auckland to rotorua part two

so a bit of recap- we are on our day from Auckland to Rotorua-

the prior post got us through Rangiriri and Hamilton now we are headed to Cambridge for a home hosted lunch with our lovely hosts Dorothy and Ray Higgins- they run a dairy farm and sell to Fonterra Co-op - their milk goes to cheeses found in Trader Joe's in the U.S.

we eat first and ask questions later- LOL- Dorothy has prepared a waaaaay tasty little egg pie called "bread baskets" and lots of tea sandwiches for us- along with drinks and muffins and other goodies; (bread basket at top of the photo made with eggs bacon and lots of butter!)

the event was so overwhelming the dog has to take a nap- by the pool-  LOL

Dorothy and Ray- and the view of the various plots on the farm where the herd is taken on a rotating basis:

before we go to the dairy operations we view Dorothy's amazing garden- she really had a green thumb!

then on to the dairy part of the visit:

 (above TB entranced by the info Ray is giving in the milking shed)

along the way we make a quick stop at a kiwi fruit orchard - which greatly resembled grapes and is irrigated with the same drip irrigation we see at many vineyards...

 
then shortly we are off to Tirau (our "pit stop" along the way for WC and ice cream and coffee)

we then head to Rotorua with a stop along the way- because Mike hasn't yet quite worn us out- at Hamurana Springs for a walk through California redwoods and up to a natural hot spring- before our walk along the lakefront in Rotorua, past the museum (old time spa) and finally on to the hotel. I know this post will only get through the hot springs because the photos were so beautiful and other-worldly that the Rotorua ones will have to go into the next post- so here goes:

 
the next photo is the above one focused just on the center of this amazing water- you can see how clear it was and what incredible colors were contained in the reflection.... first the area marked for enlargement and then the close up-

the hot springs bubbling up underneath absolutely clear water- I have a video that shows this much better- phenomenal place---

the grasses/reeds like a ghost drifting down stream-

next up- finally- in to Rotorua! - see you there!