On Monday, the Noordam docked at Tauranga. At
8:30, we took the Holland America excursion Waitomo Caves & Kiwi House –
Costs $209.95 US. This was about a two
hour bus drive from the ship, so you saw lots of scenic country.
First, we
went to see the glow worms - this is a
limestone cave with a river running through it.
The cave is in a rain forest, and the water seepage causes stalagmites
and stalactites to form. The glow worms
are not worms - they are a fly larvae which uses photosynthesis to attract
insects in to eat them. At the end, you
get into a little boat on the river and the tour guide uses a rope to pull you
through as you admire the glow worms on the ceiling. You are taking stairs from the top of the
cave down to the river, so be prepared.
A very interesting stop - no photos allowed in the cave - this picture
is from a postcard.
Then we went to the Crosshills Ranch for lunch - this was a dairy farm - an older house with lush gardens. They were well set up - lunch tables set out all around - we had roast lamb, meatloaf made from lamb and beef, lots of vegetables and salads, with ice cream for dessert. You felt welcome here.
Back on the bus, and we went to the Kiwi House. No photos of their live Kiwi, but they did have
some stuffed ones - note the size of the egg.
They also had an Avery, some geckos and lizards, a large duck pond, and
some birds of prey.
Then back on the bus for the drive back - the tour
lasted for about 8 hours, and we found it very interesting (Tip $5 NZ).
For dinner that night, I had escargots, duck with dressing, and for dessert, lemon cheesecake and a vodka martini. This was a gala night, so everybody in the Dining Room was dressed up.
Photos belong to Phil Bianco
For dinner that night, I had escargots, duck with dressing, and for dessert, lemon cheesecake and a vodka martini. This was a gala night, so everybody in the Dining Room was dressed up.
