Kristin Laura

Day two started with a buffet breakfast at the hotel.  One of my favorite things about international travel is smoked fish for breakfast.  Today I had smoked fish wrapped in smoked fish with a side of smoked fish.  One was salmon, but I'm not sure about the others.  Looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast (not that this is all about eating, but it kind of is). Michael the concierge recommended a trip to Waiheke Island.  There were lots of tours and tasting packages, but I thought the prices seemed a little steep so we opted for the round-trip (they call it "return") ferry and all day bus pass.  I guarantee we had better wine, food and adventures than the folks on the tours. After a scenic 45-minute ferry ride from Auckland to Waiheke, we jumped on bus #1 and took it to the end of the line at Onetangi Beach.  There were lots of tourists and locals on the bus, but we got a good laugh when a girl questioned the driver about the location of the beach. ...

At breakfast we dined with the museum director and his wife again and a couple that splits their time between Vermont and Sydney.  We walked in as Mr. Museum was once again advising a visit to the Hundertwasser Public Toilets .  They just must be seen according to Mrs. Museum.  Unfortunately, we've already passed the location and will miss out on this life changing experience.  Mrs. Museum also informed us that Aucklanders hold themselves above other Kiwis and referred to them as JAFAs (just another f---ing Auklander).  They drink French wine instead of New Zealand wine so no wonder they are disliked.  This was our first fun fact for the day.   Lupton Lodge Before leaving, Andy, the proprietor of the Lupton Lodge, asked us where we were headed.  When we indicated Hamilton, he gave us a peculiar face.  We hit the road and stuck to the paved ones today.  We took a break at Ransom winery and restaurant where we learned our se...

Today was double adventure day.  After our typical breakfast of yogurt, blueberries (they're in season) and muesli (granola), we hit the road for Waitomo and the glow worm caves.  We started with a 2-hour tour in the Raukuri cave.  We had a very knowledgeable guide.  Bethany, a geology  graduate from Oregon, moved to New Zealand for the caving.  She is very passionate about geology and caves.  We descended about 60m into the earth where it is very dark and damp (which I will take over hot and damp any day).  The stalagmites, stalactites, and columns were fascinating.  Below us a river flowed (we had hoped to raft the river but it was sold out today) and we could hear a waterfall.  Bethany told us all about the glow worms which are really maggots.  The glow comes from their poo.  But as Bethany said, who wants to visit the pooping maggot caves.  Glow worms sound much more cuddly.  The worms flicker as tiny blue-green d...