We were in the midst of the Tinman Triathlon as we left Mt Maunganui this morning – literally, as the race went through and around our campground. The name is a play on words because the event follows the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, and it conforms to standards in distance (1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run). They had 650 competitors for the event. We thought about entering but we didn’t bring our bikes on this trip. Bob did do some beach ru...

It was still drizzly when we reached Te Puke which is the Kiwi fruit capital of the world. We arrived during the holiday parade so we were detoured around the town center. Although it was still cloudy when we reached Mt Maunganui, Bob said, “If it ain’t raining, I ain’t complaining.” Our campsite is right on the beach with the Mount directly behind us! We ate a quick lunch and headed out for a walk on the beach. Within an hour the sun was ...

Rotorua, known as “sulphur city”, is a popular tourist area because of its geothermal features and Maori cultural activities. Tom and Maureen suggested that we visit the Agrodome, which was a great choice for a rainy day. We attended the Sheep Show. The presenter described the 19 breeds of sheep as they took their places on stage; he explained their origins and the products for which they are famous. Then we watched a sheep shearing demonstration. Fin...

Taupo sits on the northern shore of Lake Taupo which is New Zealand’s “great lake.” The largest lake in NZ was created by one of the world's greatest volcanic explosions. The huge lake is now known as a trout-fishing paradise.We visited the Taupo Museum and Art Gallery and watched a video of the Taupo Story. There we saw a Maori meeting house, many Maori carvings and artifacts and an old Waka, or canoe. We visited ORA – the Garden of W...

We drove around Napier a bit before following Tom's excellent directions to his farm which is about 20 minutes out of town in a gorgeous rural setting. Tom gave us an excellent guided tour, explaining all aspects of sheep and cattle and timber farming; it was fascinating.First he took us into the barn where the lambs and sheep ready for market are separated from those that need more time in the field. He explained how the sheep are sheared and how the wool is...