Bernard Dassler, one the believers in Tauranga, is our gracious host here in New Zealand. We are staying in his guest room, most of our time here in New Zealand.

On Friday, October 20, Bernard drove us across the North Island of New Zealand, journeying south and west with the goal of reaching Manaia before sundown. It was a driving trip which took us about 7 hours. But that was somewhat because Bernard graciously stopped at some lovely spots along the trip.

Fin, a lady who lives in a nearby town, joined us for this journey. And she had packed us a picnic lunch, which we enjoyed while parked in a good vista point with a view of surrounding snow-capped mountain peaks.

New Zealand is certainly beautiful! We passed rich grassy paddocks dotted with white sheep, mountainous regions which reminded us of our Oregon home, Taupa lake (created when a volcano erupted, leaving a crater which filled with water), Huka Falls, and more. It was amazing to see so many biomes packed into a 7-hour journey.