Frank and Judy Go ...: … to Tauranga and Rotorua …

… to see geothermal geysers and many other things on a nine-hour excursion. The port of Tauranga is in the Bay of Plenty region, named for its fertile land and temperate climate, where crops flourish.

We passed through Te Puke, the kiwi fruit capita of the world. Kiwi fruit is a hybrid of the Chinese gooseberry, bred by a man who lived in Te Puke. He quietly grew the fruit until the 1960s, when a study proclaimed it a “super fruit” for its high concentration of vitamins. The industry is thriving; there are kiwi fruit tours and a kiwi information center. The fruit grows on a vine, like raspberries; growers build a 6 foot high structure and train the vines along wires to make harvesting easier.

What look like man-made terraces on the hillsides in the next picture are actually tracks worn by the sheep while grazing on the grass. Yes, they really do follow each other around the meadow, much as in your dreams! Sheep are raised primarily for meat; the wool market collapsed several years ago and has not yet recovered. We also passed areas of whitewater, with canoes and rafts for rent.

Our first destination was Rainbow Springs Wildlife Park, “where kiwis play.” Despite the warning signs, we saw more reptiles and trout than kiwis. The Park’s rainbow and brown trout breeding programs provide trout for the entire region; the trout bred here stock local rivers and lakes. Although you can catch trout and eat them, by law they cannot be sold in stores or restaurants.

The park also had many silver fern trees; at first glance, they look like palm trees. The silver fern leaf is one of the main symbols of New Zealand, appearing on sports uniforms, flags, and other official items. Only the underside of the leaf is silver.

At last we came to the flightless kiwi birds. An extremely endangered species, there are only an estimated 70,000 kiwis alive today, down from millions of kiwis 200 years ago. Predators include opossums, dogs, cats, stoats and weasels. At the park, the kiwis lived in a nocturnal house, dimly lit with red bulbs. It was hard to see the birds, and photos were not allowed. A display outside included mounted specimens, much easier to see – and photograph!

Leaving the park, we passed ZORB of Rotorua, where you can pay to climb inside a giant inflatable ball and be rolled down the hill, either tethered or untethered. Hmmm, not sure which I would choose…

Next stop: the Agrodome, started by two sheep farmers who parlayed their experience with sheep shearing and farming into a popular tourist attraction. The show began with a display of 19 different breeds of sheep, and continued with shearing and milking demonstrations, concluding with sheepdogs. For the finale, three sheepdogs climbed onto the backs and heads of the sheep on stage and sat there, while the sheep seemed oblivious. Look for the dog on top of the tallest sheep in the picture. The English Leicester sported the snazziest “do” of the day!

Back on the road, we headed for the beautiful town of Rotorua and its amazing geothermal springs. The town has a lovely old church on the beach. It also has many old hot spring bath houses, including one which is now a museum.