Taupo and Rotorua

- The newly bald sheep running for their lives as we drive by and honk, ha ha silly sheep!
- Cool NZ trees
- Huka falls, Taupo
- The weird bathroom signs






The four of us at Hell's Gate Thermal area

Hells Gate:
"Rotorua's fiercest thermal area and largest active mud volcano, NZ's largest boiling whirlpool, largest hot water fall in southern hemisphere, naturally hot mineral foot pools, water and steam vent geyser, hot spraying pools, tame birds."
















"Unique opportunity to touch and feel the earth's power. Touch the beautifully soft hot water of our medicinal sulphur lake and finest geothermal mud used in masks and cosmetics. View thermal heated rocks and steam vents. Bathe in our glorious mud spa complex."














"A unique place of extreme contrasts. Walk past steaming fumeroles and pools of boiling mud so violent they are unnerving. See remarkable formations and colours, cascading hot water and unearthly vistas. Experience nature's power and beauty up close." www.rotoruanz.com (More pics of Rotorua under "Karen's Vacation")

- The wonderful sulphur stench of Rotorua
- Jenn confronts her fear of birds...
- Does anyone know where I parked?!
- Another bird encounter













The pimped out Holden (GM) cars of NZ, seriously, they love these things here!




Much to Jenn's disapointment, we couldn't have blood and guts, so we settled for classic kiwi fish and chips instead...and ate our lunch in a thermal park area.

And we had a visit to a Kiwi bird sanctuary where they breed the flightless bird in captivity. The kiwis are released into the wild as soon as they are large enough to defend themselves (with their gi-normous claws) against introduced predators such as dogs, cats, ferrets, stoats and even wild pigs. Way back when, the kiwi had no natural predators until new animals were brought into the country by people. Now they are endangered :(

And y'all thought we weren't getting edu-macated over here!!