Monday, Mar 18th, Auckland, New Zealand

Greetings!

Yesterday, we went blackwater rafting in a glowworm cave.  New Zealand has a long history of tourists coming to see glowworms.  Long ago, they had to climb down into caves with lanterns (it used to be candles), and were led to the ceiling clusters of milky-way like tiny lights.  The caves, however, are the result of underground rivers which have carved through solid rock.  Some are large enough that boats of tourists can be guided through them. 

But we decided to join The Legendary Blackwater Rafting Company, and a group of ten agile young people, and crawl and float (on inner tubes) through a very narrow stream deep in the caverns.  We're proud to reveal that we survived the experience without harm, even given several backward jumps off cliffs in the dark with a tube around your butt.  Harder still was stepping almost blindly from rock to rock in flowing streamwater in wetsuits without touching the walls or stalactites your helmet is hitting if you don't duck low enough.  It was a great adventure, and the staff made it safe and fun.

Today, we drove from near the caves to Auckland, stopping briefly at the Hamilton Gardens.  This garden is a unique combination of twenty-four garden designs which challenge your imagination and understandings of color and form.  We were surprised at its creativity, and how well it presented the gardens we have encountered around the world.

To see all of the photos we took today, click on: Monday, Mar 18th, Auckland, New Zealand.

Tomorrow, we'll be flying to Taiwan, so don't expect a post for a few days.