing. Navigating into Auckland went very easily and we found the rental agency with no problem. We emptied the van out and stored our suitcases inside the rental office. Fortunately we were within walking distance of city center.

We walked through Albert Park and looked in the windows of a clock museum. Auckland University was on the hill so we walked by lots of their buildings. They have a very diverse student population. It began to rain a bit heavily so we sheltered in the entry of a Presbyterian Church- the first one in New Zealand and went on in just a short while when it let up.

Because it was still raining a bit, we went into the Auckland Art Gallery. They had a few works by famous artists such as Picasso and Chagall, but most of the art centered around New Zealand with many portraits of early colonists and Maori leaders, male and female. Our favorites were paintings by Don Binney who usually painted stylized but recognizable New Zealand birds flying over New Zealand landscapes.

We continued on into downtown Auckland using the Sky Tower as a guide. At the Sky Tower we sat on a bench and watched people ‘sky dive' suspended by cables from the top down to a raised platform near where we sat. The moving clouds made it look as if the tower was swaying a lot, and by the time we had gone inside and found our way to the ticket place, Sandy was wobbly enough so she decided a glass elevator ride was not for her. Dick took the elevator up and took pictures of the city from above. The only hard part for him was walking over glass panels in the floor where you can see way down to the streets below under your feet.

Afterwards we walked along the waterfront looking at vastly expensive yachts. We went past the Maritime Museum but weren't motivated to go in. Instead we sat on a bench. Sandy began feeding peanut butter and cheese sandwiches she had made to the birds around, seagulls, pigeons, and sparrows. One seagull was particularly aggressive, but all of them usually beat the pigeons out, so Sandy tried to designate a wall behind her as pigeon territory. The pigeons quickly got the idea and soon one was sitting on her shoulder eating out of her hand, then a couple found the cheese sandwich still in her purse and she was mobbed by pigeons, who luckily didn't spoil it by messing on her.

On the way back to the car rental center, Sandy took some flower pictures in Albert Park. And so ended our wonderful vacation on the North Island of New Zealand. The lack of optimum weather did not stop us from falling in love with New Zealand . In a couple of years we plan to return to the South Island .