Waterfalls and Rugby Balls

My first day of work is Monday, so I had two options on how to spend my Friday.   A--- practice on the computer with the clinic's electronic medical record, or B--- have fun!!!  Since I'm not getting paid yet for anything work-related I'm doing, guess what I picked?

It's been crappy weather ever since I arrived, but Friday AM showed some peeks of sun, so I thought it'd be a perfect day to check out some waterfalls!  Mount Egmont was the perfect place.

Named by Captain Cook in 1770, Mount Egmont is a beautiful symmetrical dormant volcano located just a 45 minute drive from Hawera.   Yes, I said volcano, but no worries, its last activity wasn't since the 1860's.   Due to it's similarity in looks to Mount Fuji, it was actually used in the filming of "The Last Samurai".  And you thought New Zealand was only known for Lord of The Rings!  :)

This mountain has some crazy summit trails that take days to complete, but I kept it simple.

One trail led to some pools formed by the scouring action of water along the lava rock.

The water was definitely moving at a decent pace due to all the recent precipitation.

This was a part of the path I had to cross.   Reminded me of Oregon Trail and deciding whether I wanted to float my wagon or ford the water ....

The paths led to some smaller waterfalls:

But a little longer on the trail led to the big kahuna, aka Dawson Falls:

Quite a scenic spot to enjoy my lunch!!!    Interestingly, the park ranger said that just last week, the falls "switched strength", so the one on the right in the picture was larger.   Neat huh?

A view from a lookout hiking away from Dawson Falls:

The day was still young after my two hikes, so I changed out of my soggy muddy clothes and headed for the drive north to New Plymouth, the nearest big "city" to Hawera, with a population around 55,000.  

I'm getting used to driving on the left.   To "give way"  (aka yield) to the person on the right is still tricky.  And so is this:

Anyways, New Plymouth is a great city with a FABULOUS public park called Pukekura Park.  I spent several hours here taking in the sights, including some pretty lakes and lush vegetation:

Asian inspired bridges:

There was also a Fern Garden and Flower Display house that knocked my socks off.   Tons of flowers, all beautiful arranged!

Orchids....

begonias, succulents, and more!

And my favorite, anthuriums!   In every color!   The coolest ones had these curly stamens:

Took a short walk along the shore of the Tasman Sea (gosh I love water):

After a quick takeaway (that's what NZ folks call take-out) Indian dinner (yes, Indian food is prevalent and quite tasty here),  I headed to the *real* reason I came to New Plymouth---- RUGBY!

The Tenderlink Taranaki (my local team, as I'm living in the Taranaki region of the North Island), took on the Tasman Makos.

It was chilly (for Arizona standards!   50ish) and drizzly, reminded me of football weather!  Luckily my seat was under cover!  And right at the halfway line!  Great seat.

The Tenderlink Taranaki  (looking like bumblebees :) )  :

For those of you who may not be rugby experts, below is what's called a 'scrum', which is where 8 players from each team grasp each other with the purpose of restarting play quickly, safely and fairly after a minor stoppage of game.    Looks like a big rotating hug to me :)

Because of the cool weather, and the fact it was 100% humidity that night, it was neat to see clouds of steam on the field.  Once a player would run, he'd leave behind a cloud of steam, due to his hot body!  (Hubba hubba!)

And the best part, the Taranaki won!  Hooray!

I'm proud of myself for making the 1.5 drive back to Hawera all by myself--- in the dark!  I think I may invest in a Garmin to help me navigate.  And I can have it tell me directions in that sexy Aussie/Kiwi accent--- how appropriate!

All in all, a great day.  Much better than Electronic Medical Records :)