Today the ship docked in Toraunga, New Zealand!
We had a tour booked for today, but the tour guide never showed up, so we were able to get on another tour with our friends Frank, Philomena, Jan, Hal, Rodger, Wendy, Barbra, and Lisa. The guides name was Natalie, she was very nice. It was a fantastic tour group. Our first stop was the village of Tewhakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao. It is a village built on top of geothermal activity. This means that the Mauri people built there houses over big bubbling hot springs and hot mud pits hundreds of years ago and their descendants still live there today. They also use the springs in their daily lives. They use them to cook and they take baths in some of the hot water in the winter time. They put on a performance while we were there. And we got to try some sweet corn that was cooked in one of the hot pools.
 















 


Pictures from the Mauri Village.



After that we went to a park with some more hot mud puddles and on our way out there was an old man on an electric motorcycle who beeped at us and coolly drove by with a massive smile on his face. He was also wearing some strange sunglasses (like the ones Sponge Bob has on when he plays Goofy Goober Rock). It was bizarre.
Next, we went to a hotel for lunch. There was a garden and pool in the center of the hotel. There was a small restaurant built in next to the garden. That’s where we ate. We sat with Frank, Philomena, and Lisa. I had a BLT. There was a shop with a special deal so everything was half off. Almost all the lady’s (other than my mom) went and bought something. It was a good lunch.

Food and Friends

Next, we went to the California Red Woods forest where they recorded Pete’s Dragon. I had never seen a redwood in real life before. They are truly amazing. We walked around for a bit and took some pictures. On the way out we saw many mountain bikers which made me a little homesick.



These were the biggest trees I've ever seen (obviously)

Finally, we went to a Kiwi plantation. New Zealand is big into Kiwis. They call the fruit Kiwi. Their national bird is a Kiwi. They even call themselves kiwis. They grow green kiwis, and gold kiwis, which are genetically modified so that you can pick them up and eat them like apples. It is much sweeter then a regular kiwi, and I would say it even tastes a bit like a pear. We sampled green and gold kiwis, green and gold kiwi juices, kiwi jams and relishes, and even kiwi Ice-cream! There was also Manuka honey. It is made by special Manuka bees and a special  Manuka flower. It is supposed to be very good for you, but it is really grainy, and the taste is not like normal honey. It is very unique, but it isn’t something I would want to eat again. It is also very expensive. It was a delightful (and very tasty) experience.

KIWI

Natalie dropped us off at the ship. Me and my mom changed into play clothes and headed back out. We climbed up a small mountain called Mount Maunganui. We took some pictures from the top. We went back down and swam for a while on the beautiful beach and then got some Ice-cream. It was called Mt. Everest and $5 were donated to charity when we bought it which was interesting considering it only cost $5. Later my mom had the idea that it was just the leftovers mixed together which I thought made perfect sense due to the unique flavor.





Pictures from our own exploration of the city


It was a Fantastic day!
Till Next Time!

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