Whatipu, Fo Guang Shan Temple and Mt. Wellington

A new destination for us was the southern edge of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park.  More hiking, more views of the Tasman Sea and more oohs and aahs.

 We had our picnic here near Whatipu Beach at the beginning of our hike up the hill to two lookouts

 On the trail...

View of waves over reefs 

 Aahhhh....

 View from lookout #1

Higher still-view from lookout #2

 This picture and the one above are almost identical taken
a minute apart--notice the change of color

 Thumbs up! Kiwis sure know where to put a bench

Cornwallis Wharf

Empty sea urchin shells

And now for something a little different:

Goldie and Daniel took us to the Fo Guang Shan Temple which is a large temple and community center of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist movement in Auckland. The temple and complex, opened in 2007, were built over seven years and cost over NZ$ 20 million.   It is the largest Buddhist temple in the country and designed in the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty.  The temple also includes a large Buddha statue and a two-ton bell.

Huge courtyard of the temple

Shrine and donation box

Bas-relief

Prayer session

Statue in the courtyard

There were about 50 different sayings like the one below posted on walls surrounding the courtyard.

This buddha was relaxing on a ball (in the giftshop)
Ahhhhh......

We continued our day to Howick Beach and walked along the boardwalk.  We don't have a picture of the beach, but this is us along the boardwalk with pretty flowers in the background (the flowers were brighter in real life!)

Our last stop of the day was to Mt. Wellington which is a 135-metre volcanic peak.  It is the youngest onshore volcano of the Auckland volcanic field and was  formed by an eruption around 10,000 years ago. It is the largest of Auckland's scoria cones.  What are scoria cones, you ask?  They are also known as cinder cones and are the most common type of volcano. They are the smallest type, with heights generally less than 300 meters. 

View from the top of the mount, looking into the huge crater

Goldie, Daniel and Miles at the top

Us near the crater

Our time in New Zealand is over in a couple of days.  We will spend two days in Hong Kong on the way back to Israel, arriving Feb. 28.  More adventures ahead!