First day in North Island!

Today was a packed day. We started with a 6am flight from Blenheim (Marlborough Sounds) to Auckland. We picked up a rental car and drove (on the left) for a couple hours to a hike to see one of the largest Kauri trees in the region -- estimated to be over 1,000 years old. Kauri were once plentiful in the northern parts of New Zealand, and the Maori used the timber for boat building, carving and building houses. But once European settlers arrived, most of the Kauri trees were logged, and now there are few trees left.

Next, we drove to the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves. We weren't able to take photos, so we include one here from their website to give you an idea of the sights we saw while in the cave. The caves are operated by the Maori descendants of the original owner and discoverer of the cave and land. A really nice carving commemorates the centennial of the discovery of the cave in 1887.

At the end of the day, we arrived at "National Park," which is the name of the Tongariro National Park village. This is the site of Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings. A fine sunset sky completed our eventful day.Read more