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Abseiling glowworm caves in Waitomo

They are not really glowworms. I’ll tell you what they are later in this post…

When we wanted to go to see them we were going to do the usual tour where there are 50 people all on the same slow tour. I hate crowds and want to do more adventure. When Caroline found a company that uses a farmers land to abseil into a cave then climb out a ladder it seemed the perfect thing to do on this trip. We chose the 4 hour Lost World Tour.

Luke was our guide and he was great at making you comfortable and helping all the way. I had rappelled in college but had not done this. It was easy in the end. Along the way though we told him he was crazy every time he showed us the next step, but we did it.

We walked to the entrance and along the way we practiced clipping our rings to the guide ropes so if we fall we don’t go far. There are new sections of ropes you tie on to along the way and doing it wrong means you owe Luke a beer.

At the entrance of the crevasse, we tried not to look down. One step at a time… First you sit on a little bar away from the platform. Small leap of faith… (I seriously needed to remind myself that I just jumped out of an airplane and this should be easy…)

Then you learn how to control the rope along the way. You just slowly lift the rope from your right hand to go down a little at a time. The weight of the rope below keeps you from going to fast. (As you go down there is less rope below you so you speed up along the way and have to wrap a foot around the rope for more control.) We are clipped to Luke so there is even more security. Before we knew it we were descending into the caves. Easy peasy.

This is actually as we started to descend.

It was great having a guide, someone to make sure we don’t screw up, and who takes pictures of everything so we could just enjoy. Oh…and he carried water and snacks for us.

This is what we saw as we descended. This is why the tour is called the lost world.

At the bottom the top looked so far away as we had abseiled 100 meters down. The biome changed as we descended.

Formations at the entrance to the cave at the bottom.

The hardest part was climbing up, over, and down the rocks. I’m sure we were very complaining. He would tell us what to do and we said he had to be kidding. I’ve never been comfortable with rock climbing and now that I’m older I am well aware of my limitations. That lead to much sliding down on my butt.

It was incredible though. Eventually we made it to the glow worms.

So these glowworms. They are really not worms. They are the larvae (maggot) of a fly. There is a chemical reaction with their excrement and an enzyme that makes them bioluminesce.

You can see the time does above Percy’s head. Those are the Glowworm. Percy is the maximum if the preschool class and is here for an adventure to report back to the class after break!

What is cool about them is that they eat insects and they do this by creating a silk like thread that hangs down. When an insect gets caught it is reeled up then eaten. Once the larvae is ready it becomes a pupa and then an adult.

These are the silk strings hanging down from the larvae.

The only role of the adult is to mate. The males die after fertilizing eggs as does the female as she needs to lay eggs in many small clusters. The first eggs to hatch cannibalize all the others. Life is rough…

The way back out was a little more difficult. We climbed a few more rocks and ended at a ladder. One by one we climbed 137+ rungs of a ladder straight up to get out. We are attached to a rope at the end that Luke could also use to help pull us up. So no likelihood of plummeting to death. A good thing. Luke went first, then Caroline, then me. It seemed like a long time before the rope was sent back down to me to attach to. It is daunting.

I found it easy at first, then the rings were further apart, and the air a little thinner… But knowing that in advance helped to just keep climbing until I got there. A short walk back to the van and we were on our way back…

Afterwards it was time for lunch at Huhu nearby. Salad and sweet potato skins! Then touring the neighborhood town. We found a bird park which I’ll blog next. A good day.

Te Awamutu and The Old School House

And then we were off from Queenstown back to the North island for more adventures. Here are some views from the airplane (and coincidentally closer to where I was too have between skydiving.)

Our flight back from Queenstown was diverted to Hamilton as there was debris on the runway. There is just one runway at Auckland airport so that causes quite a problem. Or plane needed refueled as well. That delayed our plans to wander around with a rental car as it took 3 hours longer to get there.

On the radio we heard that a 737 from Singapore had to be diverted to another city and that it was just as small. They usually don’t get larger planes like that.

It took a little over two hours to drive to Te Anamuto and stay at the Old School House. It is beautiful and was a school house beginning in the 1800’s. They provided historical articles about the schoolhouse. The owners are friendly and had just made bread and chocolate cookies for us. They also stocked eggs, milk, and butter in the fridge.

