Monday, October 11, 2010

Kia Ora from New Zealand Days 15-16

Day 15 Trip to Milford Sound
There are no superlatives great enough to describe our beautiful twelve hour drive and boat ride on Milford Sound and back.  Lakes, waterfalls, tall peaks, meadows, graze land for sheep, deer, and cattle, wild life including the Kea parrot, penguins, dolphins and seals were the backdrop for this adventure.  Around each corner was a new breathtaking vista.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

Deer in the background


Mirror Lake

Kea parrot

Dolphin

Seals

We boated so close to these falls that I got very wet!


Mitre Peak

Water weeping from the cliffs

Day 16 Auckland
We had a lovely flight to Auckland this morning.  Once here we visited a Marae, an ancient ceremonial site sacred to New Zealand’s Maori population, for a tour and lunch. Since our tour guide is part Maori, we had a jump start on learning about the Maori culture.  Next stop was the top of Mt. Eden, an extinct volcano, overlooking the city of Auckland.

Maori greeting  or farewell symbolizing the exchange of the breath of life

On the top of  Mt. Eden overlooking Auckland


3 comments:

  1. Sheila, You Rock!! You captured our splendid day on Milford Sound and the Southern Alps perfectly even though the reality defies description. You are a fun companion!! CBF

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  2. Wow! You are not kidding – New Zealand is amazing! I think Ben would be in heaven there... May have to be part of his next sabbatical and I will have to find a way to join him. Love the blog - you are doing an amazing job with this! Thanks for making us all a part of your travels... Hugs and kisses to you both! Kelly

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  3. I continue to be jealous... I can't wait to go there one day. Soooooo beautiful!!!
    Love you guys... Jenny

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