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Arriving early morning in Auckland we travelled by coach to Rotorua and the Thermal Valley. En route, our driver and guide gave us a very interesting and informative history of New Zealand, it's people and it's culture. Our first stop was at the Agrodome where we had a display of the different breeds of sheep, including the majestic Merino sheep. We also saw sheep shearing and the milking of cows by hand. Then on to a buffet lunch at the local Holiday Inn, followed by a Maori concert performance, which traditionally included the HAKA and the Maori Love Song. After lunch we visited the Te Puia Thermal Reserve. We were met by a Maori guide for our tour through the thermal area of bubbling mud pools , springs and geysers. A further performance of a Maori welcome, a visit to the Maori carvers and weavers and of course the inevitable gift shop. Our route back to the ship, which now has become very much our home, was via Matamata and the Hauraki Plain.
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