~~~~~~~
~~~~~
A Christmas AngeL
Cricket BalL
An amber bowL
A Dubai CameL ride.
HaiL
Rotorua
Word-of-Day-Challenge-Boutique
~~~~~~~
~~~~~
boutique
a small shop selling fashionable clothes or accessories.
~~~~~
The hairdresser’s shop doesn’t sound
anywhere near as exotic in English
Hamurana Lodge
Boutique Hotel
Rotorua
New Zealand
*****
~~~~~
Word of the Day Challenge:…Boutique
~~~~~
Word-of-Day-Challenge-Culture
e~~~~~~~
~~~~~
culture
the arts and other manifestations of human
intellectual achievement regarded collectively
~~~~~
This young dance troupe gave us…
…a peek into their culture…
…via song and dance.
Similarly, so did these Maori dancers…
…in Rotorua,
New Zealand.
~~~~~
Word of the Day Challenge:…Culture
~~~~~
FOWChallenge-Boutique
~~~~~
~~~~~
boutique
a business or establishment that is
small and sophisticated or fashionable.
~~~~~
When we visited Rotorua…
…our accommodation…
was Hamurana Lodge,
a nice boutique hotel.
~~~~~
Fandango’s One-Word Challenge:…Boutique
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
WoollyMuses 