Leave Rotorua for Taupo . Lunch in Orakei-Korako Cave and Thermal Park . Mt Ruapehu (aka Mount Doom). 30 minutes in Taupo, largest crater lake in NZ, then on to Napier. Check into Fountain Court Motel . Dinner in Napier, browse art deco buildings

We left Rotorua for Napier to see lots of art deco buildings and then head on to Gisborne. The second week was another week of sightseeing and where the youth rehearsed each day and then put on their performance on Thursday.

Orakei-Korako Cave and Thermal Park

This was another fascinating thermal area. We saw the silica terraces and mud pools and climbed down the stairs into the cave.

The tradition at the cave is to dip your left hand in the warm thermal water and make a wish, but don't tell your wish to anyone or it won't come true!

There's Courtney and, farther up those many, many stairs, there's Cathy. It was a nice sunny day, as you can see from the bright light in the middle of the photo!

Back on the bus, we encountered "cousin it."

Driving Through Taupo... Hoping to See "Mt Doom"

We drove through Taupo, a city along the edge of a crater lake, in hopes of seeing Mt Ruapehu from a distance. This is the mountain which was called Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Unfortunately, it was quite an overcast day and we saw nothing of the dreaded mountain. Here's a photo taken in Taupo. Mt Doom should appear somewhere in the middle of the photo on the far side of the lake.

The Falls

Napier ... the city with lots of art deco buildings

Here's the sun rising over Napier.

Here's Zelda's stunning sunset photo from Napier:

Photo courtes of Zelda