20 Weeks RTW: Wednesday, Mar. 1 (week 6 / day 38) Hahei, NZ

Dairy Days New Zealand Style

We couldn't leave the Davison Farm without seeing some live dairy action so we got up early to catch the end of milking (about 7:30). The cows were very aware of us as new to their surroundings & some would stop & stare at us, wondering what the heck we were doing there. Shruti is a veternarian from India living with the Davison's getting work experience with large farm animals. We will miss the Davison's, their home & hospitality! We are grateful for their kindness & friendship.

Michael giving some pointers on how it's done

Shruti herding the cattle into the stalls

Cannon loving Agriculture 101

Michael hooking up the suction machines

the storage tanks for the milk

Carley, Sydney & Avery just outside the milking station

Goodbye Michael & Kay!

Coromandel Peninsula

The 3 hour drive from the farm up to Hahei was beautiful but quite a windy road once up in the Coromandel peninsula. Just before we got into Hahei, we stopped at a lookout over the Pacific Ocean.

the path leading to the lookout

Cannon, Sydney & Avery with the Pacific Ocean beyond

Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove is a beautiful beach with rock cliffs & islands, thick vegetation & a huge walkway under the rock, arched like a cathedral. The 45 minute walk one-way is not enough to deter the hundreds that make the trek to this site. We spent well over an hour just at the cove while the kids swam out to the rocky island. The problem now is which of the hundred pics to leave out!

Sydney with her favorite Sorbet Pop: feijoa & pear

refueling after the Cathedral Cove Hike

Hot Water Beach

This was fun but a little bit weird: sharing a small hot springs that empties right onto the beach with 200 other people. It creeped Sydney out a little who was the first to say she was done.

Thursday, Mar. 2 (week 6 / day 39) Rotorua, NZ

Zorbin' Down the Hill

We left Tauranga about noon & made our way through the windy gorge to Rotorua, a town on a beautiful lake with many activities & natural sites. Although the ride down the hill only took 30 seconds, the kids loved it. They have a hose at the top & put in a few inches of water just beforehand to make sliding around a lot easier, avoiding the skin-sticking-to-plastic problem.

Sydney & Avery Rolling down

Kyra & Cannon climbing out

warming up after getting wet inside the Zorb

Geothermal Wonderland

We couldn't pass up one of New Zealand's "don't miss" tourist attractions: the stinky, sulphurous geothermal wonderland at Wai-O-Tapu! We spent about 90 minutes trekking around the park which actually has some really cool natural phenomena, but at a great olfactory cost. Kyra & Sydney held their noses most of the time & Avery gagged at one point & almost lost her lunch.