Huka Falls near Lake Taupo in New Zealand is nothing less than impressive. Located approximately in the middle of the north island, the falls are on the Waikato River. Roughly 200,000 liters of ice-blue water flow through this point every second—that’s more than 50,000 gallons every second. The falls create a huge undertow, which has taken under boats that got too close. We were happy to watch from the sidelines and marvel at the sheer power of Huka Falls.
Want to see more photos from trip? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.
More photos from New Zealand
Devonport is a seaside town on an island in New Zealand with the look of an old village. The architecture of many homes and shops is classic.
We walked through a park in Devonport to a point where we could see another part of the island across the water.
When I saw this display in the window at this shop in Devonport, I had to take a photo. NOtice that's an old Smith Corona Junior typewriter.
As the ferry takes us away from Devonport and back to Auckland, we get a last glimpse of this beautiful little town.
The pages were bound together with string.
More plates from the old bindery
The shims come in all sizes to make for precise placement.
The books made in this bindery were all leather covered. This is getting close to the final product.
This old press was used to make a single proof after the letters had been set. After the proof, the actual printing was done downstairs
Just beyond the anchored sailboats is the MS Noordam waiting for all of us to see the sights.
Russell has a lot of hills—and boats
This was an early morning shore excursion, so we had to be up bright and early!
Our traveling companion Ariel rides tonight's towel animal.
The reflection of the mountains in Mirror Lakes.
With clear water and no wind, Mirror Lakes reflects the mountains beyond.
In the National Park, this is one of the many creeks and rivers.
We were so lucky to have such a beautiful day.
Milford Sound is a popular place for tours.
Here's the coastline of New Zealand along the Tasman Sea.
Cruising along the sound.
This weathered bell has been on the front of the Milford Monarch since 1994. No longer used, it's a beautiful decoration.
Looking back toward the Tasman Sea
This group of fur seals was just hanging out on the rocks. Not a bad job if you can get it!
This fur seal woke up when we cruised by and did a little stretch.
This was my last clear shot. After this, the lens was getting too wet and I had to seek cover.
I believe this is looking back at The Chasm from Milford Sound
A pair of lions guard the front door of Larnach Castle
All of the doorways at Larnach Castle are amazing.
The ceiings at Larnach Castle are amazing.
This vase sits on the mantle of one of the fireplaces.
Welcome to Larnach Castle, where over-the-top is just the beginning.
The castle, like other opulent older homes, has beautiful hardwoods throughout.
The mistress of the house wanted this statue in her dressing room. It's a strange story!
The views from the roof of Larnach Castle are spectacular
From the lawns to the shrubs and trees, the landscaping at the castle is immaculate.
On the way down from the roof of the castle, the stairs are steep and winding!
It's hard to believe this castle was nearly leveled by developers.
This beautiful gazebo is just one of the many elegant garden features.
Our first stop on our shore excursion was at the Dunedin rail station.
A local garden society maintains the grounds of the rail station.
The inside of the Dunedin rail station.
When you're entering the Dunedin rail station, you pass through these columns.
Another piece of detail that makes the rail station a classic piece of history.
Picton is a gorgeous little village of only 4,000 people, but it has a lot of boats!
It looks like this little town has almost as many boats as houses.
The harbor at Picton has a good sealife population, so these waters are clear several feet down.
The ocean can become very dramatic down here when there's a storm coming. Swells reached about 9 feet at one point.
Getting ready for the seaport walk. Let's go!
The blue skies lasted most of the day, which was unusual. The flat water is supposed to be normal.
Boats in the harbor at Picton, where tourism is big business
These guys play to benefit the Blenheim Orphanage. They drew a nice little crowd.
Here we are, living the life in Picton...at least until we have to be back on the Noordam.
Lots and lots of islands, peninsulas, and fjords in this part of the world.
These little cluster of sailboats was just out in the bay waiting for their owners.
The California pine was brought to New Zealand years ago. It now is farmed as an export to Japan, where it will be turned into furniture, which will go to...the US (amongst other places).
The arch is the entrance to the park from the quaint downtown.
We're back in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand
This building is called the Beehive. It's where the Executive Offices of the New Zealand Parliament are located.
This "lake" is actually part of a dam, which became part of Zealandia when it began.
Unable to fly, these birds fall prey to mammalian predators.
What a place! Six floors of exhibits and offices. It would take a couple of days to see the whole thing—and we had less than two hours.
