Thermal Activity (including a spa), Windy Welly, and some wine

While in Rotorua, we decided to trek towards the south for a day trip to Wai-o-tapu, a place with great thermal activity. It has a geyser and lots of great colors in the thermal pools. Drew has better pictures (since mine died along the way), but there was the champagne pool with beautiful magentas, oranges and blues, the oyster pool that looks like an oyster-shaped pool of blue and the devil's bath (a lime green pool in a crater-like format). I included a pic of the bridge that we crossed to get to these wonders. More pics will show up at the end of the trip when we can upload all of the pictures.

Then, we headed to a thermal spa with acidic and alkaline baths. Our muscles and skin felt tons better (no pics on this one -- thank goodness).

After that, we took the long trek from Rotorua to Wellington to get to the ferry. I included a picture of Lake Taupo where Drew went Bungy jumping. It also has some of the best trout fishing in the world. Other than some dealings with traffic, Windy Welly (as they call it as it does have some ferocious winds) was great. We went to the Te Papa Museum there where we saw the Giant Squid (which was truly amazing), and I particularly enjoyed a new exhibit there called "reactive architecture". The brief exhibit included information on Passivhaus (so cool) as well as new ideas like light reactive fabrics to keep and hold the sun or power generation in the house. Very cool.

From Rotorua, we headed on the largest ferry that I have seen. I slept most of the way (as I am a traveling narcoleptic, but Drew said that there were really nice dolphins playing in the water in the three hours that it took to pass through the sound. It looked amazing.

Once we landed at the wonderful Sequoia Lodge (which had chocolate pudding and ice cream -- to our delight), we headed toward the Marlborough Wine Region (yeah!) to try some wine. The first place that we went was Highfield Estate (which has the picture from the gate) and then onto the first carbon neutral winery in New Zealand.

Dinner, chocolate pudding, and some wine. My life is set.