~~~~~
~~~~~
boutique
a business or establishment that is
small and sophisticated or fashionable.
~~~~~
When we visited Rotorua…
…our accommodation…
Rotorua
Word-of-Day-Challenge-Fractures
~~~~~~~
~~~~~
fractures
the cracking or breaking of a hard object
or material
Small fractures in the earth’s crust
allows geothermal steam,
and if the fracture is larger,
volcanic lava to flow,
at regular or irregular times,
into the atmosphere.
Word of the Day Challenge:…Fractures
~~~~~
Sunday-Stills-Favourite-Holiday-Spot
~~~~~
Initially my thoughts turned to
Africa for this challenge.
However, a little more thought and
New Zealand it is.
New Zealand is sometimes referred to
as Australia’s seventh state;
and I must confess it is a
home away from home in my opinion.
Now for some random images from our
2018 road trip around a small part
of New Zealand’s North Island.
Near Matamata we spent a couple
of nights at Buckland’s Airbnb.
This window view, from our room,
was enough to keep me happy.
If the view appears too rural for your liking,
there is always accommodation in Matamata itself.
We were there to visit the Hobbit Movie set
which is less than 5 kilometres from
Buckland’s airbnb.
The third of Waitomo’s Cave was Ruakuri Cave.
The only cave where photography
was freely allowed.
To reach the cave floor we had
to negotiate the spiral down.
And there was no magic way of getting
out of the cave without negotiating
the same spiral to ground level.
While in the Ruakuri Cave…
…there are plenty of sights…
…to view or photograph.
Several nights were spent in Taupo,
located on the north-eastern shore
of Lake Taupo.
About 15 minutes out of Taupo is Huka Falls.
Not big in either width or height,
however, big in water throughput.
Taupo also provided an extensive range…
…of flora to photograph during our visit.
About 90 kilometres to the south of Taupo is
Tongariro National Park
where I was able to capture this image of
Mt Ruapehu
At Rotorua we spent a night or two at
Hamurana Lodge
a Boutique Hotel out of Rotorua.
Using Hamurana Lodge as our base
we were able to visit
Whakarewarewa – Living Maori Village…
…and enjoy lunch cooked in a thermal spring
the traditional Maori way.
We arrived back in Auckland a few days prior
to No 1 Son’s wedding.
Number 2 Son and his wife had been sort
of shadowing us during our road trip.
As Daughter-in-Law celebrated her
birthday the day before we arrived
in Auckland we all met up for
a family celebration.
Dinner in Auckland’s Sky Tower.
New Zealand is a peaceful friendly country
with a wide variety of attractions.
AND it is roughly a two and a half hour
flight from Melbourne.
Compare that with a 14 hour journey
from Sydney to Johannesburg.
~~~~~
Sunday-Stills-Favourite-Vacation-Spot
~~~~~
Cee’s-Hunt4Joy-Dance-It-Out
~~~~~
Some farewell entertainment at
Sausage Tree Safari Camp…
…near the end of our first
African Safari, 2013.
~~~~~
Dubai fire dancer.
Whakarewarewa Maori Village dancers,
Rotorua,
New Zealand.
Belly Dancer,
Dubai.
~~~~~
Cee’s-Hunt-for-Joy-Challenge: Dance-It-Out
~~~~~
Word-of-Day-Challenge-Bucolic
~~~~~
bucolic
relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
“the church is lovely for its bucolic setting”
synonyms :rustic, rural, pastoral, country, countryside,
agricultural, agrarian, outdoor, idyllic, unspoiled
I am not sure if Hamurana Lodge fits
the bucolic theme of today.
However it is location on the
outskirts of Rotorua is ideal.
If this scene is not bucolic,
then I am not sure what is.
~~~~~
Word of the Day Challenge: Bucolic
~~~~~
Word-of-Day-Challenge-Applaud
~~~~~
While not necessarily applauding…
…the girls in this African Dance Troupe
are clapping their hands.
Both the African and the
New Zealand entertainers had us…
…on our feet dancing along.
All entertainers were warmly applauded
at the conclusion of their performances.
~~~~~
Word of the Day Challenge: Applaud
Tuesday-PC-Wk162-Tower
~~~~~~
Towers from all over.
Eiffel Tower.
A Leaning Tower at Pisa
Dubai’s,
Burj Khalifa
Towering Redwoods in Rotorua
New Zealand
Light house towers.
~~~~~
Pic-and-Word-Challenge_Wk187-Red
I shall commence with an image
which may not quite fit.
Part of the Californian Redwood Forest
on the outskirts of Rotorua
in New Zealand.
Bicycles in Lille sporting lots of red.
A specimen from the Dahlia Farm
near Geelong in 2018.
~~~~~
Pic-and-Word-Challenge_Wk187_Red
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-Roads
~~~~~
Before our visit to New Zealand last year
we booked all accommodation
long before leaving Australia.
Therefore it was a bit of a surprise to discover
we had booked a place so far out of Rotorua.
But what a wonderful entrance to
Hamurana Lodge.
We were given a local welcome
shortly after entering the drive.
Just wish we had more time
at this beautiful accommodation.
SUNDAY-STILLS-PC-Reflect
~~~~~
We had probably the busiest year we will ever have in 2018.
Late February we spent a weekend in Auckland
to celebrate the engagement of
our eldest son to his bride to be.
In June we were blessed with falling snow while
visiting the Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier.
Most of us had not seen falling snow ever,
so a real delight.
A week or so later while cruising the Inside Passage
during our stop at Juneau we flew
onto the Mendenhall Glacier to visit the huskies
and have a rife in a sled.
Another highlight.
We hardly seemed to be home
before preparations needed…
to be made for our road trip in New Zealand
prior to our son’s wedding.
A Māori Hāngī at the
Whakarewarewa Māori Village in Rotorua…
…and a visit to the Hobbit Movie Set at Matamata,
…were preludes to the big day.
The next morning back at
Auckland International Airport
for our flight home.