This is a very popular exhibit and requires separate tickets, which we didn't have. It was also sold out!
Our guide told us she was bothered by this interpretation of a Maori meeting house for several years, then one day had an epiphany and now understands it.
This beautiful stained glass was in the same area as the Maori 'house'.
The clouds parted long enough to get a glimpse of the moon.
Ariel likes to be prepared for the day.
California pine is a huge export for New Zealand - it's also a big problem.
Taken from the balcony of our stateroom,
More than a hundred years ago there was an earthquake in Napier that raised up the entire valley.
The town of Napier was leveled by an earthquake in 1931, but has rebuilt in an art deco style.
Our guide leaving the Napier Customhouse, which has been restored thanks to a group of locals
This train has been lovingly restored by our guide and his family.
There's a tractor under all that glitz!
What a great way to see the area. The guide is very informative and the train has so many little period details.
All those colors? They're giant pincushions!
Just one example of the art deco style that runs throughout downtown Napier
Vintage autos, restored by their owners, were on display.
The art deco style is the theme in the downtown.
There are even little balconies like this one on Harston's
Just in case you want to fit in with the Napier building style!
If you want retro style, this is your place!
There seems to be a common theme in New Zealand. We've seen arches on the waterfront before.
Napier might only have 57,000 residents, but it oozes style.
Ariel watches wistfully as we get further from Napier. We think she likes art deco!
We depart Napier under partyly sunny skies
As we prepare for April 16, Ariel takes a ride on the towel elephant made by our room steward, Ricky
As has been the case with many of the ports, Tauranga is primarily a shipping port, but tourism is a growing business
Even though Tauranga is a shipping port, it has some breathtaking views
Our tour wasn't for another hour, but they announced there was to be a drill for the staff
This is the backyard view for one of the Maori guides who works for the tour company.
While small, this Maori welcoming ceremony was well done and they were so friendly!
New Zealand is making a push to get their gold kiwi fruit into markets this year. It's soooo good!
This is an ingenious system. The canopy needs to be a certain depth, so the growers place next year's vines up top. They cut everything at the end of the season and lay those new top vines down.
When the sun was dropping, I decided it was time to go topside and snap a photo.
It was Asian night in the Lido dining room! These two are the best!
This is an example of a Maore double-hulled canoe
We think this towel animal is a sloth. At least Ariel like it!
This was part of the view of Auckland from our balcony.
The emblems around the edges of the stained glass signify the countries involved in the conflict. The center commemorates the New Zealand military branches.
Thousands of names are inscribed on the walls in this room.
This is a real airplane that they brought in through the roof.
This memorial serves to remind visitors of war's devastation.
The views from the museum are spectacular and fitting for the monument
New Zealand was once a land of birds and no mammals.
That is one big bird. The moa once flourished in New Zealand, but the Maori and other forces brought it to extinction.
The puka is the sticking out of the tongue - in times past, different expressions meant something - kind of like a separate language.
This canoe could carry about 100 warriors, most of whom were paddling.
If the canoe was to be used for transporting something other than warriors, the bow and rear could be replaced with something appropriate.
Once glue had been applied to the binding, the pages set
The book bindery operated out of this house upstairs and down.
I hear the scones were fabulous—but they were not gluten-free, so not for me!
This garden area is maintained by a local group of gardeners
The attention to detail on these pieces is amazing.
Here's another of those beautiful pieces from the central garden
Established in 1836, this is the oldest church in New Zealand, and it's still beautiful inside.
Russell is a quaint town without a lot of traffic—except for the pedestrian kind.
Outdoor tables are common and the atmosphere is relaxing
This sculpture caught my attention during our walkabout in Devonport, New Zealand
We stopped and had ice cream under those red umbrellas. It was so refreshing!
I'm not sure I'd want to be greeted by these guys (one on each side of the front door) when I arrived home!
The wood throughout Larnach Castle is beautiful.
Omaru has so much fantastic architecture. Many of these buildings use Omaru stone, which was taken from quarries neaby.
The path through the park in Devonport leads to this tiny peninsula. Isn't this a beautiful view?
200,000 liters of ice blue water flow flow over Huka Falls every second.
The mountains refledted perfectly in the still water create the illusion of a world upside down. And the fish swim underneath.
Milford Sound is a truly spectacular place, filled with waterfalls and towering mountains carved by glaciers.
Protected from the Tasman Sea, the waters are calm in Milford Sound. This small sailbloat had no problem cruising the fjord.
