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Rotorua, New Zealand
Nov. 11-12th - Flight to New Zealand
Our night at the Hosteria Dixie Florence in
Peurto Natales was short. We had spent the evening eating fish
and crab at a small restaurant. It was the first time AD had
ever eaten any fish and he loved it. (Freezer fish sticks
don't count). After eating we spent more than an hour at the
internet place transferring text, photos and catching up. It
had been 8 days since our last access. Wake up came early so
we could eat and catch an 8:30 bus to Punta Arenas. The
landscape was unexciting. Kilometer after kilometer of cows,
sheep and scrub covered hills.
Punta Arenas has a modern airport. It had some shops which
sold AD's favorite headband. He has sported a yellow band with
a penguin on it since our last trip here. We bought a
replacement. Something he has looked forward to this whole
trip. Our wait was long and boring for DW since she left her
book in the bus. Solitaire took over her time.
Our first flight flew to Puerto Montt and
then on to Santiago. We changed to Aerolineas Argentina for a
flight to Buenos Aires and on to Auckland, New Zealand. The
flight was delayed for a few hours because of a storm in BA.
Our connection in BA was tight and we felt the chances of
getting on it were nil. Landing in BA, nearly one hour after
the scheduled departure we found that the flight was waiting
for us. We were ushered quickly to the waiting plane. We
hadn't known that there were 40 people with us also going to
New Zealand. An airline couldn't afford to leave that many
passengers. It was now 1 AM, so we went right to sleep after
taking off.
The flight traveled across the Dateline so we really lost the
12th after a few hours of flying. I was surprised that sleep
had come easy for us all. A 14 hour flight needs that break.
Unfortunately during the flight I got one - a broken pair of
glasses.
Nov. 13th - Drive to Rotorua
Our arrival in Auckland was at 6:30 AM. The
airport was very nice and full of helpful, English speakers.
We gathered our bags, cleared customs, and rented a car. At an
Optometrist I was able to get my broken glasses a new arm.
What luck! We bought some delicious bake goods and drove south
in the North Island. It was raining most of the trip. Isn't
that why it's so green? Rotorua was about 3 hours from
Auckland.
Rotorua is a major tourist center. Arriving into the town you
would think you were in England. Driving on the left side of
the road wasn't too challenging. There were flowers blooming
everywhere in the beautiful landscaping. The center of town
has a big Tudor style clock tower. Rotorua is famous for it's
hot springs. You can smell the sulfur as you enter the town
and it is constantly about. Most motels have there own hot
spring pools. We were surprised at how expensive everything
is. New Zealand was supposed to be a less expensive country.
Internet access is $4 hour compared to the often $1 in most of
South America.
 There
are many different outdoor activities in this area. We
gathered up the brochures to try and decide what was worth the
high price. AD wants to go horseback riding. There is bungee
jumping, a luge ride, water sports, and Moari cultural
centers. There is an amazing number of choices. Our motel room
has a kitchenette. A roasted chicken and vegetables from the
grocery made a simple, easy dinner. AD enjoyed using his new
swimming goggles in the pool. They are the best style I have
ever used. DW's word of the day was "steamy". Finally a shower
with enough hot water to satisfy her. We were in bed by 8:30
hoping for a good nights sleep without jetlag's effects.
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New Zealand is an island country in
the South Pacific Ocean. The closest place is Australia
but it is about 1000 miles away. The country is about
2/3 the size of California. There are under 4 million
people and 40 million sheep. The movie Lord of the Rings
was filmed in the South Island.
They have a professional rugby team called the All
Blacks. Last night they lost to Australia by a score of
27-7. They might get 3rd or 4th place in the world cup
depending on their next playoff game. Their team logo is
a silver fern on a black uniform. In Rotorua everyone
seems to enjoy the team. I have seen many people in team
uniforms which were very expensive.
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