Farewell to Kiwiland

Our last day in NZ, we had a fair bit of travelling to do. We set off from our AirB&B cottage near Rotorua, for the Waitomo Glowworm Caves about 2 1/2 hours away. From the beginning, this was our list of must-sees in New Zealand. And it did not disappoint. Such a unique experience, going through the caves silently in a boat, the ceiling speckled with the tiny blue lights of the glowworms. It would remind you of a starry night in the darkest of places imaginable. To think of these small larva-staged insects providing this light is quite amazing. Pictures, of course, aren't allowed, so they use a green screen to create pics for you.
Then we had the drive to Auckland to catch our plane in the evening. More wonderful Kiwi farmland and hills to drive through and we were actually early for our drop-off of the rental car near the airport. Or, at least we thought we would be early. Traffic was stop and go (more stop than go) after we left the highway with about 4km to go. It took an hour to travel that distance. The driver from Smart Car Rental did some pretty fancy maneuvers to get us to the airport in time.
And then for the 101/2 hour flight to Hawaii. We got back the day we lost on the way. So we had November 30 in NZ and again in Hawaii. We met up in Honolulu. with friends from home who are leaving on the Hawaii cruise on Saturday. It was so nice to visit with them and to have a slow day after the overnight flight.Read more