Page 16 - New Zealand holiday

On 4th February we arrived at Hamurana Lodge, Rotorua set in its own tranquil gardens, with four alpacas, a donkey and a rescued horse. The lodge was a fine manor house with warm personal service and spacious rooms.
It was here that I awoke on my seventy birthday in our brightly decorated room with sun streaming in - a distinctly different setting from a cold winter's day in South Oxfordshire.
A full day ahead was planned with a Rotorua Diamond Pass allowing us to explore the geothermal valley of Te Puia and discover more at the Maori Cultural Centre. By early afternoon we were enjoying a Polynesian Spa experience with a private hot pool, before heading off to the Agrodome where a strangely theatrical sheep exhibition was lead by a pot bellied sheep shearer with a very loud voice!
My special day was rounded off by a night ride up the Skyline gondola to the top of Mount Ngongotaha. Here we indulged in a full buffet dinner as the sun set before taking a bumpy ride back to the foot of the mountain.