Today is both the last day with my Mom and the last day of the mid-term break. Tomorrow is the start of term 2 for the kids at school. I am glad my mom, despite her illness, was able to travel here and stay a little longer. I hope she got some joy and peace out of this country like I have. Her company was much appreciated during the school break- hunting for shells and feathers, going on walks, helping me catch up on laundry, and even playing laser tag.

A few weeks ago, shortly after my in-laws left, my parents and 2 sets of aunts and uncles arrived. Having my parents see and experience some of our life here was a treat for me. I enjoyed playing tour guide for the gang and seeing all the travel planning come to fruition. Travel planning reminds me of homeschooling in the sense that there are so many possibilities. It is challenging to find a path that meets everyone’s needs yet also very rewarding when it works out. And it is so much easier planning a trip when you have a feel for the area from prior experience- thank you Luanne and Jerry for allowing us to practice on you! There were 11 of us in total travelling, 11 including some opinionated Italian Americans that aren’t afraid to tell you what they think and provide ample material for entertainment. It was really endearing seeing my aunts and uncles interact with my kids; it brought back memories of my childhood. 

Our travels took us to explore the town of Rotorua, a few hours south of Auckland. Rotorua sits in the “Pacific Rim of Fire” and is one of the most active geothermal areas in the world; geothermal meaning hot springs and geysers. While not exactly beautiful in my opinion and very stinky (they say you can smell the sulfur of Rotorua before you can see it), it is pretty amazing seeing what results when the inner forces of our planet reach the surface. It also provided an endless source of farting jokes. While there we were able to tour an indigenous Maori village (Whakarewarewa) where much of the traditional way of living off the land and geothermal features has survived. We ate corn on the cob cooked in a hot spring, saw where the inhabitants bathe using the hot springs, experienced a cultural performance, and ate a full meal cooked using the steam from the earth.

We drove 20 min south to Wai-O-Tapu, a large park with walking paths surrounded by unique geothermal features. Here we also watched a geyser erupt after the placement of detergent in its vent, in similar fashion to the incidental discovery years ago when prisoners in the area doing laundry accidently and unknowingly caused the geyser to erupt. This was, to my great enjoyment, an exceptional science lesson in disguise. You see the soap decreases the surface tension of the heated water below, releasing the pressure, causing an eruption of water up to 65 feet in the air. I wish I could have seen the reaction on the prisoners faces when it first happened.

While mostly known for the geothermal features, Rotorua also has a large and impressive grove of redwoods. We walked among these giants both in the dark up high on swinging bridges between them (the “night walk”) and during the day beneath their dense canopy. Due to the rich volcanic soil and high rainfall here, the trees have grown incredibly fast. Although planted just 100 years ago, they now reach up to 250 feet tall, a growth rate much faster than their ancestors on California soil from where they originated. And we saw a waterfall (Okere falls) that prides itself on being the tallest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. You couldn’t pay me to go down it!

But I did pay to go down a hill, inside the enclosed cavity of a giant inflatable ball, sloshing around in a bucket full of water. A kiwi invention known as zorbing was invented here. You can actually do this in the U.S. in Gatlinburg. If you ever get the chance, I would recommend it! Watching a youtube video about it beforehand made me laugh and experiencing it for myself, made me laugh even harder. The five of us loved it and even three gutsy older adults (my dad, aunt, and uncle) got a kick out of it. Thrilling, wild, and incredibly silly.

On the way to Rotorua, we took time to see another unique New Zealand feature- glowworms. The biologist in me (I have a B.S. in Biology) really enjoyed seeing the glowworms on the Spellbound cave tour. These creatures are fungus gnats that live in caves throughout New Zealand and hardly anywhere else in the world. The insect spends most of its time (9 months) in the larvae stage, stationed on the cave wall, emitting a glowing light from its abdomen to attract food. It hangs down a sticky string like appendage to prey on flying insects that come into the caves, reeling them in for a meal. With a flashlight you can see their gooey strings hanging down from the cave ceiling, like a creepy science fiction scene. But turn the lights off and you see in awe the ceiling and walls of the cave speckled in numerous tiny lights, like an underground starry sky.

Now for Hobbiton. It is pretty ingenious that they decided to preserve the set and make it an experience after the movies were made. I can’t claim to be a Lord of the Rings fan. I enjoy the story but find it hard to devote that much time of my life to watch the movies more than once. But even not being a fan, the place is magical and awakens the imagination of childhood. You feel like you are in truly in a hobbit world, the attention to detail and ambience is impressive. It makes me want to create my own fairy village in my garden. Or maybe not. I don’t think anything I could create would ever meet my expectations now that I’ve been to Hobbiton. 

Queenstown was lovely again. I’ve heard criticisms from locals that Queenstown is too touristy. When I think “touristy” I think of Gatlinburg during fall break or Times Square in NYC or Disney during most of the year. I suspect the “tourism” of Queenstown during the spring holidays doesn’t even reach Gatlinburg on a weekday during off season. New Zealand itself is spectacular because there isn’t a touristy feel despite being surrounded by what would garner heaps of tourists in the U.S such as stunning beaches and landscapes. Take Maraetai where we live in Auckland. I can walk to a cafe and eat at a table overlooking the ocean and be one of the few customers there. I almost feel like it is a secret paradise. Queenstown is a mountain paradise that is touristy by New Zealand standards. Luckily there’s enough to do here that we didn’t have to repeat many things that we had done a couple of weeks ago. Between the two trips we experienced a variety of activities including organized tours of the area with knowledgeable tour guides, gondola ride up the mountain, the luge (after 5 more rides I think the kids had their fill), jet boating, steamship boating, and a farm tour. I would say the highlight for me previously was the dart river “funyaking” tour and this time it was seeing the inner workings of a steam ship, hiking up Queenstown hill with Danny, and crossing rivers in a four-wheel drive jeep surrounded by fall foliage. And jet boating, i.e. high-speed boating with twists and spins on a narrow river, is one of the most fun exhilarating experiences for all ages.

Being in Queenstown the first time several weeks ago was like a first date with stars in my eyes. Being there a second time was like a second date where you appreciate what’s in front of you even more, but you can also see some faults. The area has gotten incredibly popular as a travel destination bringing growing pains. The knowledge that made Queenstown less lovely for me was hearing about the incredibly high housing costs which has left no places to live for the locals that form the working backbone of the tourism industry- cleaners, retail workers, servers, tour guides, etc. There aren’t cheaper apartments outside town to live in. The two young tour guides we met, one was living in a camper, the other in a hostel. 

Yesterday I realized that it has been an entire month of visitors and intermittent travelling! I think I am okay taking a break from traveling for a little while. And now that I am not distracted by trip planning, I realize we only have 2+ months left here. Yikes! That doesn’t seem like very much time. I wonder what insights this last part of our adventure will bring and how it will affect our lives when we return. Stay tuned for the next post about Danny, Audrey, and Charles jumping off the Sky Tower!