Taupo Lake, New Zealand - North Island - Beautiful Lake Resort Community

January 5, 2011, wednesday - Majestic Lake Taupo trip en-route to Rotorua...

Introducing the Majestic Lake Taupo, one of the many beautiful Resort town in the North island of  New Zealand, comparably breathtaking as Big Bear Lake in California.

The lake is vibrant with water activities, sailing, water skiing, swimming, picnicking - you name it, this place is a mecca for a daytripper...

BEWARE: There is a licquor Ban and the fine is hefty... $20,000.00NZD, this is just one of the many signs posted prohibiting consumption of licquor in this lake community..

Snow capped mountain is breathtaking even in the summer months, due to the high elevation, there is always snow in the mountains year round...

Meet my Ex-Brother-in-law, Norm Daken (he is kin'na camera shy) he is in charge of highway traffic, they have several vans in their pretty laid back highways, since theres not much traffic, motorists tend to speed, that is when you watch out for 'Betty Van', manned with high tech surveilance cameras taking pictures of speeding cars, relays the pictures to their database and a ticket is born, NICE!

Scenic mountain pass going towards Lake Taupo...

Since it was a 2 hour drive from Hastings to Taupo Lake, we got cravings for the New Zealand Pot Pies, this stop used to be their bathing resort in the 1800, a hotel back then, visitors would come to this resort and swim in the river and the natural thermal baths just a few yards from where this picture was taken.. that's Sandy saying 'I'm hungry, lets eat'..

No, my sister is not mad, she is busy chewing on the Beef Pot Pie, freshly baked for weary travelers like us.. but let me warn you, the prices are high, thats a $10NZD pot pie she's eating - around $8US.

Now a picnic area, this is where the once visited Hotel stood until it burned down to the ground in the 1800's.

Right at the end of that ledge, lies a very cool and beautiful river, we couldn't take pictures due to the heavy vegetation in the area, but trust me, there's a river below there...

Well, time to hit the road again, its another hour before we see the lake..

Thank heavens for american franchise, yep, thats a Subway in the middle of this busy resort town, oh, they have the big 'M' even equipped with an airplane..

Right across, just a walking distance is where the beaches are found, since it was prohibited to park and swim in this busy shopping area, the beaches are only for viewing...

Yup! thats a plane alright, no it didn't crash there, its their McDonalds...

And this is their McDonald Menu board, notice the prices?, yep yep, they're really pricey, a mac & cheese is $12NZD, thats about $10USD..

And that was Lake Taupo, clean, bright, warm and inviting and bustling with people from all over...

Te Papa Museum, Wellington, New Zealand - Home of the 20 foot Squid

January 3, 2011, Te PaPa Musem in Wellington, New Zealand..

 New Zealand's Te Papa Museum, home of the largest Squid ever discovered and captured... this was the entrance to the museum. General admission is Free, special showings of the European Masters cost $40 per person to enter, we went cheap - you guessed it FREE is best.

Sandy and my sister, Nilda Daken, infornt of the Maori Totem Pole...

 We decided to explore the sea exhibits since this is perhaps the most visited part of the museum, the marine life in New Zealand..

 Some of the rarest species of fish is found at the oceans of New Zealand... everything the ocean floor grows seems enormous...

 Altho I was disappointed in being able to see a KIWI bird in its natural habitat, I settled for these specimens...

This is a 20 foot Giant Squid caught in 2004 and preserved under a flexiglass, this animal was large enough to even capture a great white shark...

 Te Papa's collection Maori Sculptures and arts... all hand carved and hand laden.

Weta Cave in Wellington New Zealand - seat of imagination and technology special effects

January 3, 2011 - Weta Caves - wizardry of special effects in movies... Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Narnia, District 9, just to name a few big blockbuster movies...

 Weta Caves, the worlds renown special effects company has a visitor's center in Wellington, it is a small shop with a screening room chronicling the creators and artist who work the magic of special effects, costumes, props, sets, sceneries, etc. 

 The entrance is FREE, you are greeted at the door by perhaps Weta's most famous resident, Gollum of Lord of the Rings, you can actually touch and feel the material and fabrics used to create this haracter out of the book...

Gollum telling me to go away, 'Precious'...

 Sandy can almost taste that sashimi on Gollum's hand...'PPPreeciouss'

My sister posing with Gollum, she didn't even see the movie....

 Hub-nubbing with Hollywood's most mis-understood villain, Gollum...

This was Sarum's armor and Headdress, this is almost 12 feet tall, the actor who actually wore it was this tall... 

 Sandy and my sister posing with Saruman's Ohlog-hai Troll, known to be 12 feet in height, cross between orcs and trolls, they are the fiercest warriors of the middle earth... 

 I'm just up to his waist, thats how tall this Ohlog-hai troll was, actual suit worn by actors of the original Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

 Who can resist posing with Gandalf's Grey cloak? Not me, yep yep yep... I was there... 

 Actual props and swords used for the movies...

 The hand was created to be chopped off in one of the many scenes in LOTR movie...

 Here is an Orcs, said to be able to climb walls with bare hands, eats flesh and formidable warriors and archers...

 This were the alien weapons in the newly released 2009 Movie, District 9...

 Weta not only caters to mature audiences, they have created Australia & New Zealand's beloved children character (guess she is like a Pippi Longstocking character in their animated movies.)

As we say goodbye to the magic of Special Effects and Weta Cave's wondrous collections..

Wellington, New Zealand - Our City Tour of Downtown City Centre

January 3, 2011 - Wellington, the windy city, seat of government and the arts, plenty of things to do and visit...

Exploring Wellington city was somewhat subdued, the traffic was very light due to being their New Year holiday, most of the main malls and shops were closed, mostly restaurants and eateries like the 'FinC Bistro' were open for us visitors...

 My sister ordering gourmet lunch at 'FinC Bistro' in downtown Wellington, I had the best tasting Bruscheta ever... yummy... of course, we had to have Fish & chips, freshest fish ever, still no malt vinegar or tartar sauce but crispy and delicious..

 Ordering gourmet lunch for this upscale Bistro in Wellington was a delight, altho expensive...

 Sandy by the Crosswalk Bridge of the City Hall and the Harbor beachside...

 My sister and I infront of the Circa Theater...

 Wellington's indoor Mall is both diverse and on the pricy side...

The Street Maps of Wellington, all attractions are all within walking distance from the main city streets...