Our day started with a walk along the shore of Lake Taupo where Andrea discovered the unique property of pumice stones I took a large pumice rock and threw it in the lake and it floated! We had to do that several times; it's just so odd! After lunch our hosts took us for a boat ride across the lake to look at some large but not old Maori rock carvings that can only be viewed from the lake. Then went for a soak in a thermal pool. The thermal pool was private for t...

Went to look at some other nearby lakes and had a nice meal by one of the lakes in a cafe then went for a quick top at the buried village. Then back to Lake Taupo.

Enjoyed learning more about the Maori culture today and seeing all the geothermal phenomenon. Isabel and Brian drove us to Te Puia where we were welcomed by Maori dancers and challenged with a war chant. The show was in a Maori long-house much like our Haida Indians. They sang and danced; it was interesting and the costumes were great. We saw some kids getting traditional tattoos on their legs. Some of the adults had the black paint "tattoos" on their faces. We t...

Back with my cousin. Had a fun time driving around New Zealand. I did not drive on the wrong side of the road here, but I did get into the wrong side of the car once. Staying in a beautiful lakeside home.

Our friend Bev welcomed us into her home and today we went to Mt Taranaki and around Mew Plymouth. What a beautiful small city.