Rotorua Day Trip

One of the best things about living where we do is that you are so much closer to other great places in New Zealand so day trips are really achievable without too much driving. Yesterday the weather was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, so we took off early to explore Rotorua. While Miss 17 had been there a few weeks ago on a school geography trip, the rest of us hadn't been there for years and years. We crammed as much as we could into our day.

First stop was to Noel Lemming's to buy a new breadmaker as mine had packed a sad the day before but that's a whole other story for another day.

Rotorua Museum was our first tourist destination. This beautiful old building opened in 1908 as a Bath House. It was designed in the style of European spas and was the government's first major investment in tourism. It offered therapeutic treatments of arthritis, rheumatism and 'cases of nervous debility'. There was a list of the different treatments and their prices on the wall. Two of the more obscure and considered dangerous today would have been the x-ray treatment or you could have an electric current running through the bath water if you wished. Some of the original baths still exist in place but most of them have been removed due to to deterioration. In the basement you could see the piping that was used to carry the water through the building. This piping needed to be accessed easily because of the corrosive nature of the water and replacement of the pipes was continual. We also watched and experienced the story of the Pink and White Terraces of Rotomahana and the surrounding area. There were other exhibitions on display too, all very interesting.

On route to the lake front for lunch we found a yarn bombed tree. 

While we ate lunch overlooking the lake, the boys spotted the paddle boats. We then enjoyed 20 minutes of leg exercise while we cruised, raced and trying to corner swans - husband! The biggest child of them all sometimes.

We went to the Skyline Gondola and Luge next. I didn't go on the luge as I preferred to take photos.

The view from up there was spectacular.

The Agrodome Farm Show and Farm Tour was next. We were introduced to the different types of sheep that roam the farms here in New Zealand. Farmed for their fleece and meat.

We saw a sheep being shorn which doesn't look at all comfortable for the sheep,

 lambs being fed,

the heading dog rounding up three ducks

and the hunter-ways. 

We hopped on board a tractor and trailer for a tour around the farm stopping at the sheep and lambs for a dose of cuteness. I would have loved to bring one home but it wouldn't fit in my bag.

The alpacas were friendly especially if you had food pellets in your hand.

Maybe a little too friendly at times.

We finished off the day with a round of mini-golf, dinner and then the drive home. 

A fantastic fun-filled spring day being tourists in our own country. Will we go back to Rotorua one day? Absolutely, definitely! 

Made My Own

Very popular these days is art done on canvases or wooden planks, that have an old rustic look to them, that have little sayings on them like 'if you're looking for a sign this is it' or the house rules or place names. While at first I thought they were rather nice and 'oh how I would like one but which one to choose', now I'm seeing them everywhere and they have become quite common and not so enjoyable to me as everyone has one. So I made my own.

I purchased a black canvas (which was on special, even better) wrote out on a piece of paper what I was planning to put on it and got busy. I decided to put the names of places we have visited in New Zealand. By using places we have been it would mean so much more to us.

I pulled out the Cuttlebug machine, bright coloured paper and the alphabet dies and started cutting.

As I cut letters and formed words I placed them on the canvas. Pirongia was first on and in the middle. This is where we live and it needed to be big and bold.

                                   

While I was still cutting out the words and placing them on the canvas, Master 12 came by flapping something, got a little too close and look what happened.

                                   

At first I yelled (very briefly) then I saw the funny side of it and just laughed. Trust him to do something like that! Luckily I had taken a photo so I could put it all back to how I had it. Amazingly I didn't loose any of the dots of the i's either.

When I was happy with the layout (again!) I got the Xyron sticker maker and started to feed the letters through it one place at a time and then stick them on the board. If you are into crafting one of these Xyron machines are so, so useful. This is the smallest but so easy to use, easily moved around, stored and refills of the sticky rolls come in either repositionable or permanent. Not only can you put paper or card through them but also ribbon, lace and probably much more that I haven't even thought about.

Once it was all stuck down I got the Mod Podge out to seal it and give it a finished look. This was the scary part. The Mod Podge is white and even though you know it will dry clear it's still scary to smear it all over your hard work. There is always 'what if' sitting in the back of your mind.

                                      

Of course it dried clear! How silly of me to worry. So after about three coats I deemed it done and onto the the wall it went. It is in our dining area where we all spend quite a bit of time and not just for eating.