I woke up in the middle of the night and looking out of the cabin window, it was clear skies and moonlight across the sea
Jet lag was still a problem, but on the positive side I was up to capture a wonderful sunrise.
We slowly passed Mount Maunganui or Mauao its Maouri name, as we approached Tauranga harbour.
This is a 232 metre high volcanic cone is a sacred Maori site once home to a historic
Pa the name for a Maori settlement.
Following the Ship were scores of Short-tailed Shearwaters.
After docking and breakfast we went ashore and travelled in land to Rotorua, the journey took about an hour by coach, along the way we were treated to Kiwi, fruit plantations, pine forests and lots of road works. We passed through the town of Rotorua, and arrived at a site known as Whakarewarewa, a valley of thermal geysers, boiling mud pools and steaming waters.
Alongside the natural wonders the site has two attractions, Whakarewarewa, the living Maori village and Te Puia which houses an Arts and Crafts institute. The living village is home to 21 Maori families, and we were given a traditional Maori greeting and a show of song and dance. Once this was over there was another surprise. The site is part of a breeding programme for the Kiwi and we were able to see North Island Brown Kiwi. Because the birds are highly nocturnal they were in exhibitions that simulate night during the day, and the Kiwi were active rummaging around there enclosure. Amazing to see these iconic birds, something we would never do in the wild, but unfortunately we were not able to photograph due to the sensitivity of the birds.
From the Kiwi we then toured the thermal area with the main thermal geyser putting on a quite spectacular show.
Bubbling mud pools, known as the Leaping Frog Pool.
The main geyser is known as Pohutu "Big Splash" and we were fortunate to be there when it was erupting, something it does 10 - 25 times a day.
Steam being sent up to thirty metres high.
The steam sent up cools rapidly to fall as water drops.
These are a reminder of the volcanic activity through out new Zealand, where the Pacific tectonic plate meets the Australian tectonic plate. Silica and calcium salts line the rocks.
Lovely in black and white.
The super heated steam emerging from the vast chambers below of boiling water.
Back on the ship we left the harbour of Tauranga.
Like the morning the evening was good for the shearwaters. The white saddles behind the wings here show this to be a Fluttering Shearwater.
The next two are Hutton's Shearwaters, the lack of the white behind the wing identifying them.
Two Fluttering and a Hutton's shearwater.
Further out to sea we came across flocks of Buller's Shearwaters, showing the characteristic "M" markings on the wings.
This shearwater put on the best show.
With the light fading it was time for dinner. Tomorrow will be a full day at sea as we head further south to the South Island of New Zealand.
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