Pictures Again!!

OK people so this is how its going to work from now on (after today)... I'm going to try to update the blog everyday with at least some story or text about how we're getting along and what stumbles the Beast has along the way (it is a 19 year old van after all), and every 3-4 days put up a bunch of pictures. The latest issue was after the Beast almost sunk, some cables must have been jostled loose because it wouldn't start until I got underneath with a stick and kinda hit the cables a little to get a better connection (I'll get Ayu to take a picture of me doing this next time it happens). Hahaha... oh the joys of owning a piece of automotive history...

Anyways, because we've been PRETTY busy, I have a lot more pictures.... so without further adeu:
A picture of... a cow... and a stream... what you don't see is all the poop that just came out of her into the water in which she was also drinking. Cows are dirty, dirty animals.
Next, and only slightly more appetizing is Roe. For those who don't know what Roe is (I didn't, and that's why I bought it), its fish eggs and not very good ones either. But I tried it. It was OK.
Here's Ayu at the Hot Water Beach. Water warmed by geothermal activity rises and heats a small area of the beach - and you can feel it at low tide. However there's very little water that comes out. We found that if you stick your feet in the sand you can feel the heat though. Notice that Ayu is still uncertain of how to dress for the weather.
Yay we made it to Rotorua! And here we are on the gondola leading up to the luge ride that I did when I came here back in 2001.
A picture from the gondola of Lake Rotorua. Pretty.
I didn't take any pictures on our first ride, so the pictures begin after Ayu had trouble getting on the lift.
The second ride I decided to take it easy and take some pictures
It was very difficult holding on with one hand and taking a picture with the other
Meanwhile I found Ayu raced ahead!

So I had to put the pedal to the metal to catch up! Notice how I don't exactly fit in this thing (I'm starting to think maybe it was made for children).
And while boarding the gondola back down Ayu warned me that if I didn't stop fooling around with my pictures and get on, the doors were going to close, and I was going to have to take the next car.
That night we fired up the burners and Ayu made some DELICIOUS Tom Yam Soup.
Which I quickly sucked down and tried to stick my head in the pot in order to lick the last bit out.
Today we saw the Huka Falls in Taupo! I also came here with People to People in 2001, and we did jet-boating then. But since it was lame, we decided to forego and just hike around a bit.

Ayu was shouting out to the falls to be quiet. Actually just watching in wonderment.
And here's another picture. Quite nice and turquoise-blue water because of all the bubbles inside.