NZ: North Island

I spent 3 days total with my folks exploring North Island of New Zealand. My brother and I went to check out the Auckland Fish Market, which is a smaller version of the Sydney Fish Market. We had some great mussels there
Next stop Rotorua and the thermal spas. We went to Te Puia which is a Maori Cultural center. We had a chance to see the shy kiwi birds and also see the boiling mudpools. The air had a heavy sulfur smell because of the volanic activities. We had a chance to enjoy the thermal spas overnight, making it a nice relaxing experience.

boiling mudpools

Te Puia

Agrodome Sheep show

After we got back from the South Island, my brother and I went to Tiritiri Matangi Island which is a bird sanctuary. We had a fabulous tour guide who helped us spot the various different bird types on the island, some of which has been brought back from brink of extinction. We also went to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World, spotting some king penguins.

hiking through the beaches of Tiritiri Matangi Island

Stitchbird

Skyline of Auckland

King penguins in Kelly Tarlton's

Mission bay

Lastly I spent a delightful couple of days with Scott, Meg, baby Georgia and Meg's parents. We got a chance to go to the Auckland museum to see the Maori presentation. What was the most amazing was that Baby G was not scared by the Haka presentation but instead was really memorized by the presentation! We also went to the Waitomo Caves where I explored the Ruakuri caves with them. These are one of the most beautiful limestone caves I have seen.

Meg and I with the Maori dancer

Ruakuri Caves.