Today we rented a car and drove inland to Hamilton and Rotorua. the Waikato River runs through Hamilton and the Hamilton Gardens are a major attraction. There were lots of people walking the river and wandering through the gardens with their dogs and families. There are gardens organized by country as well as plant (including the history of the rose or camelia) and we saw an Italian, Indian, 1050's American, Japanese, English and Maori garden. 
All of them were unique and represented a different phase of ornamental landscaping. It is fall here and some of the trees are turning bright colors and stand alongside beautiful palm trees and huge ferns. Rotorua is in the middle of the North Island and boasts hot springs and hot mud baths popping up all over the place. There are special caves where you can raft down an inner river and see glowworms. Lake Rotorua is hot in spots but is huge and there are all kinds of boating and recreation around the area. We then drove over the Kaima Matango Forest to Tauranga to spend the night. An enormous cloud in the sky chased us all the way there. There are steep cliffs where we saw sheep and alpaca farms. 
Sometimes you could look down and see a lovely deep crater where black and white cows grazed on incredibly green grass. This area is famous for kiwi fruit and wine. On the roadside you can buy a big bag of kiwis for only $.40 US. The New Zealand dollar exchange rate is $1NZ to .61US. When we arrived in Tauranga it was dark and we could see the harbor lights and shops along the shore. There is an active volcanoe in the middle of the harbor.
All of them were unique and represented a different phase of ornamental landscaping. It is fall here and some of the trees are turning bright colors and stand alongside beautiful palm trees and huge ferns. Rotorua is in the middle of the North Island and boasts hot springs and hot mud baths popping up all over the place. There are special caves where you can raft down an inner river and see glowworms. Lake Rotorua is hot in spots but is huge and there are all kinds of boating and recreation around the area. We then drove over the Kaima Matango Forest to Tauranga to spend the night. An enormous cloud in the sky chased us all the way there. There are steep cliffs where we saw sheep and alpaca farms. 
Sometimes you could look down and see a lovely deep crater where black and white cows grazed on incredibly green grass. This area is famous for kiwi fruit and wine. On the roadside you can buy a big bag of kiwis for only $.40 US. The New Zealand dollar exchange rate is $1NZ to .61US. When we arrived in Tauranga it was dark and we could see the harbor lights and shops along the shore. There is an active volcanoe in the middle of the harbor.
I am enjoying reading your blog of New Zealand. I actually have a friend who lives in the southern island in Dunedin. From all I have heard, it's a beautiful and friendly country! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteKate Eatmon