Hello there!
Having completed my earlier travel posts on several interesting countries and regions, including Japan, Maldives, Indonesia, US and the latest one being several countries in Europe, it's time to fly south and share on one of most picturesque countries in the world, and that's New Zealand!
This trip was took place several years back in 2015, and the trip was filled with adventures and many unique activities and experiences.
Here are the posts so far:
Day Hike @ Tongariro Alpine Crossing
New Zealand - Dolphin Watching At Bay Of Islands
New Zealand - Exploring The Scenic Otehei Bay
New Zealand - Visiting Cape Reinga Lighthouse At The Northernmost Tip
New Zealand - The Maori Village Experience
A new day brings about a new adventure in New Zealand! This morning, we first visited Te Puia, which is a geothermal valley! As you might know, New Zealand's terrain is mountainous and it is expected that they would have these geothermal activities and hot springs.
A little artwork which I saw on the way in. Pretty nice, don't you think?
From far, we could have already see the steam from the geyser!
As we made our way closer, the scene was almost all white! The geothermal valley was so active in this area!
At all times, we needed to stay behind the barriers to observe or take photos of the surroundings. So amidst all the steam, we didn't feel any danger actually.
Geysers don't shoot up all the time, and they sometimes do so at random intervals, and this was a scene where it took a "break". Hehe. So we waited.
And yay we caught it in full blast once again!
Aside from geysers, there were mud pools in this area. As written in the signboard, this is the largest mud pool in Te Puia area, with a depth of between 6 and 10 metres. Got to be careful not to step into the pool!
Being in a local tour package had its perks because the itinerary was pretty jam packed. We were next off to Rainbow Springs, a nature park where Kiwis play! At least that's what they wrote on the signboard. Haha.
And yes, we got to see Kiwis! Not the fruit, but the bird! Kiwis are a national icon for New Zealand!
Here's one of the nicer parts of the nature parks, with a waterfall and swans in the pond.
And for the final part of the morning, we visit the Agrodome! Agrodome is somewhat a farm theme park. While it's a tourist attraction, visitors can get a farm experience at this place. The highlight of course was the farm show.
One by one, the sheep came onto the stage and intelligently stood at their designated spots. New Zealand is full of sheep but I didn't know there were so many species.
Guess what the guy was doing? Don't worry, the sheep was not getting slaughtered. It's a demonstration of sheep shearing!
And that's how the sheep looked like after the shearing. So bare!
Of course, the farm show also included cows!
And geese!
And the dogs! They play an important role in ensuring the safety of these animals!
All good things must come to an end and that's the end of the show! The dog is their leader!
After the show ended, we were given opportunity to get up close with the sheep and animals to take photos! Overall it was definitely an entertaining show and a fun farm experience!
What a busy morning we had for this day! From watching geysers in the geothermal valley, to seeing kiwis in the nature park, and then off to a fun filled farm experience at the farm theme park. For a city dweller like me, the sights and sounds and these activities were something that I would not be able to experience in my city, so it was a fresh and interesting experience for me. Among the three activities for this morning, I especially liked the farm show because there's something unique about being so close with farm animals! What about you?
And that's all I have today! Have you been to New Zealand? Let me know in the comments below!
Finally, thanks for reading my post in the community under World Map Pin!