Sailing into Tauranga, we are met by Mount Maunganui, one of the MANY volcanoes in the area.
At the foot of Mount Maunganui, Tangaroa, Maori’s God of the Sea, greets all who enter Tauranga from the sea, with the fierce wero. The wero makes sure that any visitors are entering in peace.
Up on the side of Mount Maunganui, we are invited to be still and peer towards…
…another reminder of the wero, painted on a water tower.
Two visitors were enjoying the peaceful beach of the quiet volcano.
Then we had lunch where, once again, we are greeted by a living Maori, with a reminder to keep our peaceful intentions.
A short bus ride to Rotorua brought us to Rainbow Springs Nature Reserve. Here, the Spirit revealed the elegant beauty of this white swan. We also caught a glimpse of a kiwi bird in a dark and very quiet room, simulating the environment that kiwis are most active.
The final leg of this day took us to Wai O Tapu Thermal Wonderland. On this HOT day, we found ourselves with invitations to soak in all that was being revealed to us through our eyes and our skin.
Thank you, Tauranga.
It was so good to see these pictures and remember my time in New Zealand.