We stopped in the town just before to grab something to eat at a grocery store as we really did not have lunch either. We also picked up items for breakfast and snacks the next day. Before eating our dinner, we strolled down the lane and snapped some pictures at sunset.

The next morning we headed to Waitomo and the glow worm caves. As it next stop after that is in the middle of nowhere, I may not be able to post right away.

Here are the rules for being a school teacher in 1915.

And pictures of the school house…

Queenstown skydiving

I really wanted to skydive from Glenorchy (with skydive southern Alps) which is nothing but landforms and an hour and a half drive from Queenstown. Unfortunately, mountain ranges and the Sea make for wild wind currents and it is often postponed. We headed out again for the second time and halfway there they radioed to say it was cancelled.

I decided to flip my reservation to NZ Zone in Queenstown and would skydive a few hours later. It still offered fantastic views but not the Mordor/Lord of the Rings view I had wanted. I had a little time to find lunch and walk around. It took a long time as there were many bookings and it was a beautiful day.

I had to wait longer than anticipated as this skydive zone is near the airport and their flights are on hold when airplanes are flying in or out of the airport. As it is Chinese New year, there are more flights than normal. I met a wonderful woman from Finland who is an au pair in Auckland. We chatted for a few hours.

Finally it was time. I took the preschool mascot, Percy, with me. Caroline brought him along on our trip but she was not going sky diving. He is having an adventure and the preschool class is looking forward to what he had done. I was a good sport to take extra pictures of him at the skydive center.

They had some games including this large chess set to occupy families waiting for people to land.

He didn’t go skydiving with me but the kids won’t know that.

My tandem partner was Will. I paid for the photo and video package where Will interviews me and films while we are sky diving. As I did not bring a computer on the trip with me I will have to post these separately. I know they make an adapter for phones to use with USB and will have to try to find one of those!

I was more concerned with being on the edge of the plane waiting to jump out but once your are in position it is a split second. I was also worried about the somersaulting we would do initially but it was the easiest part. Once you are free falling the force on your face and ears is immense and a bit disorienting. Once we reached terminal velocity, he opened the parachute and we were gliding. Of course the spinning around had my stomach in knots but it was fun. The landing was easy. They are a top notch facility and the views in NZ make it stunning. One more thing off the bucket list.

Afterwards I met Caroline and we took the gondola up the mountain to the luge track. It was impossible to film the luge while running the cart, but you can see part of the luge in one of the pictures. It was incredibly fun.

We ate at Public near the beach. It was great. Beetroot salad, grilled cauliflower with carrot mash and fried squid rings. They source locally and have local foods. I also tried alcoholic Ginger beer and a nice ale.

The next morning I had to pick up the USB with the photos and video from NZ Zone. I ran through the gardens to the store then back to the Queenstown motel apartments which was a great place to stay. I did not get to hike much for to all the cancelled skydiving attempts but will be hiking back in the North island.

At the airport to go back to Auckland I love how laid back everything is. You easily print boarding tickets and luggage tags and then drop off your bags. Mine was under the 7 kg limit so was able to carry my luggage on. You have to wait if you are too early before going to the gate. This is how they let you know.

You also walk to the tarmac and board the plane there. Yes it is a small airport but everyone is friendly, helpful, and laid back. I really like Queenstown and New Zealand!

Kayaking Milford Sound

After arriving Queenstown and renting a car we found somewhere to eat and I headed to sky dive. We missed it on the renting if this spectacular vehicle.

The panda bear on the roof is Percy, the preschool mascot. He is accompanying is on the trip for an adventure.

Queenstown is beautiful.

On the way to the skydiving site the company had to cancel the flight due to a horrific accident blocking the road. There is only one road out to the area. I rescheduled for two days later and we were able to start driving to Te Anau where we would spend the night before being picked up for kayaking. It meant we could travel in the day instead of when it was getting dark. There already is a learning curve with driving on the left side of the road.

We also had time to get in a run before dinner. Te Anau is quiet and beautiful.

