Day? Russell to Waitomo 3-7-13

Had a leisurely start to the day with a harbor side breakfast in Russell and then decided to take the longer western route down the North Island so we could see the Kauri trees and the Tasman sea.

It turned into a verrrrry long drive with being stuck in Auckland traffic for 1 1/2 hours. (About 10 hours in the car...) The landscape changes by the minute, from jungle to SCal scrub oak rolling hills. Lots of sheep and cattle, great clouds and blue skies. They are in a drought now, so they say the hills would usually be even more green.

Stopped for a very bad lunch in a tiny town, and arrived just before closing at Huhu, a great resturant at the Waitomo Caves. It's 11:00 pm, and we are just at the motel to be up and at 'em at 8:00 for our cave adventure! Very tired tonight...looking forward to a snooze.

The plan tomorrow is caving from 9:00 to 2:00, then driving to Rotorua, which is full of Maori culture, hot pools and geysers and beautiful geothermal sites. It is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" with volcanic activity. We only have one night there, then off for another long drive to the Capitol of Wellington. This last bit of the North Island is a bit hurried, as we want to maximize our time on the South Island.