Plane, taxi…and now bus, Auckland to Rotorua.  By the time I leave New Zealand expecting to use all forms of transport, except train.  Ticket I pre-purchased, exchanged.  All train travel on South Island shut down ‘til March 22^nd because of extensive forest fires.  Yikes!

Waitomo, Agrodome & Te Puia – 3 tour stops, then dropped directly at my hotel…not a bad way to travel.

Waitomo, home to New Zealand’s famous glowworms.  Stalactites, stalagmites & limestone…typical cave stuff – but glowworms?  Never have I ever.  WOW WOW WOW!  Loaded onto a long gondola, pulled forward via a rope pulley thru Glowworm Grotto [subterranean cavern illuminated by THOUSANDS of tiny glowworms].  No pictures allowed, no sound permitted.  Magic.

Back on the bus, next stop: the Agrodome.  Toured this working farm in an all-terrain vehicle.  SHEEP, New Zealand SHEEP, that’s the reason one comes here.  Watched a Romney being shorn, then attended a live sheep dog trail.  BIG fan.

End of day, bit rushed thru Te Puia [Māori meeting house] & neighboring Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley.  Luckily my travel bestie scheduled additional geyser viewing on tomorrow’s Happy Ewe bike tour.  (Thanks Dawn!)

Hotel check-in.  Early to bed?  Heck no — ’cause every day’s a run day 🙂  Laced up, quick change-o-clothes.  10 minutes from The Redwoods, my first amazing NZ run (first of several).  Massive trees, tropical vegetation & cicadas – the forest sang (12 mile FUN run).

Day 3 plans: morning run (geysers), bike tour (even more geysers) & a puddle-jumper to Christchurch (South Island).

Waitomo Caves — NZ cicada season (Dec-April)

Agrodome – Sheep Shearing

Agrodome – working Sheep Dog trial