It was a two hour drive from TeAnau to Milford sound for kayaking. We left the rental car at the hotel and traveled with the tour company (Rosco’s is one of the best). Milford sound does not have residents just the dozens of people who work seasonally there. The kayaking was in the open Sea so much choppy water, frigid water temperature, and cool temperatures.

I took a lot of pictures and videos while kayaking but they are in my go pro and need a computer to get them uploaded which I will do when I return to China.

Yes there actually is a nude run through the tunnel to get to the sound.

On the way back we stopped to look at some of the sights. First stop was a waterfall at a place called the Chasm.

Another few stops along the way.

We drive back from TeAnau to Queenstown and checked into a motel apartments. Here we meet up with some of Caroline’s friends from when she taught in Cairo.

More adventures await!

Waiheke Island, New Zealand

We traveled to the CBD, Central business district, to pick up the ferry to Waiheke Island. It is best to book a hop on hop off tour that includes a ferry ride to and from.

The view from the ferry looking at Auckland.

We boarded the hop on hop off bus at the ferry terminal and went to the first stop at Oneroa Village. This is the heart of the island with many cafes, art galleries, and shops.

Panoramic view of the beach at Oneroa. We did walk down to the beach and dip toes in the water.

We did some shopping in the galleries and shops. Many beautiful things to look at. This island is so beautiful and quiet. It would be fun just to stay here for awhile.

I loved this artist gallery. There are kiwis in a boat!

We took the next bus to the stonyridge winery. They also have Olive trees on the property and the setting is very picturesque.

We ordered wine with a cheese plate that included Manuka honey..

Before we went to the winery we inquired about ziplining. Usually advanced booking is required but we were lucky to get two of the last few spots available. We were picked up by a van to go to the ecozip line stop. This is something I have always wanted to do. It was pretty fun and the company owns the land over an old section of jungle. Ziplining with them helps to preserve the area from development.

Getting ready for the third section which was the longest and steepest. This is Carolyn with the preschool mascot she brought with her on the adventure.

After the ziplining there is a 25 minutes walk back where they give history of the area and point out various plant species.

These trees are part of the old section of the jungle that have been undisturbed as they are part of a wet valley unusable for farming. They are 600 years old.

Onetangi beach was our last stop. Here i waded out into the waves then walked along the beach. I also enjoyed blood orange sorbet.

After the ferry ride back, we stopped along the water to eat raw oysters before stopping at a grocery store to pick up salads to take back to the hotel.

Now to reorganize bags as we will leave some here at this hotel as we fly to Queenstown in the South island for a few days before coming back up to the North island.

Auckland, race day

I did manage to get some sleep but my body does not know where in the world I am. We are staying at the Holiday inn Auckland airport which is a 6 NZ ride on the yellow bus from the airport. It is also walking distance to the winery. The views on the walk were gorgeous. We actually ran along that beach in the race.

My 10k at the Villa Maria winery was a little slower (59:04) than my usual but not bad considering. The winery is just beautiful. It actually is located in an old volcanic crater.

If course we had to do some wine tasting and but some wine. We are staying with some of Carolyn’s friends at the end of this trip and wine would be a great gift.

Afterwards we took an Uber into Auckland and visited Mission Bay. We saw ice cream and my general rule is that I get ice cream flavors that I have never had before. We chose a gelato shop and I had a cone with green apple and pineapple lumps. Pineapple lumps is a pineapple lolly candy covered in chocolate. Both were good and I found some of that candy in a convenience store to take home.

We visited the Michael Joseph Savage memorial. He was the first Prime Minister of the Labour Party and died while in office.

Views from the top of the park.

This is a Norfolk pine. It looks like a pointer but the branches look more like palms.

We then walked along Biddick’s Bay. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and if course I dipped my toes into the water. It was cool but not too bad.

We stopped at a Good George Craft House to try some local beer and have a bite to eat. I chose battered fish and if course there was fries and fried cauliflower. Not my usual fare and left me very full despite the fact it was not heavily fried.

A good first day and tomorrow we explore Waiheke Island.

