Day 2

We got up early only to discover that Kiwis do not eat breakfast before 7 AM. We ended up in a bar in the casino that would serve us coffee, which was excellent. Neil and Jane split a chicken burger with a fried egg and bacon on the side, while Randy had a piece of apple pie. I held off until after the coffee to nibble on trail mix while waiting for our tour bus.

Haha,  Elizabeth is  so healthy. Unlike the people in the casino, there are a lot of folks who are  depressed gambling  drones.  6 am and the casino clientele are all age, culture, gender and race. But  all seem to have something in common, They're all mesmerized by flashing lights and bells of the slot machines  and black jack tables... seems so sad... All hoping for a big win to  relieve their depression. Wish they can go out and enjoy the kiwi sunshine☀️.

At 7:30 AM we boarded a tour bus headed for Waitomo. A three hour drive got us to Waitomo and the famous glow worm caves. The cave tour was awesome. The best part was taking a boat, and floating in silence and darkness down an underground river, while looking up at glow worms nestled amongst the stalagtites. Best part of our trip so far!

After the cave tour, we ate lunch back on the bus while driving to Rotorua. We checking into our hotel in Rotorua and someone had the bright idea of walking to Rororua Lake. "It doesn't look like it is very far." We saw the lake and walked back, earning a few blisters and working up a sweat along the way. A well deserved dip in the pool cooled us off before dinner.