My Maori tour (www.maoritours.co.nz) was cancelled due to the weather but I met with proprietors Maurice and Heather for coffee and they took me out to a Maori pa site which is a fortress and told me about the history of Maurice's tribe (named after Maurice Chevalier!) and
the customs of the Maori family which totally reminded me of my Italian culture. It is really unbelievable how similiar we all are.
I drove to my tree house at Hapuku Lodge (www.hapukulodge.com) and was blown away by the setting amidst snow covered mountains ( it is winter here) lush bush vegetation, an olive grove and the turquoise ocean. This place is truly paradise! My room is an open plan layout with king size bed, jacuzzi tub and sitting room with fireplace. Last night I awoke in the middle of the night and went out on my deck overlooking the Pacific and was astounded by the amount of stars in the Southern Hemisphere.