Newzealand....Nostalgia.....Kia Ora....

In 2004, I lived in Melbourne Australia for about a year. I enjoyed my time to explore the outback, neighboring countries, or islands whenever I could get some time off from work.  I could not resist the enticing tourism posters, to come and experience the “Middle Earth” the land of the hobbits! The movie the Lord of the Rings! was shot in a village about 50 miles away from Auckland.

On a beautiful sunny day, arrived in Auckland the city of the sails. I learnt my first Maori language lesson by saying “Kia Ora” which is “Hello. Enjoyed the scenic harbor and the waterfront. The Maori museum provides a wealth of information about the indigenous people Maoris’. Fortunately, unlike the ancient aborigines of Tasmania who were completely wiped out the Maoris’ retain their culture and language in Newzealand.

From Auckland we drove to Rotorua, a beautiful place with miles of geo thermal spas and geysers spewing hot water and sulphur fumes larger than the ones that we see in the Yellowstone National Park. The whole area is another master piece of nature. Fire and water inside the secret labyrinth under the earth comes out as magical geysers and fountains. After the nice spa experience, went to Ruapehu to see the volcanoes and the Crater Lake.

The next city on the itinerary was Wellington. Its Kapiti coast is famous for gourmet food. I got fabulous vegetarian food, with special local cheese and lovely macadamia tart for dessert. The pastry shops make you to stop and admire the countless varieties of artisan bread and rolls. Needless to say that it is food lover’s paradise!
At night the city sparkled with lights. Thought about the past when there was no electricity and the harbors shimmering with oil lamps. Human life has come very far in its journey. The Southern Cross that looked very bright in the country side seemed faded with the city lights. Yet it winked and reminded me to move from the middle earth further south towards Christchurch and Queenstown.

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