I got up at 4 AM (!) and was on an airport van at 5 AM with a boxed breakfast, which I had time to eat before boarding my flight to Sydney. After four flights and some anxious moments with flight delays, I arrived back home at 12:20 AM on the same day (regaining the day I lost on my departure from home). It was indeed the vacation of a lifetime with a variety of great experiences and wonderful memories, one I’ll never forget.
On our last tour day, we took the ferry from Auckland to Waiheke Island and had a leisurely driving tour, stopping at Rangihoua Estate for olive oil tasting and at Mudbrick Vineyard for lunch.
Auckland Harbour
Waiheke Island
Olive oil tasting, Rangihoua Estate
Wine tasting and luncheon, Mudbrick Vineyard
We had a wonderful farewell dinner and exchanged hugs and goodbyes – a great end for a great trip. I went to bed early to prepare for a very early wake-up call for the return trip home.
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We left Queenstown early after breakfast on our charter plane for Rotorua and visited the Te Puia Maori Cultural Center in the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley. We had a Maori welcoming ceremony with songs and dances and a tour of the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. Pohutu Geyser was spectacular.
Weaving School, Maori Cultural Center
Carving School, Maori Cultural Center
Presentation of traditional Maori songs and dances, Maori Cultural Center
Pohutu Geyser, Rotorua
After a quick tour of Rotorua, we drove to Longland’s Dairy Farm for lunch and then through Matamata (but the Hobbiton set was, sadly, not on our tour) and on to Auckland.
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Fortunately the sun came out for our city tour of Wellington. We had a guided tour of the Parliament Buildings followed by a cable car ride up to Kelburn just outside of the Botanic Garden.
View of Wellington Harbour from my room at the Copthorne Hotel
View of Wellington from Kelburn
Our tour ended with a guided visit of the Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum, and I decided to spend the rest of the day there. The geologic, historical and Maori exhibits are absolutely fantastic, and there is also a “bush city” where they are growing their own rainforest! From the museum it was a relatively short walk back to the hotel along the harbour front; it was extremely windy but otherwise pleasant. I joined several folks for dinner at the Lone Star, a Texas style restaurant that serves extremely generous portions in a very lively atmosphere – judging from the crowd, it seems to be “the happening place” in Wellington. We all probably should have dressed warmer, however, as it was a cold windy walk back to our hotel.
Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum, Wellington
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A very long day with no time for sightseeing started with an early breakfast and leaving our hotel at 7 AM for the airport for our flight to Wellington and the New Zealand security/customs/immigration clearance. Our hotel had a nice view of Wellington Harbour, although unfortunately it was raining upon our arrival, and we were awakened by several downpours during the night.
Views of Wellingon Harbour from my room at the Copthorne Hotel