History walk Guangzhou

It was great that Harlan Chambers was able to visit me here in Guangzhou. He is working on his doctoral dissertation in Shanghai. He was excited to see museums and eat all the food in Guangzhou. Once he arrived he fell in love with this city. It really is a great place to live.

When we had time we toured the area as I still had classes and this is the last week before Chinese New year holiday.

I had not yet visited many of the museums here and only a few in Dongshankou. He did his research! It was nice to see areas of the city I had not explored and especially try new restaurants. Harlan is fluent in Mandarin and made it so much easier though I am happy that I am able to figure out some of what is being said with some of the vocabulary I already know.

The Martyrs Memorial Park commemorates the death of the Chinese communist party against the Kuomintang in the Guangzhou uprising.

Chinese and Korean people and Chinese and Soviet people blood Pagodas.

There was much singing in the park and I love when you can see the love people have for their country and their history.

After touring we realized we were close to Beijing Lu and I thought he would want to see the old temple, Jade Buddha, and eat at the restaurant in the temple. It was tough to only make a few choices to eat and not order too much food.

The Jade Buddha from the balcony in the temple.

Guangdong history museum was very enlightening as I had only a small knowledge of Chinese history. I now know a little more but will really have to start at the beginning to put it together as there is such a long and complicated history here.

Peasant Movement Institute was a school with a united front to assist peasant and worker movements. It brought together the nationalists and communists along with an alliance with Russia in the 1920’s. Many of the former students were killed in the 1927 failed uprising and are memorialized in Martyrs Park. Sun Yat Sen, Peng Pai, and Mao Zedong were key in this movement.

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. This place was fabulous with an octagonal roof. There was history of Sun Yat Sen and his influence throughout the works when he worked with other revolutionaries and fled or asylum.

All the building specifications had to be exact to be able to achieve the roofline and make a sound building. In the center is a large theater. Sun Yat Sen was devoted to education and helping common people for their future. This is a lasting legacy to his work as the theater is used for that purpose.

Walking behind the memorial Hall are monuments. Lots of stairs to get to the top where the memorial monument to his life is found.

This memorial is a part of the Yuexiu park which is massive and the largest park here in Guangzhou. We only covered 1/3 of it but it is spectacular and a park I had yet to see. I will come back to look more closely.

The 5 rams sculpture is based on a legend of 5 immortals riding on rams into the then barren land of Guangzhou 2000 years ago carrying sheaves of rice. Once leaving the rice behind, Guangzhou became prosperous.

This is the old Guangzhou city wall which is an ancient relic here in the park. I love seeing how these trees will find ways to send roots into the ground. Nature is fantastic.

As it is now a couple weeks to chinese new year, the decorations are now going up. This year is the year of the rat. Displays are impressive everywhere you go.

In Huacheng Square, the pedestrian street I like to run is also creating displays.

The Canton Tower at dusk.

On the way back home we went through Taikoo Hui. It is a very upscale mall and of course we stopped for fabulous ice cream. In the valet area we saw this car. It must be expensive and rate a as everyone was taking pictures of it.

THE bookstore in Tianhe. 6 floors of books and other items and you can find people reading in the aisles…. You will not see this in America.

There is some odd looking good that taste fabulous. This is matcha, black rice, and blueberry cheese.

A Tom and Jerry exhibition in the One Link mall in Tianhe.

At school we had another lion dance celebration which is fabulous. This is long but showed the athleticism, culture, and acrobatics.

Of course he didn’t fall. It is part of the act.

More great acrobatics.

Happy Chinese New Year.

Athens, one last morning

After making sure I was recovered and packing for my trip back to China, I set out to explore near the Acropolis one last morning. What a difference two days make. It is warmer, calm wind, and sunny. I toured on one of the coldest days and glad I was able to make use of the beautiful morning.

I walked to the Acropolis and climbed up Mars Hill/Aeropagus which is where St. Paul once preached. What a great view! I noticed another Archaeological site and went to explore.

I did not enter the archaeological site as the pass was expensive considering I only had a few hours before leaving for the airport and included places I have already seen. This is the site of the Roman Agora and I walked around the perimeter.

A house within the confines of the site.

I’m glad to stretch my legs before the many hours flight back to China.

