Singapore New Year´s Greetings

Wishing you all a Happy New Year from Singapore!! We just arrived home from New Zealand. It is already 2008 by New Zealand time and we only have a few hours before the New Year will be upon us in Singapore-- though I doubt if any of us will be awake to ring in the New Year-- we started our day at 6:30 AM New Zealand time (that's five hours ahead of Singapore!)

By way of a trip update, we spent several fun filled but jam packed days in Rotorua, New Zealand, our last stop before returning home to Singapore.On the way to Rotorua, we stopped at Hobbiton-- the site of the Hobbit scenes from the Lord of the Rings movie. While we didn't tour the actual movie set (that would have required a whole half day we just didn't have), the town has reinvented itself with lots of Hobbit like buildings and memorabilia. At long last, we arrived in Rotorua-- a geothermic activity zone and the heartland of the Maori Culture.We toured the geothermic area in the city center which was filled with hot springs, bubbling mud pots and beautifully colored waters of blue and teal. Now Connor will be the first to tell you, the smell of the place was not quite so beautiful. Everything reaks of sulfur-- not sure how these folks live in it year round. While you do sort of get used to it after a while, it does take some getting used to first thing every morning.On Saturday, we got up bright and early so that we could head to Wai-O-Tapu-- billed as New Zealand's most colorful volcanic area. We got up early to see the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts each morning and reaches heights of 20 meters (@ 65 feet). Wai-O-Tapu's hot springs, volcanic craters and mineral terraces lived up to their billing as they were of the most amazing colors we have ever seen. Beautiful blue and teal waters hitting up against sulfur yellow and rust colored rocks. There was one pool that was the most incredible flourescent lime green we had ever seen. It didn't even seem like it could possibly be a natural color. On the drive out of the park, we stopped to see spectacular boiling pots of mud-- some as large 50 feet across. The mud boils so violently that it can spit and sling mud up to ten feet in the air and occassionally horizontally across as Sean and the kids learned. Thankfully, the mud cools considerably as it travels through the air though the kids did say it was still warm as it splattered on them! I wouldn't know about that as I stayed a more "comfortable" distance from the spitting pots!!We then headed to Mount Ngongotaha for an afternoon of extreme outdoor adventures. We began by taking a Gondola ride up the mountain with incredible views of the city, Lake Rotorua and the surrounding themal activity zones.Near the top of the mountain is Rotorua's famous luge where you can ride a three wheeled self controlled cart down winding, curving asphalt tracks. There are three track's-- a two kilometer scenic route, an intermediate track and an advanced track. The scenic route twisted and turned through the mountain's Redwood Forest and was the only one I ventured down.Sean and the three kids tried the intermediate track and the big kids ventured down the advanced track.In the end, they all came back to the scenic route as it was the longest track and gave you a bit more of a ride!!After many rides down the luge, it was off to Agra Adventures where Sean, Caitlin and Connor tried their hand at some "extreme activities." Shannon and I were content to be among the many spectators for the events.First up was a ride on the Agrajet-- a 450 horsepower, jet propelled race boat which reaches speeds of 100 Kilometers per hour (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds and then stays near that speed over a manmade race course requiring extreme. 90 degree turns around rock islands. The event ends with a 360 degree turn. Then it was onto some Extreme Freefall Body Flying-- think of this as free fall skydiving without having to jump out of the plane. You lay on a net above an airplane jet engine which propels you into the air. Sean and the kids had a blast though they were exhausted by the time they were done. After dinner, it was back to the hotel for some Halibut Head and then on to bed.Sunday was also an early start as we headed to Te Puia-- New Zealand's Maori Cultural Center. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand with a distinct language and culture. The Te Puia Center is built within the Wahakarewarewa Geothermic Valley which houses the Pohutu Geyser and hundreds of hot springs and boiling mud pots. The Pohutu Geyser is one of the largest and most forceful geysers in the area and we were lucky enough to see it blow during our visit.We also got to experience a Maori Cultural Performance. Each performance begins by selecting a "Chief" for the event. And our Chief was none other than our own Sean Murray. That meant, he was the center of the ceremonial activities and we got to sit front and center for the performance. We saw beautiful native dances and the famous Maori "Haka"-- a dance traditionally done by the Maori warriors before they headed off for battle. And for all you Rugby fans-- the haka has now been made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Team who begin each game by doing the "Haka.". Both Sean and Connor went up on stage to learn the Haka from the "Pros"-- we have great photos of the whole event!!After the event, we ate corn on the cob cooked in 90 degree Centigrade water in a nearby hot spring. We got to watch it cook and then feasted on the delicious corn. While at Te Puia, we were able to see wood carving and weaving demonstrations and were able to talk with some of the artists.Following Te Puia, it was back to the Luge for another afternoon of fun.Then it was on the Rainbow Springs Nature Park for a closer look at some of New Zealand's wildlife. The highlight was our first sighting of a Kiwi-- the flightless national bird of New Zealand which looks a bit like a porcupine on webbed feet.We skipped out for a Maori Dinner Show back at our hotel where we were able to eat Hangi-- food cooked in a hot spring just outside the window of the performance theater. Our tickets to Rainbow Springs Nature Park allowed for a 24 hour entry so we dashed backed for a colorful lighted walk through the park.Our walk culminated with a stop by the nighttime Kiwi exhibit. There we were able to see Kiwis in their natural habitat at night when they are most active.We sat in the large enclosure for nearly an hour before we heard the first rustlings of the Kiwis awaking from their slumber in search of dinner. They are odd looking creatures whose brown bodies are nearly hidden in the nighttime forest. They would be impossible to see were it not for their long yellow beaks which they use to sniff about. They are truly adorable little creatures though so helpless it is not hard to see why they are now an endangered species. To see them in their natural habitat was truly an incredible experience-- a great way to end our trip.This morning was an early start as we made the three hour trek back to Auckland to catch our ten hour flight to Singapore.We have four days to recoup before we begin the second half of our holiday adventure-- our African Safari in Kenya. This is our gift to Caitlin and Connor who are fast approaching "Big Birthdays"-- Connor turns 16 on January 4 and Caitlin turns 18 on January 8. We are looking forward to meeting up with Evan who will be joining us from Malawi.Here's hoping you all have a great New Year's celebration and that 2008 will be a terrific year for everyone.Love to all