Hawke's Bay generalities

I'm notta so gooda with the blog postings, but I found this site (www.hawkesbaynz.com) as an "overview" of things to do...

I'm not sure what has already been planned for us (if anything), but I guess it won't hurt to have a list :)

Waimangu Volcanic Valley - Rotorua

Waimangu Volcanic Valley is another geothermal area. There is an easy walk that is mainly downhill through the craters of the valley. These nature walks showcase a wide range of geothermal activity, native plants and bird life. There is also an advanced hike that provides panoramic views of the valley and surrounding regions. Each of these hikes are just under $25 USD.

Wai-O-Tapu - Rotorua

Wai-O-Tapu, called Thermal Wonderland offers thermal pools, boiling mud pots and geysers.

(click the map to enlarge it)

Here are some pictures. It costs about $20 USD to get in

Caves - Waitomo

I don't know how adventurous you all are, but I think it would be really neat to go caving at Waitomo. These caves are pretty mild - I think they're even wheelchair accessible (no crazy ropes, little crawl spaces or anything). There are glowworm caves (45 minute tour) as well as dry caves including Aranui Cave (45 minute tour) and Ruakuri Cave (2 hour tour). The price for tours of all three caves is about $70 (USD), which isn't too bad.

War Memorial Museum - Auckland

I know what you're thinking, "A war memorial museum sounds boooooring." That's what I was thinking at first too. However, I think that the Auckland War Memorial Museum would be a neat place to start. The museum covers the Pacific People, Natural History, and New Zealand War Stories.

The museum is open every day from 10am-5pm. There is no fee although there is a suggested donation of $5 and special exhibition charges may apply.

The Point of This Blog

So here's what I'm thinking - we can all post ideas for the New Zealand trip here. The title of the post can be what it is and where (using Daria's for example, "Wine Tasting - Hawke's Bay"). The body of the post can include what it is as well as pictures and links so that the rest of us get a feeling of what it's about.