Hot Pools

I was told there were some natural hot spring pools not too far away, but no one was sure where. I googled and found the only ones that were not a long tramp into the bush nor restricted by private property. I wasn't able to find them on my first try. I did find helpful locals and most of the signs, but getting low on time and gas figured I'd better head back. I was given a full day off the next day, so I filled up the gas tank and gave it another try. After a couple of hours, I came to a sure sign of how far from civilization I had traveled. I cam around a sharp corner and the road was completely taken over by cows.

The herd didn't even stop, just went right around my car. I guess ATV's work well in place of horses, but is he still considered a cowboy?

Then suddenly the small, twisty, turny mountain road was no longer paved.

Shortly after that, I was having to cross that which no cow may.

Then ford a stream? Really?

Sure, no problem....hehe. Staying positive. Telling myself, come on you can do it.

Well, at least this stream has a bridge.

Though it is barely big enough for my car to fit.

Good thing my car is small.

The road ended at a picnic area, but I'm sure the pools are here somewhere.

Found a trail to follow.

Yea! Not too much further, but the trail is getting tricky.

I see steam rising. I must be getting very close now.

Ahhhh, the source of the steam. And at the bottom of that waterfall......

What does that little sign say?

Alrighty then. Good to know. Don't get to relaxed. And yes it is all natural. No filters and nothing added to the water. Just straight from the waterfall through that white pipe into the pools.

 And then out the overflow valve from the pools back into the waterfall.

Oh my goodness! It feels great!

Oh yeah, don't get to relaxed. Open those eyes! Wow! Check out the view!

The sounds from the river below and the water fall beside......oh, yeah, don't get to relaxed.

I had this place all to myself. Not another soul around for the hours that I was there. Back at the trail head by the picnic area I found you could see a tiny bit of the pools. Spring has just begun here, so I bet, once those trees are in full bloom, you won't be able to see the pools at all.

It was quite a nail bitting journey, but I am so glad I made it to the end of the road and walked down that trail and didn't let the sign scare me from getting in the water. Totally worth it! I felt the waters and the land around them were sacred and healing. I left renewed and very grateful. Grateful that God gives us everything we could ever need including friends and family. Thanks again for coming along on this journey. LOVE!

Napier

Napier is a beautiful Art Deco city.

Many streets are lined with Palm Trees.

A Bit of the Irish

Scooterificness

I met some wonderful people who invited me over to their house for dinner and they have a fabulous, fluffy goodness doggie named Lilly.

They told me that a huge earthquake hit Napier back in the1930's and added lots of land mass and that is when all the Art Deco fabulousness was built.

I'll be in Napier for at least a month as I have found a backpacker place that will trade free accommodation for 5-9pm receptionist. Napier is on the east coast but only an hour or so from Taupo which is rather middle island and a beautiful Lake area. Rotorua is a place of many sulfur springs and just north of Taupo. I should be able travel to these beauties during the day. I still have plenty to post from Napier but it is beautiful outside and I am being pulled out there. It is wonderful to have this connection to all my family and friends. More to come soon. Love You All!

Inside and Out

Inside:
Te Papa Museum is amazing. I have spent a couple of hours there for a couple of days, but there is so much more to see. This place is huge.

Some of my favorite things there are

a painting of the creation of earth

This Marae is very intricate.

 

Outside:
Then I drove up to Mt.Victoria's Lookout. Teeny Tiny twisty road to lookout over all of Wellington.

 That is Te Papa with the steel arc over the column of windows.

 Panning around the harbor.

Ending with the airport. Yes, that little air strip between the harbor and the ocean. No wonder it's so rough landing here. Also, it is known as windy Wellington.

This beautiful statue was at the top of the Lookout.

The color is amazing even with all the cloud cover this day. Also, a little geography info posted.

Getting to the top of  Mt. Victoria for the Lookout was quite the test of my driving skills. I'm much more confident now. I don't even mind driving in Wellington, big city with small lanes. I'm picking Leilani up from work and taking her to a doctor visit. I think I'll go hang out at Te Papa until then.

Thanks again to you all for traveling with me!

Roll Me to the Sea

Now that I have some wheels, I went out to greet the sea. I followed the seashore to roads end.

The sign was where the road ended. A promise of things to come.

These are paua shells.

This is Max, my friends' dog. We had a great time exploring together around Eastbourne. The rocks held many secrets.

Wow! The colors are much more vivid than these pictures show. The rocks have many different shades themselves and then there's the amazing blue of  the little clams. But, I never expected to find beautiful flowers on the beach.

Flower Power!

 There was even sculpture from nature......

and from man......

I love architecture!

Made it back to the house safe and sound with the Paua shells and sponges....and Max. 

Just to give you a little size perspective.

Having more confidence in my driving ability, I headed to Plimmerton, which is about twice the distance from the house as Eastbourne. I only got lost once. After driving around in circles, I saw a sign for Kmart. I couldn't believe it, so I pulled in. Turned out to be a parking garage for a mall. I did find the Kmart, which is even less impressive here. What was impressive was finding some freshly juiced carrot and ginger, yummy! Ahhh, there's my mind clear.  Now the signs pointing the way were much more obvious. Good thing I didn't bring Max. My feet were happy to see the beach here was sand instead of peebles.

Though there were some stones, I could walk on the much gentler, and much appreciated sand. I walked every bit of shore in this picture. Only having to give way to the sea gulls.

There were only a few people, but I did get to sit on a bench and have a nice chat with a couple who told me about a saying "stoke on a stone" (or something close to that) when I asked about these birds.

 This is a Marae, which is a Maroi sacred meeting place, that backed up to the beach.

 Be not afraid of greatness

Full o' the milk of human kindness

Hmmmm.....yeah, I'm still trying to put that together. Maybe it's just two separate quotes??? Well, I am here to learn, and I've got plenty to learn.

The next day, I was at my flax weaving class, which I'd signed up for last month. This is a women's only space that gives support as well as safety. Here's a picture of all our end products. Mine is the unadorned one in the front. I think they all turned out terrific. They will loose the green and turn more yellow as the flax dries.

The flax leaves were about 5 ft long and we had to rip the middle rib and edges off and pull them over the dull side of a knife to soften them up in preparation for weaving. We all had a great time in this loving environment.

I really appreciate you all. I have found that, no matter the miles apart, I am still very connected, through my heart and this blog, to you all. Until next time, I Love You All Soooo Much!