Happy Thanksgiving!

Since I am 21 hours ahead of Los Angeles time, it is already Thanksgiving here – at least for me – the Kiwis don’t seem to much care!  Although, interestingly, I keep seeing signs for “Black Friday” sales at the stores so at least that part of the tradition has made it down under.

Today I left Rotorua and headed to Taupo, a town sitting next to Lake Taupo which is a huge lake. I think it’s the largest lake in New Zealand.  Just before I got to Taupo, I stopped at Huka Falls. It’s quite impressive as the water comes gushing through a very narrow canyon.  Good for a few photos!  

I stopped in Taupo and walked around a bit and then had breakfast at a place right across the street from the lake. It was a great place to watch people and all of the activities going on, I.e. parasailing, float planes, bicyclers, backpackers, etc. It’s obviously a big vacation destination.

Then it was on the highway to Napier on the East Coast of the North Island. I stopped along the way to rest and take some pictures of a pretty waterfall.  And then on to Napier.

Napier is known for its Art Deco architecture!  I walked around some and it was interesting but not really my thing. I grabbed a coffee at Starbucks ( yes, they are here too!) and am now just relaxing before dinner.

I decided to splurge since it’s Thanksgiving so I made reservations at a place called the Emporium Eatery and Bar which is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Napier. I figured, why not, it’s Thanksgiving.   Happy Thanksgiving to all!