New Zealand, the First Time

New Zealand, the first time Michela and I are travelling around the world. We land at Auckland from New Caledonia on a UTA DC10. We rent a car and drive toward Rotorua, where there are boiling mud pools galore and a big lake full of black swans, and we sleep there. The next day, a whole day rafting on the inflatable boat down the rapids in the forest - very beautiful. An unforgettable day. We set off again south toward Taupo and its big lake. We discover the landscapes are stunning and change constantly; the absence of homo sapiens makes this land wild, even though it has no snakes. We also go up the volcano in Tongariro National Park, and sleep in a guest house in Ohakune, at an old lady's home. Then little by little up to Hamilton and back to Auckland, which isn't the capital - Wellington is.

Here we admire a partial eclipse, right at the edge of the Hauraki bay, where the America's Cup races are held. We take the UTA flight and fly to Polynesia. Bye