Untethered

Hiya! It doesn't seem possible that the end of June is here.  We hope that you are enjoying some warm summer weather for us.  We've had many days of rain lately so our outdoor activities have been significantly curtailed.  Some days, it rains as much as 3 to 4 inches in torrential down pours.  The north island has had a drought for the past few years so the rain is much needed. However, the constant cloudiness does make us glum after awhile.   When we can get out, we've found some lovely new outdoor areas to explore.  As you have probably noticed, we haven't been sharing pictures of old historical buildings.  It's not because we don't enjoy them, we just can't find any in the small towns we've been visiting.  The locals tell us that Kiwis have been notoriously willing to tear old structures down with little thought of their historical significance.  We haven't even found any really old churches since we've arrived. We did explore an old ...

Kia ora! Am sure you've heard by now that New Zealand is COVID free so other than no international travel, life is beginning to feel like the old normal again.  We've been supporting the more "Buns & Beers" call to action to help the local economy by eating out often. Didn't take much arm twisting for us to take up that challenge! 😁   We've also been taking some fun sight seeing trips in the area.  The highlight for the week has been our hike up & down a sleeping volcano called Mt. Tarawera.  It had a massive blow out in 1886 that lasted for 6 hours and killed 120 of the Maori villagers who lived nearby.  Our time on this impressive giant was a guided small group hike and we had a blast.  We climbed 3,700 feet and then walked the perimeter.  Then we ran down the inside of the volcano in scree (loose volcano gravel) that allowed you to jump like the astronauts did on the moon.  It was the strangest/coolest sensation.  The good ne...