The media is completely taken over here by the commemoration of the Gallipoli ANZAC commemorations, a bit like the media at home being full of the forthcoming election. Last year we attended a very evocative dawn service at the cenotaph by the sea at Mt Maunganui - hearing a loan piper as the sun came up is a memory I won't forget.
This year the commemoration we attended was the special Haka, remembrance prayers and 2 minutes silence before the Chiefs and Crusaders match in Hamilton - very different but both moving.
The Chiefs went on to win!
We then went over to climb the lone volcano - Mt Taranaki, near New Plymouth, but again we were beaten by the stormy Autumn weather!! - this time torrential rain! This is a view from the visitor centre window with a diagram below
showing what we should be seeing!!
We will just have to try again another long weekend - it is a 5 hour drive but New Plymouth is lovely and the whole area has lots of great walks. We did manage the White Cliff walk (supposed to look like Dorset!!) and saw the volcano with snow on top from a distance but it was covered in cloud after that!
The wet did show up some interesting animal and bird footprints - is this a Kiwi???
We did manage a blustery walk along the coast to the beautiful Rewa Rewa bridge.
Then on the way home through the pouring rain we stopped at New Zealand's 'shearing capital' Te Kuiti, where they celebrate all things shearing!
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