• The Amora Lake Resort Okawa Bay on Lake Rotoiti was our home for two nights.

• Amora Lake Resort

• A decoration in our room. Maori legend tells that the North Island was pulled from the sea with a fish hook. Variations of the fish hook design are commonly used in New Zealand decor and graphics.

• Before dinner we cruised across Lake Rotoiti to the thermal springs of Manupirua Pools. From left to right: our Captain, Dominique, Bernard, Audrey, and Nick.

• Manupirua Pools from the boat dock

• We enjoyed a good soak in the pools. There was a lot of sulphur in the thermal waters.

• Our vessel docked at Manupirua Pools

• The next day we cruised on Lake Tarawera.

• Our vessel was the Clearwater Spirit, a beautiful catamaran

• The Clearwater Spirit

• Kathryn, Kae, Ralph, and Margaret aboard the 'Spirit'

• Bernard, Dominique, Nick, Audrey, Ken, and Doreen aboard the 'Spirit'

• Kathryn, Kae, Ralph, Margaret, and Keith aboard the 'Spirit'

• Dominique, Bernard, and Margaret aboard the 'Spirit'

• Our Captain preparing the fishing gear

• Nick fishing. Unfortunately, no one caught anything.

• Ralph & Kae

• Much of the foliage around Lake Tarawera is native to New Zealand, unlike many of the places we saw in New Zealand where introduced species such as Radiata pine, Scottish Broom, and Gorse predominate.

• Approaching shore

• Anchoring

• Deboarding for a wade in the hot pool

• Ron enjoying a good foot soak. Ron Bowen was our guide on the North Island. He did an excellent job sharing his knowledge and love of his homeland. He had a quick wit and dry sense of humor that kept us laughing. He is also a big All Blacks fan.

• A 'foot shot' in the hot pool

• The sky cleared about half-way through our cruise on Lake Tarawera.

• Reflections on the lake

• While some of us visited the hot pool, the Captain and his assistant prepared a delicious lunch.

• Salad selections

• A 'foot shot' on the coiled rope

• Doug peering out from the bridge

• Kathryn, Bernard, Dominique, Margaret, and Keith on the forward deck

• A view of Mt Tarawera from the lake

• A 'foot shot' aboard the 'Spirit'

• This village was partially buried in the June 10, 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera.

• Remember the earlier phonics lesson? 'Whare' is pronouced 'fare'.

• A Maori whare at the Buried Village

• Wairere Falls

• Wairere Falls

• Doug & Kathryn at Wairere Falls

• The lower falls

• A 'foot shot' along the track

• Looking back down the steps that lead up from the bottom of the falls to the village center

• The end of the waterfall loop track

• Manuka

• John Deere tractors are common in New Zealand. This is very similar to the model we have at home!

• Doreen, Audrey, Ron, Kae, Ralph, and Ken enjoying tea and coffee after exploring the Buried Village

• This is a segment of a long string of flags representing all of the countries with teams that played in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The cup was hosted by New Zealand just before our trip there. The New Zealand National Team, the All Blacks, won the world title. Ron would not let us forget this fact.

• This mud pot is located just outside the entrance to Wai-O-Tapu.

• A sequence of shots of one of the active spots (1 of 4)

• A sequence of shots of one of the active spots (2 of 4)

• A sequence of shots of one of the active spots (3 of 4)

• A sequence of shots of one of the active spots (4 of 4)

• Now we are inside the Wai-O-Tapu park.

• Rainbow Crater

• Thunder Crater

• Artist's Palette

• Artist's Palette

• Looking across the sinter terrace, the Ohaaki geothermal power station is visible in the background.

• Kathryn crossing the sinter terrace on the boardwalk

• A view of Frying Pan Flat

• Keith exploring Frying Pan Flat

• Doug on a boardwalk

• Oyster Pool

• A 'foot shot' with a bubbling hot spot that is right in the track on which we were walking

• Sulphur Mounds

• Inferno Crater

• Devil's Bath

• Silver Tree Fern trunk sections used as landscaping borders

• While travelling in our coach, we saw a lot of Scottish Broom and Gorse along the road.

• We also saw many cows, mostly dairy, especially on the North Island. Note the timber and the clear cut in the background. The trees are Radiata Pine, also known as Monterey Pine, which grow faster and larger in New Zealand than in any other location in the world. The logs are a major New Zealand export. Doug has purchased New Zealand Radiata Pine lumber in Corvallis.

• Farming Radiata Pine

• Just as in the USA, road work begins in earnest in the Spring.

• Wairakei Geothermal Power plant. New Zealand has done much pioneering work in the field of geothermal energy.

• Expansion loops in the steam pipes

• Huka Falls on the Waikato River

• Huka Falls on the Waikato River

• Huka Falls on the Waikato River

• Huka Falls on the Waikato River

• Kowhai (pronounced kofi - long 'o' and 'i'), another flower native to New Zealand. The tui bird is especially fond of its nectar.

• Looking west across Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. The mountains with snow in the background are in the Hauhungaroa Range, where the main ski 'fields' of the North Island are located.

• A black swan on the beach at Lake Taupo

• Lake Taupo is the source for the Waikato River.

• The Waikato River is quite peaceful as it leaves Lake Taupo, a short distance upstream from the turbulent Huka Falls.

• At the park in Taupo

• Taupo Heartland 2011, Brett Taylor, sculptor