Day 10 - Auckland to Rotorua

Day 10: Auckland to Rotorua

Pop pictorial quiz:

1. What are the large dog and sheep figures made of?
2. What is DB doing?
3. Name the vegetable and what it is used for
4. The next three pictures are of fruits, what do they have in common?
5. What are all those tires being used for?
6. What is unusual about the dog in the two pictures? What type of dog is it?
7. What sport is being played on the picture of the TV?

NZ Fact: While not an official symbol, the Kiwi, a small native flightless bird, represents New Zealand

Book Review: Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, Maaza Mengiste, Kindle edition. Takes place in the mid-70s amidst the beginnings of the Derg takeover of Ethiopia, the overthrowing of the aging and corrupt Selassie monarchy and the turn to terror with the aid of Russians and Cubans. Follows one family’s involvement in the insurgency against the Derg. Starts slowly with the father, a doctor, and his sons interactions, then builds and builds as the tension of violence mounts. Highly recommended.
We’ve moved on, from Auckland to Rotorua, about 3 hours southeast, a city of around 70,000 on Lake Rotorua. Lunch in Cambridge, BLT and chicken/avocado sandwiches with fries and soda, $35.

Weather: Depends...humid again over much of our travels, and breezy on the farm tour. Tonight: still air and heat...too much humidity. They had record rains this January in Rotorua and the grass is booming, good for feeding the cows.

We’re staying on a dairy farm for the next two nights, with dinner tonight included (chicken, potatoes, salad, dessert of cheesecake, choco bar, and blueberries with whipped cream). Total for the two nights, with dinner: $260.

We get a great tour of the farm, and learn among other things that dairy cows are now more profitable than sheep and thus money has been flowing to cows over the last 20 years while sheep farming diminishes in total and value.