Greek island tour

Despite having intestinal issues overnight and lack of sleep, I believed I was getting better and decided to continue with my planned cruise. Once arrived I wasn’t feeling great and saw how packed the general compartments are. It is worth the money to pay double for the VIP lounge which I did.

Places to lay down, personal service including drinks.

I did try ouzo which tastes like licorice.

The island of Aegeana.

From the Apollon which is 5ooo BC older than the Parthenon.

Pistachio trees are the biggest produce from this island as well as olives. These are pistachio trees.

Peloppoinase mountains on Athens with snow.

Mother of aegenae statue.

Monastery on the island is just beautiful.

Zeus and Aegaena were in love but she needed to be hidden away. Their son is Ercos who became the first ruler. Zeus made inhabitants of the island out of ants as the legend goes. Hercules is the most famous Greek from this island.

We were to visit hydros which is a small beautiful island but tough ranges made docking impossible. At least it was calmer than the day before which caused the tour to be cancelled.

The island of Poros

The next island was a chance to walk around and visit shops. I bought a pair of silver post earrings in spirals which is good luck in Greece. Here are some views of walking around which I was able to do after drinking ginger ale unsuccessfully which gave me a little time before the next wave of sickness.

A rough day. I slept about 4 hours of the trip and made many trips to a bathroom but still glad I went as it was nice to walk in the sunshine in such a beautiful place! I will have to come back when it is warmer and hopefully not feeling poorly.

History tour of Athens

The gods visit us disguised as strangers.

Odysseus.

After purchasing a hop on hop off tour I decided to walk to the acropolis as it is close to my hotel and the first stop where your ticket must be activated. Along the way there are spectacular sights.

I arrived early and explored the hill of the muses that is near there.

Socrates prison. This is the alleged prison where he was believed to be housed.

Polipponas monument. Beautiful view of the acropolis here.

There are many places to visit on the hill but most pictures just look like any national park. This actually is an area where people bring their dogs in the morning for a walk. Beautiful trails and a lovely place to walk and enjoy nature.

The Acropolis

This ancient citadel dates back to the 5th century BC.

The Parthenon.

Ruins of the temple of Rome and Augustus.

National Archaeological museum

The museum is huge and has many antiquities.

From the paleolithic age and shows fascination with male anatomy.

Gold leaf death masks and body for children buried found in a Mycenaean site.

Aphrodite and Eros from the sanctuary at Delphi

Minoan culture from Crete is evident in pottery and metals. They were revered in Egypt and Greece.

The spring fresco wall painting is the only one still existing depicting the Theran landscape before the volcanic eruption.

Statue of a kouros. The statue is larger than life and enhances the musculature. A kouros is a statue of a standing male.

Funerary stele from after the Peloponnesisian war when there was unrest and poor prosperity leading to a plague. Many funeral stele were found from prominent families. Here two children have died.

Funerary stele. The person seated is the one that died, in this case a young mother.

The planospheric astrolab. This device talked astronomical movements and therefore also time. The gears were used to line to different constellations.

This sculpture shows incredible detail to the muscles and look on the child’s face. 5th century BC

A larger than life boxers arm showing bandages to protect the knuckles. 2nd century BC. The arm was cast separately from three rest of the statue of the boxer.

The Benaki museum

This museum is beautiful and houses cultural artifacts from Greece.

The inside of the museum is just gorgeous.

Wood carved distaffs for the spinning of wool from the early 1900’s.

Glass ampullae along the top made from molds. The grape ampullae is beautiful.

Poles extend on both sides through the stirrups to carry nobility through streets.

A reception room from 18th century Macedonia.

After the museum I wandered back to the acropolis to pick up a bus to the Riviera area.

The changing of the guard for the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Mosaic floor of the House of the Roman Mosaic from 200 AD.

In constructing the metro they came across this bath complex during the time of emperor Hadrian after the temple of Zeus was constructed.

Views from the bus tour along the Riviera beaches. I met a kind Egyptian man on the bus ride. He lives in Virgina and we talked about living in different places. If I would have known that where I was headed to eat would give me food poisoning I would have continued with the conversation with him on three next bus. But my hotel read close by…