At dinnertime yesterday The Amsterdam pulled up its anchors and sailed away from Auckland. This morning we woke up in Tauranga. We have visited this part of New Zealand before, but there is always more to see. We decided to explore the area on Tauranga's version of the Hop On, Hop Off bus service. This seems to work well for us. We have reliable transportation. We can stop at the attractions that appeal to us, stay as long as we like, and move on when we are ready.
Our first stop was at The Classic Flyers Aviation Museum, which consisted of three hangars and a large outdoor space filled with lovingly restored old airplanes, plus a glider and a small helicopter.
Museum volunteers answered our questions and showed us their works in progress.
Watson looked right at home in the cockpit of this plane. Do you think he is having a good time?
The museum's website : www.classicflyersnz.com
Next stop: The Cargo Shed, a onetime warehouse which has a new life as an arts and crafts cooperative. One woman had brought an example of Yarn Bombing, a sort of knitted graffiti which pops up in unexpected places.
Saying a reluctant goodbye to the colorful bike, we moved on to our next destination, downtown Tauranga. Like every bit of New Zealand we have seen so far, this area was attractive, spotless, and filled with friendly people. We had a look at the shops and restaurants, and then we visited the Tauranga Art Gallery where we saw a collection of costumes designed for the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
Back to the ship for dinner and departure for our next destination.
As a dramatic end to this nice day, we just passed quite close to a volcanic island that is predicted to explode very soon. We could see the island's outline in the twilight. We could see and smell the smoke pouring from its summit.
Tomorrow: Napier, NZ
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