Time to put a little focus on NZ and not the Wuhan Chinese Virus (I understand the Chinese government hates it being called that….all the more reason to scream it from the rooftops!!!). F U China!!! Something to consider, and I have no idea how they found my blog, but the #2 country to read my posts is China. I guess it’s 4 billion people with the internet randomly typing away?
We stayed one night at a little spot called Oreti Village adjacent to Lake Taupo, a huge lake smack dab in the middle of the North Island. We had an excellent view from our patio.
A truly beautiful spot that reminded us Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho. The lake is the caldera of Taupo Volcano, and sits at just over 1,100 feet of elevation, so it’s slightly cooler here. Unless you have a boat or a jetski, there isn’t much else here, but the view was beautiful, and their restaurant was quite good. They have a very dangerous trail down to the lake. We made it most of the way, but I forged through more spider webs than Indiana Jones at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark, so we finally turned back.
From Lake Taupo we drove north towards Auckland, where we were “supposed” to board our ship for our cruise the next day. Enroute we stopped at Waitomo Glowworm Cave. You are not allowed to take any photos in the cave, so I will post stock images of what you see on this tour.
Of course, one guy was happily snapping away up until the Maori guide gave him a nice “what the hell is your problem?” talking to. It appeared he feigned a lack of English…..pretty sure he was from Hong Kong. She didn’t care, commenting loudly “there’s always one!”. I admire the directness of these people!
The Glowworms are a Fungus Gnat (sounds tasty, I think there was one in my soup tonight) endemic to NZ. The larvae, which are usually found in caves, glow through bioluminescense. This glowing attracts insects, that they grab with sticky silk threads that they drop from their nesting place in the cave. The guide showed us these silk threads by shining a light across the top of the cave. This picture is a good representation.
As part of the tour they take you on a boat through the cave, as the area where the bulk of the Glowworms are is filled with water. The Glowworms look like the night sky. One part looked like you were looking at the stars through a field of trees! It’s a very surreal experience. Again, this is a stock photo….my camera would not have been able to take a decent photo, even if I was from Hong Kong. Even this photo doesn’t really do it justice, it must be experienced first hand to truly be appreciated. Kim and I were both mesmerized.
We are finally allowed to take photos as we exit the cave. Mr Hong Kong must have taken a thousand! I took two.
Looking back into the cave, as the boat we just departed drifts out of sight.
We had one more night in Auckland, so we went to the Sugar Club, a fine dining establishment on the 51st floor of the Skytower. Kim and I agreed, the food in Orbit, their lower end “rotating” restaurant, was much better, but the paired wines were pretty damn good! Here is a pretty crappy view of the sunset from behind our table….damn glass!
Here is a nightshot of the Skytower.
Next up, Paihia and Russell…..with an update of “Covid-19 Nightly News” first. Oh joy!
