Glowworms, Rotten Eggs, & Volcanoes

Well, we completely forgot to mention the astonishing glowworms we saw a couple of weeks ago. They are only found in caves here in NZ and are an amazing sight to behold. The worms are tiny, white and glow a bright green light on their tails. They reminded us of lightening bugs, just for the fact that they also glow, but their glowing is actually caused by their poop that they use to attract a mate. They spend their whole lives in the darkness of the caves. After we walked deep into a dark, damp cave, we turned our flashlights off and looked up at the ceiling. It was amazing! Glowworms were everywhere! It was just like looking up at the stars.
A couple of days ago, we were walking an old rail car trail that had been used for mining in the past. This walk took us through old tunnels high up in a hillside that were used to transport quartz by rail carts pulled by oxen. The tunnels were about 100 yards long and very dark! We walked quite a few feet, clinging onto each other, (actually, we were all holding onto Bart as he lead the way!) in pitch black darkness before (literally) seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! My fear was that Ash would lose his flip flop while walking and we would never find it! We also had a few glowworms with us there in the dark, but they only provided a distraction, deffinitly not enough light to see anything! The boys loved following the rail tracks and crossing the swinging bridges on that walk.

We spent two nights in Mt. Maunganui which is actually a town with a volcano that sits out on a peninsula and offers amazing views of the coast. We walked around the base and it was such a nice walk with slightly rolling hills and great views, that we decided to try and jog it the next morning. Matthijs and Ash did great! It was about 2 miles and Ash did the whole thing! Matthijs left us in the dust and did extra as he turned around at the end and jogged back to us. Now, I’ve got some jogging partners when we get back home! That same evening we walked up to the top and back down the volcano and that took 1.5 hours without stopping. The boys slept good that night! And then the next morning we jogged it again...

The next couple of days we visited Lakes Rotorua and Taupo. This is the area of the country that has the most geothermal activity. The whole town of Lake Rotorou was lovely, but due to all the steaming fumaroles in the area, a smell like rotten eggs hung over the town. We were so glad that we were only there for one day! We also went to a park with boiling pools of mud, water, gysers, and water pools of various colors like bright green, orange, and yellow. The colors seemed so unnatural, but they are all due to the various mineral elements found in this area. It was all very interesting. Actually, Matthijs’ exact words when I asked if he liked it were, “I think this is much more spectacular for grown-ups.” Maybe so... although, the bright green pool did leave a bigger impression on them than anything else.

The lakes in the area were gorgeous and like the ocean, they are so incredibly clear, clean and blue. Beautiful black swans were swimming everywhere, which is very rare to see.
We only have one week to go in the north island, and that is being spent in the wine area from Napier on south. We are enjoying every minute of it, but we can’t wait to head to the less populated and even more spectacular south island.

Luging- Post by Ash

Luging is when you get in a little car at the top of a hill and ride all the way to the bottom. You control your speed with your handlebars. Forward was stop, middle was go, and pulling the handlebars towards you was slowing down. We also had some good views, it was lovely! I got to go on two different tracks by myself and one time together with my mom. I went a lot faster with my mom than when I was by myself! At the bottom of the hill, you put your lunge onto a band and it rolls towards the ski lifts. Then you got on the ski lift, but the cool thing was, that the lifts had hooks on the bottom and the lunges hooked onto them and that’s how they went back up the hill too. Then we all went back up and did it again and again!

New Zealand...

New Zealand is a land of intense and almost untouched beauty. It’s climate ranges from subtropical to subantarctic. It is one of only two places in the world where you can begin your day in a tropical garden filled with exotic flowers and in an hour or two end up on the top of a glacier. The Pacific “ring of fire” begins here and it is one of the most active volcanic regions in the world. At Hot Water beach, the boys dug their own thermal spa in the sand. Water fills the hole from the ground as you dig and it is HOT! Everyone has to be very careful about where they stand and dig, as some areas are much hotter than others. In one area, it actually scalded your skin if you stood in it. The funny thing is, we haven’t dealt with crowds the entire trip in NZ, but here, the beach was crowded with people lounging in their own personal spas, laughing and joking around with each other, with only a short wall of sand separating pools. Okay, Nederlanders, crowded is relative... nothing like your beaches, maybe 250 people, but for here, that’s the most we’ve seen in one spot!
The landscape here varies from rolling green pastures, dotted with sheep and cows, to snow capped mountains. Orchids filled with kiwis, apples, oranges, persimmons, avocados, and various other exotic fruits. Vineyards abound, producing some of the finest white wines in the world. Spectacular cliffs and bays along the coast with crystal clear blue water. On the surface, it is a paradise of sorts. The landscapes of Ireland, England, South of France, and the Alps (the list could go on), all rolled into one amazing country. New Zealand is one of the most isolated and least populated countries of the world. It is one of the few places left where you can find your own private beach, or walk for hours and not see anyone else along the way. There are still quite a lot of gravel roads here. They are very narrow- clinging to the side of cliffs and going around hairpin curves, we feel like we have accomplished something when we make it back in one piece at the end of the day!

