Australia Part 6/ NZ3

Today we are in Tauranga and we are taking a tour.  First stop on the tour is a kiwi grove.  The kiwi grow on short trees that overhang, almost like vines.

see... now you know.

Next stop is a Maori area.  The Maori are New Zealand indigenous people, and they did not have it any easier here than the native Americans had it in the US.  There were wars and intolerance, but today the Maori culture is respected, so much so that the native Maori language is taught in schools and on all signs in NZ.  

As we enter the area, a warrior comes up and makes an offering to us.  If our leader picks it up, we are there in peace.

The Maori do this beautiful thing when they meet- they touch hands, foreheads and noses, which signifies a sharing of breath and knowledge.

You would not believe that this Maori lady has a sister that lived in Laconia, NH for 10 years.  She and her family have visited many times, and she was telling me how much she loves that area and how she spent some summers at the lake.  Small world.  Even weirder,  the sister now lives in Florida.

They younger people of the family performed traditional dances.

and of course asked for audience participation.

The boys got to do the haka, which looks something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-lrE2JcO44

They were scary!

We loved Tauranga, and were sad to be leaving this place.

Rebound.  Next stop Bay of Islands, where the weather is finally warm enough for us to hit the beach.

The kids spent all day digging and playing in the tide pools.

As we were waiting for the ferry back to the boat there was time for some rock skipping.

Time to get off the boat in Auckland, NZ, where we had a few days to recuperate before heading back to school.

Goodbye Celebrity Century... we'll miss you!

Hello Villa Maria Winery!

If you know us you know there is always time for a factory tour.

These tanks are cold storage for wine, and if you drank one bottle per day it would take you 510 years to empty one tank.  Who's up for a challenge????

This is the bottle works, which was quiet today.  

By this point we are all wiped out and ready to head home.  Luckily we were leaving the next morning.  All in all Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania are amazing places to visit.  Because they all speak English (sort of, Gary still has no idea what was said during an hour long conversation he had with a taxi driver) it is a lot easier to get around, order food, grocery shop and get a hair cut (which I did on the last day at a place called The Shearing Shack!).  It is easier to have discussions about the Republican nominations while you are sitting by the pool.  All of those things are easier, but it takes some of the adventure out of the trip... we never once said, "What do you think that is?" as we took a bite of our dinner. 

It is always good to end with smiles like these.  We hope you enjoyed our trip. 

Where should we go next???