LeAnne walking to the plane

Day 4 (12/25): Christmas day started off with a nice little hike. We took an hour and a half or so to do a roundtrip to a lookout spot above our hotel. Then we hopped on a couple of small planes for a scenic flight around the Bay of Islands and down to the Coromandel Peninsula. Along the way I spotted Harura Falls where we had ridden by the day before and we spotted dolphins and whales in the waters below. At the end of the plane trip, Ken was waiting for us with a picnic lunch. The Backroads leaders surprised us with a lovely Christmas gift, a carved bone necklace of a traditional Maori symbol (Bill got a Hei-Matau, and I got a Koru). Next up was a bush walk, led by our local guide, Damian Johansen. We crossed a river, learned about native plants, some were edible and some were medicinal, and even one that can be used for soap! The destination of the walk was a pool boasting two eels that Damian fed. We returned from our adventure to check into the Puka Park Lodge where we have a beautiful secluded chalet. We ate a lovely Christmas dinner and celebrated with cracker presents, a British tradition.

LeAnne walking to the plane	LeAnne walking on Pauanui Beach
LeAnne crossing a stream	"Feeding pork to a non-kosher animal"