Sunday: Flat Tire! Hamilton Gardens, Organic Dairy Farmer, Arrival in Rotorua

We're leaving the Mercure Windsor Hotel in Auckland bright and early,

making our way towards Hamilton Gardens when BANG! the 22-seater bus blows a tire! Just like magic, another couple, Kiwi tour operators, happen to be passing by, and ask if they could help our guide Sue. They had just finished dropping some passengers off for a cruise and offered to give our group of 14 a ride to Hamilton Gardens (30 minutes away) in their van while our driver Sharon stays to get the tire fixed. Just another instance of Kiwi helping Kiwi in this friendly country.

Hamilton Gardens has a number of special gardens -- Japanese, Chinese, Italian Renaissance, English Garden, Maori and Modern American. To be honest, the American garden was the most disappointing - big marshmallow-like sculptures in a reflecting pool, Andirondack lounge chairs, and a Warhol-like graphic of Marilyn Monroe. Seriously? I was so annoyed, I didn't even take a photo of the American garden.

Sharon picks us up and we drive to Dorothy and Ray Higgin's organic dairy farm for a wonderful organic meal and a tour of their dairy operation. They are the nicest people and the food is delicious. We were encouraged to bring a small gift, so I brought a bottle of California Kenwood Zinfandel -- though they have fine wines in NZ, they don't have Zinfandel.

We see a fantastic rainbow in the rainy sky - over sheep and cows in the green hills. Too beautiful for words.

We next stop and drop off 4 in the group who will hike 5 km with Sue through the farmland, pasture and creekside. Dark clouds are gathering (and I need to make a call to my bank) so i go with the others who are driven to the end point to wait for the happy hikers. Some of us actually hike in from our end and back out after half an hour.

Arriving in Rotorua around six, we all share some wine and a wonderful dinner. I order a wonderful baked fish over potato.