New Zealand: day 2 - hiking & Rotorua

Last night we turned off the lights at 8pm.  We were all awake between 5 and 5.45am, feeling tired but rested.  The villa has huge windows that open into the valley, and when we drew the drapes, the low sunrise made everything glow.  The birds were also active, with some sounds that were familiar and many that weren't.  The three of us took our time getting ready.

Breakfast was cooked to order and was delicious!  I had a smoked salmon and ricotta on rye toast.  H had a mushroom omelette, and H had brioche french toast (because of course she did).  After our meal, we met our morning guide, Kauri, who took us on a guided hike deep in the grounds.  We had hoped for a foraging expert who was knowledgeable about all the flora in the area, but that's only really available in the high season. Kauri didn't have that knowledge, but he was a great guide anyhow - enthusiastic, excited, and very friendly.  He drove us deep into the grounds for a nice tromp around to see the woods.   

Along the way, we passed a herd water buffalo!

Foggy hillsides.

Monkey tail ferns.

S & H & Kauri in the woods.

Nothing creepy about this at all.

H got to drive the golf cart!

After the hike, we had lunch and then headed into Rotorua, the nearest big town and the center of Maori cultural activity on the North Island.   We walked the town, which was full of wide sidewalks and lots of storefronts catering to tourists (backpackers, adventure sports, restaurants, etc.). Notably missing were the hordes of tourists; Rotorua felt like a ghost town.  We found our way to the lake edge and S took a photo of me taking a photo of H

From there we headed south, visiting Blue Lake (a local fave recreation spot) and its neighbor Green Lake (sacred to the Maori and closed to visitors).  There was a look out from which you could see both lakes in a panorama:

Green Lake on the left, Blue Lake on the right.

We continued down the road to Lake Tarawera, which formed fairly recently out of the caldera of an erupted volcano.  All is peaceful now...

Then, the light was getting low, so we headed back to the lodge for a lovely (and rich) dinner from Chef Zeb (Zev?) and our server Emma.

The road into Treetops.