I’ve only seen a small section, but New Zealand is a beautiful country. This trip is off to an excellent start.
We are very far from home: It’s an 18 hour time difference and in the morning my world clock reminds me that it’s not “today” in New York. We got here in stages: home to NYC overnight, then a flight to San Francisco, and then a twelve hour flight to Auckland. Airport customs is slow in New Zealand because they are so concerned about exotic pests and weeds. Because we rode horses in the Dominican Republic less than a month ago, we were interviewed. That horse excursion is really sticking with me.
After our[Road Scholar] group formed, we boarded a bus to make our way to Rotorua, stopping at the amazing Hamilton Gardens on the way.
The gardens are stunning. We had two hours to view them and I could have spent all day. Once a the dump, the land has been reshaped and worked into a series of garden scenes. You wander from one to another– and listen to an audio guide explaining the design of each one as if you were walking through an art museum.
Each scene illustrates a period of history or something of cultural significance to New Zealand or another part of the world.
Strolling through the Hamilton Gardens was a perfect activity for just after arrival from a long haul flight. Interesting and marvelous, with a low threshold to understand and a mellow pace.
This blogger is so tired though, so far more photos than words tonight.
I will end with this image: As we were walking around, a local gentleman stopped to ask Mark and me where we were from. After a few minutes of conversation, he asked how we were holding up with our new executive branch. After a few more minutes he shared that this is how they’re dealing with it in New Zealand:
2 Responses
I love NZ – must get back there. You’re so close – pop across the Tasman for a visit?!
Love it!