December 28, 2024

Origami Christmas Tree Class #2

This class was so fun and missed by quite a few enthusiastic friends, that they asked me to teach again. So, I solicited a few key helpers, and we did round two! We had a couple who were paper folding challenged. They didn't like it when I crumbled their first efforts up and gave them a new sheet of paper to start over, but we worked through it!!! Lots of Laughs!!!



Class participants left to right, bottom row: Clare, Kelly, Delia and Tom.

Back Row: Cindy, Angel, Me, Jimbo, Wendy, Lauren, Terry, Christy and Gary. 


Note: I asked the group if I could hold onto some of their trees until later that night, to use in my room as decorations for the Christmas Cabin Crawl, and they said I was just using them for cheap labor, and they were going to unionize! 

ROTORUA CITY HIGHLIGHTS - NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 3, 2026
Rotorua became a bonus city for us. Our Port stay in Tauranga got cut down to one day, due to NZ biosecurity regulations and since we really wanted to do Hobbiton, we decided to get off the ship and stay in hotels and get back on the ship, in a few days. Due to a variety of factors, the Ship ended up doing a quick pick up of us in Tauranga, three days later. The Kiwi's we encountered along the way, who helped with all our last minute details, were amazingly kind, hospitable and generous. Below is our tired, chilly group huddled at the security shed, outside the Port in the wee hours (1:30 am) Monday morning, awaiting our final hurdle of getting back on our Home. Home sweet home! What an adventure!

ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 3, 2026
Rotorua, New Zealand is known for it's geothermal activity ( geysers, mud pools, hot springs) and rich Maori culture . I saw lots of that last time I was here in 2016, so this time I wanted to see their Redwoods in Whakarewarewa Forest. John and Colleen joined me in exploring. Their redwoods are smaller than the ones in Muir Woods California, but still impressive. Both are planted forest dating back to around 1908.

ALONG THE ROAD - TAURANGA TO ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 2, 2026
Love the unexpected, along the road, sights we get to see and discover. Along the way from Hobbiton to Rotorua we came across these three unique large buildings. I believe the town was Tirau and lots of cars and buses were stopping to observe the buildings, use the public restrooms, (which are housed in one of them) and grab some snacks, gas and / or souvenirs.