New Year, Exploring surroundings.
Jan. 2nd, 2008 09:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izardI am legally not allowed to drive till June. My driver license has a note that I need an "experienced driver present in the car". So as Julia becomes a better driver, we explore more distant places. Fortunately, not all the goodies are on the South Island. New Year and Christmas holidays come very handy.
We've been to Raglan, Cambridge, Te-Aroha.
Some (heavy) pictures and text under
Raglan is a surfers paradise and is said to be the best surfing place in the world. Fortunately, there is a safe harbor where less advanced chaps like ourselves can just swim in Tasman sea.
Black volcanic sand looks unusual.
Swimming was nice but a bit chilly. Will have to go to the other side of the island next time.
There is a police station. The sign on the station says "please don't call our personal mobiles, please use official number!" Looking at the office and the car park, I think guys don't have much job to do...
Cambridge is a quite rural town. The best feature is a high hill with a eucaliptus and bamboo forest in the city center.
Te-Aroha is "the love" from Maori. There is a mineral water spring (very tasty), geyser (erupts every 40 minutes up to 5 meters)
We've witnessed a tiny 0.5 meter eruption. And finally there is a Te Aroha mountain (951m).
We've climbed to the 320m view point and took some photos of Waikato valley.
I hope to take better pictures from the summit next time.
Next weekends - Wairongomai gold mines, Tauranga Kiwi harbor, Coromandel native forests, Taupo crater lake, Rotorua geothermal area - all within 2 hours drive from home.
P.S. I've got an e-mail expaining that the New Zealand black and white crow from my latest post is in fact an Australian magpie.
P.P.S. Our friends and relatives were asking if we felt the latest 6.8points earthquake with epicenter 300 km from our home. No, we didn't. The only place in Hamilton where you could reliably feel it was the office building where I work. There were several mates there at the time (9pm) preparing the final build of one
of the apps. They told me they've seen wires in the lab moving and a small storms in coffee cups. The build appeared buggy, probably because electrons in the wires were also shaking way too much.
We've been to Raglan, Cambridge, Te-Aroha.
Some (heavy) pictures and text under
Raglan is a surfers paradise and is said to be the best surfing place in the world. Fortunately, there is a safe harbor where less advanced chaps like ourselves can just swim in Tasman sea.
Black volcanic sand looks unusual.
Swimming was nice but a bit chilly. Will have to go to the other side of the island next time.
There is a police station. The sign on the station says "please don't call our personal mobiles, please use official number!" Looking at the office and the car park, I think guys don't have much job to do...
Cambridge is a quite rural town. The best feature is a high hill with a eucaliptus and bamboo forest in the city center.
Te-Aroha is "the love" from Maori. There is a mineral water spring (very tasty), geyser (erupts every 40 minutes up to 5 meters)
We've witnessed a tiny 0.5 meter eruption. And finally there is a Te Aroha mountain (951m).
We've climbed to the 320m view point and took some photos of Waikato valley.
I hope to take better pictures from the summit next time.
Next weekends - Wairongomai gold mines, Tauranga Kiwi harbor, Coromandel native forests, Taupo crater lake, Rotorua geothermal area - all within 2 hours drive from home.
P.S. I've got an e-mail expaining that the New Zealand black and white crow from my latest post is in fact an Australian magpie.
P.P.S. Our friends and relatives were asking if we felt the latest 6.8points earthquake with epicenter 300 km from our home. No, we didn't. The only place in Hamilton where you could reliably feel it was the office building where I work. There were several mates there at the time (9pm) preparing the final build of one
of the apps. They told me they've seen wires in the lab moving and a small storms in coffee cups. The build appeared buggy, probably because electrons in the wires were also shaking way too much.
