A few more photos from last weekend's trip to Rotorua, where there are lots of things to do that are just plain fun. The kids looked forward to the Skyline Luge for many weeks. This is a 2km ride in a 3-wheeled kart thingie down the side of Mount Ngongotaha. I found it a bit frightening myself. Big surprise there as I have made it quite clear that I'm a bit of a sissy.

All of you amateur archaeologists out there -- we've got the scoop on what really happened to the dinosaurs and it seems that it had something to do with some evil horses...

Other fun stuff included a night in a Maori village where our group (including an American couple that attended Case Western Reserve Univ in Cleveland) was appointed a chief (guess who that was) and he was greeted by the tattooed warriors and we ate dinner that was prepared on the boiling mud. The girls had to learn the poi dance and the guys had to learn the Haka. If you haven't ever seen the Haka, take a look here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMCAV6Yd0Y

We've gotta bring this back for Trey's teams to do before their games! :o) Anyway, Dennis really does look a lot like the Maori and other Pacific Island people here so we weren't surprised he was the chief. He fit right in. Needs a couple more tattoos...

Sorry about the crappy photos -- no flash, very dark. What can ya do?

Last stop on the way back to Auckland was Paradise Valley Springs, a large trout stream kind of in the middle of nowhere with lots of other animals and a beautiful walk through the native bush and springs. They also have a bunch of random lions that they rescued from a circus and one had a baby and so you can "pat" it (their words). Pat the lion cub. Of course we did.

Who here knows anything about turkeys? I think they are turkeys. Hard to tell with no heads. Is that how they sleep? Where did their heads go, exactly?

Till next time, xoxo, K.