At this point in our journey of Milford Sound, we were nearing the Tasman Sea. The surface looked calm, but don't let that fool you. It's rough out there!
This complete Spitfire airplane was brought into the museum through the roof.
This was our view at dinner as we sailed out of Auckland. Normally, I wouldn't shoot through glass, but the view was too good to pass up.
The Auckland Sky Tower was only two blocks from our hotel. Our visit occured right after the Christchurch shootings, during which time the tower was kept dark at night.
The geysers at Whakarewarewa are an incredible sight—and smell. The odor of sulfur is everywhere.
The grounds near the geysers at Whakarewarewa are green and lush. In the midst of all that greenery are these incredible geysers.
Auckland is a blend of old and new. St. Patrick's Cathedral — a beautiful old building with skyscrapers a block away.
There's a beautiful park in Rotorua, and the Prince's Gate arches guard the entrance.
What a gorgeous fence! Attached to the Princes' Gate arches in Rotorua
This gazebo near the Government Gardens in Rotorua is beautiful.
In Rotorua, we had an overnight stay on a farm. We got a little tour of the grounds...and met the ducks and chickens.
The view from our overnight host's home was spectacular. A classic country setting.
Taken on our one night stay with a couple in Rotorua, this is a great memory of the stunning sunsets they see.
Somewhere in the backcountry of New Zealand, I caught this photo. Talk about well manicured!
Another picturesque country setting near Taurangi, which is located in about the middle of North Island.
We were treated to spectacular colors on our passage between New Zealand's north and south islands.
Our morning coffee stop in Geraldine was a block away from this church. So much character in those old walls!
The old Town Board Office is now a museum. The town has grown up around this old stone building.
One of the things that caught me about this building was the names done in raised letters and part of the original architecture.
How I wished we'd had time to go through the Steampunk HQ building!
You have to admit, the Moeraki Boulders, which are perfectly spherical, are very unusual. They attract a lot of attention, especially from those who think they might be able to push one.
This entryway at Larnach Castle is so beautiful. Polished wood, stone, and tile—what's not to like?
Baroque Edwardian architecture at it's finest. All aboard at the old Dunedin railway station!
Built in 1873, this Gothic style church stands in the heart of Dunedin.
While walking from our hotel to downtown Queenstown, we passed this catamaran. What a nice way that would be to spend a day!
From the shores of Lake Wakatipu at Queenstown, New Zealand
These shops along the shore of Lake Wakatip are part of the core shopping district in downtown Queenstown
This waterjet demonstration drew lots of attention during our walk through Queenstown. Can't imagine a novice would be that good!
One of our stops on our land tour of New Zealand was in Arrowtown. This quaint little tourist trap has charisma galore!
With absolutely now wind, the water was as still as could be. The reflection was so clear it could be hard to know it from the real mountain!
A walkway at The Chasm in Fjordland National Park in New Zealand meanders through these amazing woods.
There's nothing like the sound of rushing water. It just begs for a photo op!
I found a spot on the front of the boat as we neared the falls. Didn't give up until the spray became dangerous to my camera's health!
As we neared the end of our journey of Milford Sound, the incoming clouds provided one last postcard photo op.
This is Lake Te Anau at sunset. The Murchison Mountains are across the lake hid one of the last populations of the takahē, a bird native to New Zealand. The bird sanctuary here is home to almost a dozen different bird populations.
Te Anau to Christchurch
Another change of itinerary - Te Anau to Wanaka
Queenstown back to Dunedin after the road is washed out
Queenstown to Milford Sound and on to Te Anau
Inland we go toward Queenstown
On the road to Dunedin.
Off to Christchurch, a long drive olong the coast.
Rotorua was a two-day stay - one of those nights was with a local family on their farm.
We picked up the land tour on Day 4, so this was our first day on the road.
The scenery on our land tour was nothing short of spectacular. We saw many of these little farms along the way. I love this one with the fog hanging low.
Nothing could have prepared us for the absolute calm of the water at Mirror Lakes and the perfect reflection of the mountains in the water.
The mountains in this photo are a reflection in the water of Mirror Lakes. The water is also crystal clear, so we see under as well as on top.
This was such a perfect setting along the shore at Lake Te Anau. Perfect time for an evening stroll.
Not a lot of activity at this little dock in Te Anau this late in the day.
Here's another tour boat cruising Milford Sound.
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