The Okere Falls

This morning we left Rotorua to drive back to Auckland. We took a different route, this time along the East coast, hoping for views of the Bay of Plenty. It was drizzling when we set out about 8am but soon  the rain stopped so we took  a break just north of Rotorua for a short walk at the Okere Falls. This was the site of an early hydro electric  station, started in the late 1800s, when a reliable power supply was needed in the burgeoning tourist centre of Rotorua. It came into operation in1901 just in time for a visit by the then Duke and  Duchess of York. The local Maori meeting place, Tamatepaua, was the first in the country to be electrically lit. We were very impressed by the Falls and the surrounding native vegetation including wonderful tree ferns. We also glimpsed our first Tui birds.
The drive was interesting but took longer than we anticipated with road works, and traffic congestion as we approached Auckland.  We were due to return the car by 1pm. The rental company very kindly didn't charge us extra for returning 90 minutes late.  ( I had phoned to say we were sorry we were running late.)
Once back in the Sudima hotel, we looked for a new place to eat. We found Cooks, and enjoyed a good meal accompanied by a talented guitar player and singer called Joas da Silva from Brazil. 
Then early to bed for a long day tomorrow. 

Still catching up due to busy days and lack of WiFi!