New Zealand - January 1 - 10, 2015

January 1, 2015 - Left the B&B after 2 days there and we head west to the coast before heading south to Whangerei, NZ.  The roads are all twists, turns, ups and downs.  Fun to drive but it takes a long time to get anywhere.  Photos of the coastal area where we stopped at various places and a lunch stop at a roadside café.

 

January 2, 2015 - Drove down to the town of Whengari, NZ and stopped to see the giant NZ trees that rival our redwoods in size.  They are over 2,000 years old.

 

 

Some of the forest around the tree area.

 

These trees are called the 4 sisters as they are so close together and similar size and age.

 

January 3, 2015 - Whengari Falls.

 

 

Forest around the falls.

 

Guess who?

 

January 4, 2015 - In the town of Whengari.

 

January 5, 2015 - Trip to caves of the glowworms.  The caves here have tiny worms on the ceiling that glow like stars in the night sky except they glow green cannot photo them but they are spectacular.

 

 

Walking to a natural bridge.

 

The path back to the car.

 

More waterfalls.

 

 

January 6, 2015 - Drove to the Rotorua region for the geothermal attractions, including hot springs, mud pools and geysers.

 

 

 

 

 

January 10, 2015 - From the ferry crossing from the north island to the south island.  Looking back at Wellington.

 

Last views of Wellington and the north island.

 

Coming into the south island through the channel that stretches many miles before landing at Picton, NZ, south island.

 

 

The town of Picton.

 

In town where we had lunch.

 

From here we drove south about 300 miles to the town of Christchurch, NZ.  The landscape is very hilly, dry and somewhat mountainous.  Will continue from here in the next publication.