First Impressions (Ian and Helen Collinge)

We got back from New Zealand and Thailand a few weeks ago, but some folks have been saying they’d like to hear how we got on, so novices though we are to the blogosphere, here are a few bits and pieces.

We left on Monday and arrived on Wednesday! New Zealand is a LONG way from the UK! We have huge respect for those intrepid migrants and visitors in the 1800s who discovered a warm, beautiful, surprising and at times amusing land, surrounded by ocean. On our week of holiday, it was a delight to encounter another culture and people group (Maori) and intriguing to be introduced to the wonderful bird life.

One highlight was a visit to the Waimangu volcanic valley opposite Mt. Tarawera which erupted in 1886 resulting in a line of craters.  The huge rifts are awesome reminders of the fragility of our planet. The constant bubbling and hissing of steam in people’s gardens and street drains in Rotorua never failed to amuse us! The thermal pools were wonderfully relaxing. Later, we visited friends and even experienced a tsunami evacuation.

First Impressions (Ian and Helen Collinge)

We got back from New Zealand and Thailand a few weeks ago, but some folks have been saying they’d like to hear how we got on, so novices though we are to the blogosphere, here are a few bits and pieces.