Geysers and Wine

Monday, February 8 – Friday, February 12


Sandi is our hostess here in Rotorua, took a bit getting used to, but she grows on you. Has quite an operation – several cottages/houses which she rents out, as well as managing her 7 children and 6 grandchildren. Has strong opinions on what we should and should not do, but aims to please in the end. We left there with hugs and tears from her.

Visited Te Puia to start with. We had feared this would be more touristy than it turned out. The cultural show was interesting and our guide was excellent. Dave got a chance to show what a fierce Maori he could be. Good combination of facts and humor. Geysers there shoot about 20 feet into the air, and it had other features making it a little Yellowstone. There are quite a few thermal attractions in the greater Rotorua area operated by various groups of Maori.

Headed downtown to the museum. This building had originally been the bath house, used for all types of cures. The bath house exhibit was interesting as was the history of the Maori Regiment which fought in WW2. Impeccable gardens in front with croquet and bowling greens. Walked past a cemetery – burial is above ground so they don’t cook their corpses.

The city park is full of thermal activity, interesting to see in the middle of a city. And we enjoyed soaking our feet in one of the baths – felt good after walking all day! Finished our walking tour and the Pig & Whistle for some good beer and pub food. Started pouring rain as we ate, but let up enough that our walk back to the car was not too bad. A little difficult posting the last blog on the porch though.

Leaving Rotorua, we crossed through the largest man-made forest (meaning lots of 2nd growth timber) in the world on our way to Napier. This city was leveled by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in the Art Deco style. Interesting to wander the streets and see modern businesses housed in old Art Deco buildings.

Hit a couple of wineries on our way to our B&B in the Hastings area. Nice digs, dinner with another couple here at the house. We were awakened about 3AM to the sounds of harvesting activity in the paddock below our B&B. When it is time to pick corn they apparently work around the clock! This was a parcel of about three acres that they finished up the following day. The tractor pulled mechanical contraption stripped off the sweet corn ears and left the chewed up stalks on the ground – apparently to be disked back into the soil.

Wednesday, we drove to the high point around here, Mt Hata, for lovely views. A bit hazy so the pics didn’t do it service. A visit to a cheese shop, a honey plant, and then the wineries. Found it interesting to see sheep grazing in the vineyards. The honey shop was very interesting with exhibits on how bees interact in hives; better than we have seen in museums. And tasting of nine different kinds of honey from light through medium to heavier in flavor. The manuka honey is reputed to help with arthritis problems and just about every disease known to man. This honey shop is an offshoot of their beehive activity; the displays noted that they ship queen bees off to California.

Chardonnay and Cab/Merlot blends are the predominant wines made here, tho they also make a bit of Sauvignon Blanc. We learned that the two principal Pinot Noir grape regions are in Martinborough (going there tomorrow) and in the Otago region farther down in the south island.

Had a rainy drive down to the Wairarapa region, so skipped the bird reserve. Spent Friday tasting wine in the Martinborough region. Pinots are pretty pricey ($70), especially near town. Further out they tasted better and were much more reasonable ($20). Had our 1st sheep on the road encounter. Probably won’t be the last.

We have a cottage here. It is nice to spread out, and have some privacy. Nice veggie garden to pick a fresh salad.