Tom Chun reports on his current wanderings:
Hi Friends,From Auckland I took a couple side trips out of the city. My first trip is to Rotorua to see the geothermal springs in the Maori Whakarewarewa Village. The boiling hot springs give out the smell of sulfur, some say it smells like rotten eggs. While on my way there, I stopped at the Agrodome where I was introduced to the many varieties of sheep and sheep shearing.
"Mary had a little lamb", ...and the Kiwis have 40 million sheep. For a country of 4 million residents, that's heaps! I met up with some Kiwi friends who took me to Whakatane ("Wha-" pronounced as "Fah-", at first I thought they were swearing at me. LOL!) Whakatane is on the East coast in the Bay of Plenty. It is a picturesque beachside town that is many people retire to. It took all but 1 1/2 hours to tour the town and vista points. And that was taking our time, including a picnic! =) On my second venture out, I head north to the Bay of Islands to take a boat cruise out to the "Hole in the Rock" and visit the Waitangi Treaty House. This is where the Maori and British sign their famous treaty. It is the only treaty agreed upon during peace and not war. Unusual huh? In Wellington at Archives New Zealand, I was able to see the original Waitangi Treaty up close and personal. It's like going down to Washington D.C. to see our founding document. Incredible!All aboard! Choo! Choo! From Auckland, I took a 12 hour TranScenic train down to Wellington, New Zealand's capital. It was one of the most scenic train rides I have been on. Every view from my carriage was a picture taking opportunity. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the rear open deck carriage to take unobstructed photos. Wellington is a harborside city surrounded by steep hills. You can take a cable car up the steep hills of Wellington to the Botanical Gardens for some fresh air, nature, and great views. The city is so steep, there are 400 box-like private cable cars that climb up to some homes. It's not just for the old or lazy. People have built private cable cars so that their aging dogs don't have to climb the stairs. Ah, how nice! =) The Te Papa Museum has 6 floors of amazing facts and museum articles of every kind. It truly is the country's museum! Cuba Street is the bohemian district and cannot be missed, literally, it's in the center of town. Inside Old St. Paul's Cathedral is unique in that it is Gothic structure but built with wood, instead of stone that you see in other churches.
New photos: tompchun.shutterfly.com
Old blogs: tompchun.blogspot.com
Cheers mates!
Tom =)
"International Man or Leisure"