Maori and Kiwi and Sheep OH MY!

Today was a bus tour out of Auckland with Paul the bus driver.

We went to the Maori cultural center where we were greeted by 4 Maori (3 guys and a girl) about our age who taught us Maori culture and history. We got to learn to weave the plants that look like palms (but are MUCH more durable) and sing Maori songs.

We ventured to One Tree Hill (not the movie set) where the park was filled with sheep. Unfortunately, no one in our group was able to get close enough to the sheep to take a picture with them but we did get pictures of them. . . running away from us.

The Auckland Zoo had all the animals out and about, which is what really makes the zoo fun. Not only did we see a Kiwi (who ran, and it was adorable) but we also saw hippos, lions, monkeys, giraffes, zebras, flamingos, turtles, sea lions and much more. The zoo was awesome because there is a medical center within the zoo to handle animal issues. What really makes this ingenious is that the operating tables are behind glass panes so that guests can see what is going on and the doctors will take the time to explain what is happening.

The tour ended at the museum of Maori Culture. We only had 45 minutes to do a quick tour (no, we did not see it all) of the artifacts and pieces of history from the Maori people. During this we were able to sit in on a volcano erruption simulation of an actual eruption that happened not too long ago. I never want to live near volcanoes.


Took over 200 pictures today. . . Best of coming soon.