North Island with the Moesers

I arrived back in Auckland from my two week holiday in Michigan on July 17th with my parents in tow. Since they only had four weeks in country we hit the ground running and headed straight for Rotorua for a geothermal experience. You can smell the sulphur bubbling from the hot vents scattered throughout this region even before you enter town. The best place to see the thermal activity is at Wai-o-tapu, although I preferred the FREE bubbling mud pit just outside the park.

The next stop on our journey was Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, where we had a great sailing adventure on the Barbary, a sailboat bizarrely once owned by Errol Flynn. Our captain took us to see some Maori rock carvings only accessible from the water. Chuck, a.k.a. Dad, had great fun sailing and didn't hit anything :)

We continued on to Art Deco Napier, a town that was destroyed by earthquake in the 1920s and rebuilt in the style of the period. Even now all new buildings have to be built in the art deco style. We took a lovely walking tour of the architecture, which would have been even better if it weren't for the pouring rain. Luckily, there was a vineyard nearby with copious amounts of alcohol tasting and homemade cheese.

To end our North Island adventure we went to Wellington to relax while Matt finished his last week of work. Next stop, the South Island......