The towns here are like stepping back in time to small town America in the 1950’s. The main streets are filled with various shops and eateries that serve as the center of shopping, and in most cases, the only shopping available. Various shops line both sides of the street such as the butcher, bakery, pharmacy, clothing stores, and restaurants. It’s like visiting a lost and forgotten time in America that, for me, was only experienced on old TV shows, but always seemed so ideal. Now, I feel like I get to walk around a new Mayberry everyday! (That’s something only those from the south will appreciate.)

Before people came to New Zealand, there were no native mammals (other than nectar drinking bats) . The only land mammals that are here now are those that have been introduced by the native Maori people and European settlers. These animals have posed a great threat to the native bird population. New Zealand is known for it’s unusual birds. In the past, not having any significant predators to eat them, a number of these birds are flightless. With the introduction of various mammals, these birds are now fighting for survival... with the help of most New Zealanders. We have seen numerous signs posted to keep dogs on a leash because they, and cats, kill their much beloved kiwi bird. Possums eat the tender young shoots of two particular native trees. These trees are very important for producing nectar for a great number of the birds. Wild boars root out kiwis and eat them. The government arranges helicopter drops of poison (that is illegal in almost every other country in the world) into dense areas that target possums and any other mammal that may not be able to resist its lure. Hunters, and those concerned with safety, protest these drops because they are also causing the death of the deer, wild boar, dogs, and any other animals that may eat it. Since none of these mammals are native to the land, the government, basically, shrugs its shoulders, putting the welfare of the native birds and plants before these animals that came later to NZ. It’s a tricky situation that doesn’t seem to have any immediate answers on the horizon.

So, still on the subject of birds... of the 17 different species of penguins in the world, six are in New Zealand. These are the erect-crested, Rockhopper, Snares, Blue, Fiordland Crested, and the Yellow-eyed Penguin, the world’s rarest. We haven’t spotted any yet, but hope to have more luck on the south island in a few weeks. We also haven’t had any luck yet with spotting a Kiwi; being nocturnal, they are a little more tricky. But there are plenty of signs that they are in the area. Unless you love birds and sheep, you definitely don’t come to New Zealand for the animals. Wildlife aside, it is a nature lovers paradise. Walking trails abound and the scenery never fails to take your breath away. Thailand gave us plenty of animals encounters to hold us over until we hit Australia. We are anxious to see the cuddly kangaroos, koala bears, and wallabies in a few weeks... oh, I almost forgot, AND some of the most deadly animals in the world! Maybe we do need to enjoy this break from wildlife for the moment!

Sandboarding Video of the Boys

Bay of Islands, New Zealand (from Mathijs)

Kayaking and Sand Boarding
We went kayaking and is was so cool! Mom and I were in a kayak together and I paddled most of the time. My mom said I did better than her and she probably wouldn't have made it so far without me! It was so beautiful on the water.
We also went sand boarding. You ride down huge sand dunes on a slick bottomed bogie board. It was really fun but really really hot on your feet. My feet felt like they were on fire! When we got to the top of the dune, it was a big relief because it was so tiring walking up that steep hill. But it was also a big scare because when you looked down, we couldn't see the bottom of the dune because it was so steep! When we went down, we got lots of sand on our faces! It a good thing we had sunglasses on! We had an great time! Mom is working on our video. Look for that later.

Auckland, New Zealand

Well, we made it to Auckland and it is BEAUTIFUL! It has definitely made it onto my list of favorite cities! It has all the charm of a big city without the excess population that usually comes with it. It was so odd to walk down the busiest shopping street and not even rub shoulders or bump into strangers! The temperature is around 75F (25C) and absolutely perfect. The city is surrounded by crystal clear blue water, sailboats, tropical green islands and tons of dormant volcanic cones. We have had a lovely time walking the streets and exploring beautiful areas with lovely beaches and views. We even discovered a new favorite food... Korean pancakes! We found a very popular street vendor making them and they are yummy! They are a yeasty, thick pancake filled full with cinnamon and sugar. YUM!

Rubber Trees in Thailand-post from Ash

We saw some rubber trees. Here’s a picture. Did you know rubber comes out of trees??? The people cut diagonal slits in the trees. The rubber runs down the slit into a spout and lands in a coconut cup! Sometimes you can see it hanging in sheets and drying in the sun. The rubber is used for making lots of stuff. They can make tires, rubber bands, erasers, bouncy balls, gloves, and lots of other things!