We're packing, weighing luggage, and trying to get to bed soon for our trip off to Bangkok tomorrow. Peter & Ruth Dutton will meet us tomorrow night (Fri. for us), and Sat. we head off to Cambodia with them to see Angkor Wat, then up to Laos to see their work and volunteer in a school to help with ESL. We've had a great time here in New Zealand. So many of our favorite things: mountains, volcanoes, beaches, waterfalls, glaciers, lighthouses, boats, birds, not too hot, friendly people, forest. So amazing to drive 1 hour to the west coast to spectacular black sand beaches with crashy-bashy waves and drive half an hour to the east coast to warm water, smaller waves, and golden sand. New Zealand has more boats per capita than any other country and a lot of them are sailboats. I would immigrate in a heartbeat if all our kids and relatives would come.The only thing we would miss would be bicycling. Lots of steep hills with narrow roads with no shoulders. Oh, and stress. New Zealand has surpassed our expectations. I end up saying wow several times a day.
Rich worked this week finishing up his collaboration with his host here on a paper and working on taxes and financial aid. Mon. and Tues. I hitched a ride with a coworker and took a bus to walk along coastal walkways and beaches and swim in the ocean one last time.
Stile along the walk to headland, Long Bay Regional Park
Wed. I took a ferry from Auckland to Rangitoto Island to climb to the top of the volcano, walk around the crater, and explore some lava tube caves. The volcano erupted 600 years ago, forming the island, so there is still lots of exposed black lava flows that the vegetation is slowly claiming.
Entrance to the lava tube
View of Auckland from the top of the volcano
Young tree growing on the blocky aa lava
Walk through young forest back to the ferry
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