Exploring Australia&NZ Day 21

Day 21 - Friday, May 6, 2011 - Rotorua to Auckland; Stop at Ruakuri Caves; City of Sails; Auckland War Memorial Museum; Farewell Dinner

The weather man cooperated with our outdoor day yesterday. Today was dark, wet, and rainy as we began our drive to Auckland. We departed the hotel at 7:30; once again everyone was on time.

John gave us more information about the volcanic North Island compared with the glacial South Island. The North Island is part of the Ring of Fire and the city of Auckland is built on 48 extinct volcanoes.

We drove away from the small city of Rotorua and our bus climbed out of the huge Rotorua Caldera. Everyone could imagine the intensity of the earth’s internal forces to form such a huge valley.

At 9:30 we reached the Waitomo Caves, meaning two dogs. We met our guides Shannon and Steve who divided our group into two smaller units so it would be easier to travel through the cave system.

The whole area in the Waitomo region is interlaced with caves and underground river systems. The cave we entered was the Ruakuri Cave, known especially for spiral entrance.

Shannon guided us down the spiral portal and then into the well laid out walkway through pristine stalagmites, stalactites, and limestone formations. One of the outstanding chambers was “The Pretties” – a huge geode of crystals and calcium formations.

The blue glowworms that can be seen in the complete darkness are a highlight of the tour. Almost impossible to photograph, these larvae produce a luminescence that attracts food in the darkness of the underground.

The temperature underground was 66º and the humidity was 78%. Because it had been raining heavily for the past few days there was a lot of moisture in the cave and the rivers were running high.

By 11:15 we had finished our tour and left the Under World to drive to Otorohanga for lunch on our own. I wanted to take a few photos of the murals on the walls in this little farm support village so we walked the length of Main Street.

Back on the road again by 12:30; John made one comfort stop at 2:30 and by 3:15 we were in Auckland, the largest city of New Zealand with 1.4 million people.

Auckland is also known as the "City of Sails" because of the number boats. There are five people to every boat in this city. John described them as from 10 foot row boats to yachts and Gin Palaces!

Our appointment to tour the Auckland War Memorial Museum was at 3:30. Gennie and I followed our map of the three floors of the museum that have well displayed exhibits of the Pacific People and Natural History. The top floor is called “Scars of the Heart” and pays tribute to New Zealand’s participation in military conflicts.

John was waiting for us on the bus at 5:00 and took us on a short tour of the city as we found our hotel right on beautiful Auckland Harbour. We had time to start going through photos and to start the journal before meeting all of our new friends for the farewell dinner.

The Harbourside Restaurant was just a few blocks from our hotel and it felt good to walk the short way after our long day on the bus.

Even though we were pretty organized we took time to pack for our flight home. We will post the final leg of this GarciaTrips Australia and New Zealand Adventure when we arrive home.

We leave Auckland at 1:05pm on May 7th arriving in Denver at 2:10 pm on May 7th. Ah the wonders of traveling from west to east across the Date Line!

Accommodations: Stamford Plaza - - - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

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