Zealots in New Zealand - North Island

Bob and I had always planned to see Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand), before leaving Korea.  We decided to plan a two-week self-guided driving trip in the "land of the long white cloud".  We timed it for the last two weeks of March, and arranged for our movers to begin packing us up the day after our return to Seoul.  It was intended to be (and was for Sharon) an exciting and invigorating final vacation before returning to Texas.  Unfortunately, the timing was very stressful for Bob.  Although he would not officially begin his new position until April 1, the former manager retired the end of February.  So, in addition to wrapping up things at KRCC, Bob also had to step into new territory with Drilling Specialties. If that were not enough, he continued to carry out his church Stake President responsibilities - including planning a District Conference for April 23 - at which time he would be released from his calling.  Making all the move plans and arrangements also weighed heavily on his mind.  Admittedly, even I was feeling stressed-out with online house-hunting, trip planning, visiting people and sharing all the things we would not keep, separating items needed for vacation, for sea shipment, and interim living for an unknown length of time, and working on those dreaded inventories and valuations!  In retrospect, we would have enjoyed the vacation much more at a different time.  Nevertheless, the south Pacific beckoned and we heeded the call.  Nothing would deter our zeal for experiencing New Zealand.

Before I proceed, it is noteworthy to mention that when Bob's dad was called to serve an LDS mission as a young man, he was assigned to labor in the New Zealand mission.  Most of his three-year mission was spent on the island of Niue.  Read about his challenging and faith-promoting experiences by purchasing his book,"Niue of Polynesia: Savage Island's First Latter-day Saint Missionaries", by following this link.  Although Bob and I did not travel to Niue on this trip, Bob's desire to see New Zealand stems from his father's service.

There is so much to do and see in New Zealand, and two weeks was all we had.  Although we couldn't do it all, you will see from just my crazy North Island plans that I was on a mission that would keep us on a pretty tight schedule.  While it's not Bob's idea of a "vacation" - Sharon loves doing the tourist thing.  After all, we may never pass this way again, right?  Our United reservation had us flying from Seoul to Shanghai the morning of Tuesday, March 14 on a 2-hour Asiana flight.  From there we boarded Air New Zealand for an 11 1/2 hour flight to Auckland.  We were so grateful to be upgraded to business class, and for the first time on a long flight, I actually slept well.  They had the most comfortable (seriously, the best business class I've experienced so far) seats which fully reclined and were topped with a thick mattress pad and big pillows and blankets before turning in for the night.  We needed a good sleep because we hit the ground running at 6:30 am.

Securing a rental car and getting Bob acclimated to driving on the right side was an easy process.  By 8:30 we were on our way to Hamilton to see the LDS Temple site.  The 13th (11th operating) temple, completed in 1958,overlooks 86 acres it shares with the former Church College of New Zealand—a Church-operated school for students ages twelve to eighteen that permanently closed in December 2009 after 51 years of operation.  This summer, the LDS Church dedicated several new buildings on the site which include a stake and cultural center, a library, a distribution center for church materials, and a Pacific Church History Center.  You can learn more by following this link.

I have to say that the landscape of the north island was absolutely beautiful.  I had been told the the south island was so much more spectacular, but I fell in love with the green rolling hills dotted with sheep and cows!  It was such a tranquil and lovely drive through this part of the country.  Traffic was sparce and we often crossed over one-lane bridges with no waiting.

 

 

Our afternoon destination was the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, where Bob and I elected to do some black-water rafting.  Watch this short video which highlights our experience.  The bioluminescent flies in their larval stage (glowworms) produce a blue-green light.  They are predatory and use their light to lure prey into their sticky slime webs.  We saw them throughout New Zealand in caves and in forests at night.  But this was our first introduction to the intriguing creatures.  At the Waitomo caves, we booked an unforgettable experience with Blackwater Rafting Company to climb through caves, squeeze through tight passageways, jump backwards with our tubes off of small cliffs into pools of water, and raft through black caverns filled with glowworms.  It was an incredible experience!

After enjoying the hot soup lunch provided at the glowworm caves, we drove two hours east to Rotorua.  We wanted to experience a bit of the Maori culture of New Zealand at Mitai Maori Village.  The evening began with a traditional Maori "hangi" dinner.  In traditional hangi cooking, food such as fish and chicken, and root vegetables such as kumara (sweet potato), are cooked in a pit dug in the ground.  Our starchy meal included pork, lamb, stuffing, rice, a thick stew, and more; followed by a large variety of desserts.  I could not clear my plate, but enjoyed sampling the variety of foods.

Following dinner, we were escorted through their traditional village and were welcomed there by several fiercely painted Maori warriors floating downstream in a canoe.  This part of the county is a geothermal wonderland and we caught our first glimpse of some bubbling hot springs.  A short musical production introduced us to their traditional music and dance.  We could only assume the blonde warrior was an in-law to this extended Maori family tribe.

It was an exhilarating day, but Bob and I were more than ready to turn in for the night at the local Holiday Inn.  We would be up early again the next morning to complete our North Island adventures.