11 Nov 2024
The owner / tour guide / driver was excellent in explaining many local cultural developments and business contributions for this area including primary labor occupations and import/export products. Paul took us to a local Tauranga microbrewery for a beer, gin or cider sampling with 5 selections on a paddle, picked from 35 or more locally made drinks. While sampling our drinks, Paul gave a summary of beer making using stainless steel tanks and described the ingredients in detail. Next, we took a ~ 1 hour drive to Rotorua, where we rode a gondola (cable car) up the side of a mountain to the wine tasting location on the summit. The owner of Volcanic Hills Winery Tasting Room (at the top of the Skyline Gondola) was Brent, and he did a great job describing the primary wines grown in New Zealand and we had 5 samples for tasting along with a platter of lunchmeat, Gorgonzola cheese, red pepper chutney, and rye and white bread. After that we were driving back to the port as Paul stopped on the side of the road and showed us a kiwi farm (behind tall hedges for wind protection) and told us about the differences between green and gold versions of the kiwi fruit (or Chinese Gooseberry). Lastly, we stopped at a local marina and bar about 3 miles from the port where our ship was docked and we proceeded to have cocktails and a dessert. Back to the ship and now it’s time for dinner. Oh the life onboard a cruise ship…