|
River Of Data.com |
|
|
Sunday, 23 November, Tauranga, NZ We had planned to get up early for room service breakfast at 630, so I set the alarm for 600. Well, I thought I had, but by habit of many years I’d set it for 500. It woke me up, and Gail rolled over to catch some more dreamtime until I woke her at 620. We had been coming into the Bay of Plenty (named by Captain Cook, of course), so I went out onto the veranda to watch the ship come into the Tauranga harbor through a very narrow channel between an island and the Mt. Maunganui peninsula. Once we were into the harbor area, the combination of the ship’s side thrusters and a pair of tugs spun the ship about 270 degrees on its axis to edge it up to the dock at 600. Our excellent breakfast arrived right at 630, so we were ready to go well before our 800 departure. We were checked off of the ship promptly (you have to have your ID card scanned both to leave and to re-board) and boarded our bus for the tour. The materials telling about our day trips had said that we had a 1.5 hour bus ride to the first stop, but as soon as he pulled away, the driver said it was 2.5 hours. Gail wasn’t very happy. However, since there was little traffic on a Sunday morning, he made the drive through the beautiful New Zealand countryside to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in just over two hours. The hike down into the cave was interesting, but the formations and features weren’t anything particularly outstanding. However, after being warned to be absolutely silent, we got into boats and floated on the river into the area where the glowworms live. They live on the ceiling of the cave, giving off beautiful blue lights that are sort of like stars, and just as amazing. After leaving the caves we went on to the Otorohanga Kiwi House, where we saw a live kiwi, and many other interesting birds. The trip back was just as beautiful, and we saw even more of the beautiful green and hilly countryside filled with cattle and sheep, green grass, and green hedges. After supper we rented the DVD of March of the Penguins, which I’d never seen before. It was beautiful and brilliant.Back to itinerary (trip home page)
|
|