The Haruru part 2

Kia ora!

The past few days I spent up in northland in an attempt to escape the cold rain. Both the North Island and the South Island have experienced record amounts of rain the past several days, which have flooded many low-lying parts of the country. Check out this picture of Haruru Falls now after the flooding, and compare it to the shot I took over a week ago. Crazy!

Last week, a picturesque waterfall

This week, raging river rapids

I stayed with a nice Kiwi family out in the country between Paihia and Kerikeri. The setting is idyllic, even with a little rain. On their property, they have a beautiful (currently flooding) river, lots of sheep, a dog, some turtles, and beautiful hills. Everywhere I've been in New Zealand outside of Auckland, which many Kiwis identify as an extension of Australia and not a part of NZ, has made me feel like I'm in a postcard. I went for a run one evening, and once I got off the main road, my main encounters were with cows and sheep, which are everywhere here in NZ. And yes, it really feels like Lord of the Rings (I keep getting asked this question)! :-)  As I jogged by, the cows stared at me, and I started laughing as I wondered if they were mean stares ("Stop intruding on our lovely view!") or curious stares ("What are you doing out here, you crazy American?").

It's hard to believe Christmas is less than a week away! I sang Christmas carols for the first time this season when I attended service at St. Paul, a small Anglican parish in Paihia, on Sunday morning. We sang some of the Christmas classics, although a few (like Silent Night and O Little Town of Bethlehem) were slightly different versions than I'm accustomed to.

Historic St. Paul Anglican church in Paihia

I'm in Auckland for a couple days and headed to Taupo next. 

Cheers!