Tuesday - Paihia and Bay of Islands

Cruising

When we woke up this morning and looked out the window, we could see two gigantic cruise ships at anchor far out in the bay. By the time we had eaten breakfast and walked to the wharf, cruise passengers had started to invade Paihia. The local artisans were ready for them, having set up booths of handcrafted jewelry, leather work, paintings, and other wares on the village green. DeEtte had been looking for a jade pendant for some time, but although we saw some very nice ones, she decided that none of them was "calling to her."

Monday - Auckland

A-sailing we go

How can you go wrong sailing around Auckland harbor on an America's Cup yacht?

Sunday - Rotorua and Waimangu

Sunday morning, we got up in time to attend church in the Fairy Spring Ward, which was not far from our motel in Rotorua. Other than the fact that the congregation was primarily Maori and the accents were Kiwi (which means that accent would be pronounced as ecksint), it was pretty much like attending an LDS worship service anywhere in the English-speaking world.

Saturday - Waitomo and Rotorua

Out of our comfort zone

Today's adventure took us to Waitomo, about two hours southwest of Auckland, for the Black Labyrinth Tour through Ruakuri Cave, billed as "climbing, blackwater tubing, leaping and floating." As most of you know, both Michael and Nancy have done a lot of whitewater rafting; blackwater tubing is so-called because it happens underground, in the dark.

Friday - Auckland

Hurstmere Street, Takapuna's main shopping district.

After a leisurely breakfast of toasted multigrain bread with absolutely fantastic Manuka honey, DeEtte directed Michael to a store on nearby Hurstmere Street where he could purchase a SIM card for our mobile phone that would allow us to make calls within New Zealand. And then ...

Thursday - Auckland

Our flight out of Los Angeles was delayed because we could not land in Sydney before 6:00 am. We landed at 6:02 am. Since we were the first flight in, we got through immigration and customs fairly quickly. Australia is a bit picky about travelers bringing in soil from foreign countries on their shoes and sports equipment. Michael had taken time before we left California to clean the soles of his hiking boots, but since Nancy had neglected to do so, she had to take her boots into the bathroom for a scrub before we went through customs. (The toothbrush from her airline care kit came in handy.) When she explained to the customs agent what she had done, the agent thanked her for trying and then took the boots away to be disinfected. Nancy was relieved that they hadn't been completely confiscated. However, we did have to relinquish the apples we had not yet eaten.

Wednesday - Pacific Ocean

Today is the day that wasn't. We departed LAX Tuesday night and arrived the next morning in Sydney. Except that it was Thursday morning, not Wednesday, when we arrived. Wednesday didn't vanish; it just never was. Intellectually, we can wrap our head around the whole International Date Line bit. In practice, however, we still find it a little weird. But who needs Wednesday anyway?