Raratonga, North Island

Raratonga
Raratonga was a bit of a playground for us. The first day we got there, we went Zorbing. That’s where you are put in a huge inflatable ball with water in it then pushed down a hill in about 20 sec. Sound silly? Well, it is, but let me tell you, it’s impossible not to go “WEEEEEEEEE” down the whole way! Plus we had a coupon… =o)
There are also some nice walks through some crazy fern filled forests. This island must have just been one huge temperate rainforest before farming and sheep took hold. I mean, there are some serious “Land Before Time” ferns growing here. It really looks like another world. We also found some little folks to guide us along the way. The fantail bird, a small warbler sized bird with a huge beautiful black and white striped tail that bobs up and down, loved snatching up the insects we kicked up, and we were happy to oblige.
Raratonga is a hotspot for a number of things… Maori culture and geothermic activity. (ha! Get it, hotspot. I know, I’m hilarious!) We went to a Maori culture night that is put on for the tourists to get an idea of Maori culture. It was interesting to get a smidgen of what the Maori are all about, albeit it was a bit touristy. Mike liked the dancers…
At the end of the night, they took us on a night walk to a place called Kiwi Encounters. Here they are working on a breeding program for the brown kiwi, and they have about four kiwis in some large enclosures for people to take a look. Because we went at night, we actually got to see kiwis running around, digging with their long beaks… One of them even came right up to this little boy to see what he was all about. We loved these birds! They have such personality and are so funny-looking!
We also went to this geothermic park that displayed some of the most interesting compilation of geothermic effects we have ever seen. Unfortunately, it was privately owned and seemed more like a tourist trap than anything with people filing through, one after the other. But if you just look at the hot pools, steaming rocks, and rainbows of algae, it’s pretty cool.
Before we got on the road, the last place we stopped was the Raratonga Museum. It’s funny, but it was one of our favorite places in Raratonga! It used to be a therapeutic bath house for the rich and the war veterans, so it had a distinctly English-country feel to it with the Elizabethan buildings, rose gardens, lawn bowling fields and perfectly manicured grounds. The museum was rather interesting and we certainly took to the exhibits showcasing the Maori Soldiers of WWII and the therapies for Soldiers. It was just a very peaceful place that we both enjoyed.
After a quick stop at LakeTaupo, we made our way down to the most famous wine country region in New Zealand, Napier and Hastings. On the way in, we saw the most amazing, gigantic, beautiful sky we have ever seen in our lives! I know that sounds like a bit of an extravagant description, but it is all true. The reds, purples, blues, oranges, pinks danced with the clouds, making us feel so small and in such wonder of God’s paintbrush.