Auckland New Zealand

We met, chatted with and had our pictures taken with the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Our guides, Stu and Donna, made sure we were at the new tourist center at 2:00 pm for the opening. The Prime Minister was there to do the ceremony. He is also the Minister of tourism which has become the largest source of income for the country. Stu is the treasurer of the tourism council.

Donna and Stu were delightful. Stu and a driver met 14 of us on the dock in Auckland at 9:00 a.m. Donna is Stu's wife and is half Maori. Stu's family is Scotch and Irish. Their farm has been in his family for several generations. They were the guides and owners of Coast to Coast Tours. The major part of our time was spent enjoying their hospitality at the sheep farm.

Our tour started with a drive through the bush to a welcome center where we stopped to view the overlooks and get some history and art of the Maori and New Zealand. The male statues there were too X rated to picture here but you can see me with one of the females.

Next we got the important shopping out of the way with a stop at a crafts bazaar in a local shopping center. I bought an oyster shell necklace and became the envy of all on the tour. Jack checked out the prices at Burger King while I was shopping. A Whopper Jr was $4.00. I was tempted to go into Starbucks for a coffee but the complimentary at the bazaar was so good I didn't.

We drove over to the west coast to look at the scenery and at the way the Aucklanders set up their weekend houses, called a “bach”. The scenery was spectacular – cliffs, waves, black sand beaches and gannets. Gannets are like seagulls with a bit of yellow color. They nest in an orderly even-spaced pattern on the open rocks.

We stopped at a honey outlet to taste the products. A special product is a variety that they ship to China for use as an antiseptic on injuries. New Zealand has developed very favorable trade and immigration relationships with China. About 20% of the population is Oriental or Polynesian. Almost all of them are concentrated in the Auckland area. It is sort of the Miami of New Zealand.

A wine tasting was next. Croatians were imported as labor to cut lumber. The lumber market dropped and the Croats went into wine making. They dominate the industry here. The winery is owned by Consolidated, a worldwide company. The wines were pretty good. At least half those on the bus were tipsy when we left there.

As I said, we spent a lot of time at the farm. We went for lunch then left for more touring and came back in time for tea and a farm tour. Lunch was fresh lamb chops cooked on the barbie and served with chutney, sweet potatoes, salad and tomatoes and zucchini. To drink was beer, wine and soft drinks. All very delicious. For tea several hours later, there was “Pavlova”, a meringue with cream and kiwis, strawberries and pineapple.

They took us to visit the lambs AFTER lunch..... when we returned for tea and to pay our bills. They were sweet adorable little creatures destined to live less than a year. Meat is the main product of the farm. It used to be wool, but wool prices are so low that they actually lose money on the shearing, but it must be done to keep the flock healthy.

What I will remember the most about the day was the hospitality of Donna and Stu. They took 14 Americans and Canadians into their home and treated us like family. We were their best friends for the day. They showed us around their town and around their farm.