Wednesday March 12, 2025

 March 12, 2025

We woke to a beautiful sunrise. We had breakfast in the hotel and are on our way. One thing in Rotorua we wanted to see be fore we left was the Redwood Trees. They planted the California Redwoods in 1901 to see if they would adapt to their climate. It was a quick drive on our way out of town. Wow! It is not to be missed!




I asked ChatGPT what to do on a road trip between Rotorua and Wellington. It said it is a 6-7 hour ride with no stopping. It also said it is the most scenic in all of New Zealand. 

Our first stop is Huka Falls. They are beautiful. The water color is a Caribbean blue.






We drove along Lake Taupo. It is the largest lake in New Zealand. The area doesn’t seem to be developed for vacation/resort. We did see one trailer park with very old campers and shacks in disrepair.





We are passing miles and miles of pastures with lots of sheep and cows. The sheep have been recently sheared after a long summer growing season.They are white. The sheep that haven’t been sheared are grey. My question as we passed all the cows in the middle of nowhere, where do they go at night? There aren’t any barns around. Just land, sheep and cows.


We drove into Wellington and right in front of us was the bay. The water looked pretty rough due to the wind. Our worry is we are taking the ferry in the morning on those rough seas.




We checked into our hotel The Sofitel in Wellington. We walked down to the waterfront and had dinner at The Dockside. 



Off to bed as we have to catch the ferry in the morning at 7:45. We are going to Picton by ferry and continuing to Kaikoura.
Good night Wellington.💤💤💤




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