This week we attended Fieldays in Ōhaupō at Mystery Creek, the "Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event and the ultimate launch platform for cutting edge technology and innovation." The event lasts over four days and is attended by over 100,000 people. We did not bring our gumboots, but Jackie wanted to return to the temple to do ordinance work for her late husband, and she wanted to attend Fieldays first.
So we got up early and drove to Tikitere, and then Jackie drove us the rest of the way. We spent over three hours there, and more and more people came the longer we stayed. Above is a walkway over a man-made lagoon in the Heritage Village, which had empty benches where we could sit.
We are still looking for members on the ward list, and one of the addresses was in Ohinemutu. The address in question was the little dark red house between the sulphur springs on the right and the wharenui-shaped house on the left. You can see the Rotorua Hospital on the hill behind.
We didn't find anyone living in the house, it was condemned, locked and boarded up, so we crossed that address off our list.
But it was a nice evening to look in the direction of Lake Rotorua.
We had another fun evening with ward members and missionaries and dinner
Here Sister Manning is pointing at something funny, while Elder Coombs on the left has an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.
Saturday morning we made the drive to Tikitere, to Jackie's house. I've seen these ceramic tiles around town and wish I could take some home with me.
A full rainbow on the way to Hamilton. It rained over two inches yesterday.
The car parks were filling up fast, and fortunately the ground wasn't too muddy to walk on.
This sand box filled up as the day wore on, with little diggers
Lots of gigantic logging equipment
...and dairy equipment, which didn't tempt me in the least
This looks like a comminuter to me, which if you ask me about it, I can tell you the story of a Progressive Cavity Effluent Pump someone bought and brought to the dairy barn in Ontario, Oregon, and then finally sold at a great discount to someone else even though it hadn't been used
Giant tractors at the tractor pull. The ground was so wet, however, that the tractor in front made a terrific wallowing mud hole and had to detach the tractor in back so that both of them could get out
I'm not sure what this is, but it was large, heavy and impressive. Maybe hay making equipment?
The Nepalese weavers' and knit hat tent. These guys get around.
Also Traegers for sale, and why not? The Kiwis do like their barbecues
There were large commercial exhibits. This one had household items, while the other was full of liquor and its accoutrements. I ended up buying some heavily discounted possum-merino gloves and hats at the Lothlorian tent, and a little salt cellar that looks like a sea urchin in the liquor tent.
The helicopter pad, where you could rent a ride for $95, which we didn't.
We were getting pretty tired by now, and the crowds were getting bigger. I got some pork and vegetable Chinese dumplings in the food court, and we ate them sitting at a table with an old farmer and his wife who have been coming here every year.
The Heritage Village looked pretty deserted, so we headed that way. There is a gas station, a hospital, a jail, a shed, and a church along the Heritage Lane, vintage buildings brought from elsewhere in New Zealand.
The vintage gas station
Elder Rooks was trying to tidy up the stocks, which were not staying together properly. There is always something needing fixing.
I don't think this lagoon is Mystery Creek. In fact, no one could tell me where Mystery Creek was. It is a mystery. The stories have to do with a mysterious gully off of the Waikato River not far from here. According to whoever is telling the story, the mystery is who was the rotting corpse in the gully, or where is the bridge going over it, or where did someone's lost cow go.
We were just glad to find a bench to sit on.
The last thing we saw was the National Dairy Museum, which had lots of old rusted things in glass cases that Elder Rooks especially enjoyed looking at, since they resembled old stuff from his boyhood.
Unfortunately my camera card was full at this point, so the pictures I took, including several of Jackie, are absent.
We had a lovely time at the temple, as usual. We were glad we hadn't come yesterday when it was sheets of rain all day.
We saw the delightful Sister Tekaiti at our stake conference. She is still serving in Tokoroa.
Monday morning we ran into Sister Call and Sister Manning at Pak'nSave buying their favorite food, Whittaker's Chocolate.
They think they would do well promoting Whittaker's Chocolate. I think so, too. We followed their example and bought more.
Across the Street from Pak'nSave. This may say McDonald's on it, but it is really Macca's.
No pukeko pictures today. Poor Ms. Lonelyhearts was limping around on a hurt chicken leg and I didn't want to embarrass her. I saw her this morning and she seems to be doing better.
