Our friends Lis and Paul kindly took us to Zealandia, a wildlife ecosanctuary in Wellington which is completely surrounded by a fence to keep out the pests that can kill such as cats, mice, rats and stoats.
Saw a number of birds including Tui, Kaka, North Island Robin, Saddleback and Cormorants (shags as they call them here) most of which were too quick for me to take a photo! Also saw some Tuatara, a living fossil, basking in the sunlight. Gorgeous setting in an old quarry complete with a lake.
Lis and Paul droooed us off so we could pick up our hire car and we then headed for Hawera, our overnight stop before setting off on the Forgotten World Highway to Taumarunui.
On the way to the highway we had hoped for a good view of Mount Taranaki, however, the weather decided otherwise and it was surrounded by clouds! The highway winds its way through stunning countryside, up and down the hills, with good viewpoints and through the Makah and Moki Tunnels. Halfway is a small Republic called Republic of Whangamomona, which declared itself independent of NZ and voted a goat as its president, you can have your passport stamped for a small fee.
The next section is on unsealed road, through Tangarakau Gorge, lush forest and very Jurassic Park like.
Stopped off near the end of the highway at Lauren’s Lavender Farm, fabulous setting for our coffee stop with a view. Overnight in Taumarunui before setting off for Rotorua.
On the way visited the Lava Glass Blowing gallery, some fabulous pieces but resisted a purchase. Next stop was the Aratiatia Dam to watch the water release, which happens 3 or 4 times daily. Most of the energy in NZ is generated by hydro electric, they have an awful lot of water!
Got to Rotorua in the late afternoon in the rain, lots of flooding and landslips on the Coromandel, our next destination.
The weather didn’t improve the next day so our plan to go on a lake cruise and go on a cable car got shelved and we decided on a cinema trip to see Operation Fortune, a Guy Ritchie film with Jason Statham and Hugh Grant, very entertaining, followed by a meal in the local Irish Pub!