Monday August 6 - lions and mountains

We did manage some really nice adventures today! Got up and made pancakes again (the Edmunds instant pancake batter in a jar is much better than the Bisquik back home!), and got out before 10am. Went straight to the Skyline.

So this is the deal: first we took a gondola up to the top of a mountain. At least that was enclosed, so I was ok. Got up to the top, walked around a bit, and went to the Luge.

Luge! Like little sleds on a hill. A big hill. Mountain, actually.

Yep, I went there.

Had to wear helmets (whew), and Sofia sat on my lap. David and the boys took off first - David said he kept going too fast, and had to slow down to let the boys catch up. Of course Sam crashed, but no injury.

Sofia and I were behind them. Way behind them. Like we stopped about 4 times, and got stuck, and I had to push with my legs on the ground to get going again. But it was fun, really. Too slow for Sofia - she kept asking to go faster.

The guys met us at the bottom (which seemed like a long way down), and then we rode up on the chairlift. Yes, a chairlift.

I hate chairlifts.

A lot.

Sofia loved it, and Micah kept looking behind (he and Sam were in the chair ahead of us) and making fun of us. I was terrified. Sofia sat on David’s lap and had a blast.

So when we got back to the top, I bought one more luge ride, and the boys and David and Sofia all went down again. This time they got to take the harder trails. Sofia kept urging David to go faster and faster, but he was already going pretty fast.

I, meanwhile, had coffee and a scone. Much more civilized!

When they got up, the kids had a snack, and then we took the gondola back down the mountain. Then we headed to Pleasant Valley, which is sort of an animal park.

Really nice place. We got to pet baby lion cubs (5 months old), and see grown-up lions being fed. Saw all sorts of local birds and animals, and drank out of a natural spring. Sofia drank a lot; we could barely pull her away. At the spring, we got into a col conversation with a local guy, about politics, and a herd of Japanese tourists took Sofia’s picture over and over again.

It was a lovely place, and actually worth the price (which seemed steep at first). We stayed until it started to rain (and I got another migraine). By then it was after 3:30.

Headed back into Rotorua City Center, and stopped at the grocery store and someplace for David to buy flip-flops (a necessity at a camp ground; he’s been walking barefoot, which is not fun). Saw a gorgeous rainbow, too.

Then back to the campground. Since it’s Monday, the place is really empty (no weekend campers). David and I spent a long time getting a grill to work, with the help of one of the hosts. But eventually it worked, and I grilled the rest of the kosher meat. Yummy dinner of lamb, hamburger, salami, rice, and honey carrots. And wine ;) We had a really fun time at dinner. Lots of joking and cuddling and tickling once the food was done.

David and I are too tired to take the boys swimming, and Sofia is already asleep (8:08pm). Sam is annoyed that he can’t go swimming, but Micah is fairly laid back about it.

Leaving Rotorua tomorrow, heading to Taupo and then Napier. Not sure what we’re doing on the way, but probably some caves and a little trek.