Monday, November 25, 2019

New Zealand - Bread and Torah at the Volcano



Our last three days in Wellington
Our third and final weekend in New Zealand included a spectacular hike and engaging with even more wonderful people. The progressive synagogues in Auckland (Congregation Beth Shalom) and Wellington (Temple Sinai) brought Jews together from all over the country to Tongariro National Park, which has dual designation as a UN World Heritage Natural Site, for its outstanding volcanic features, and a World Cultural Site, for its Maori cultural and spiritual associations.


On Friday afternoon, February 24, we offered challah baking and calligraphy workshops, at a lodge in the National Park, then led a Shabbat evening service.


On Saturday everyone arose at 4:30 am for a shuttle ride to the trail head of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, described in some guide books as one of the best single-day hikes in the world. We started out around 5:30, and after an hour paused for a sunrise Shabbat morning service on the trail.

The 19.4 kilometer (12 mile) steep hike skirts craters and volcanic lakes, passing through a variety of stark and spectacular landscapes, finishing in a temperate forest. It took us about 9 or 10 hours to complete the hike.



The final three days of our New Zealand adventure began Sunday with a beautiful drive from Tongariro to Auckland stopping along the way for another short hike at Rotopounamu Lake, and a soak in some thermal pools. Our route took us around New Zealand's biggest lake, Lake Taupo, and we arrived in Auckland in the early evening.

Sunday night we stayed in a beautiful apartment in the heart of Auckland, and Monday we spent touring parts of Auckland by foot and by car. We visited Congregation Beth Shalom and Linda advised their educator about some much-needed Torah repairs. We drove up One Tree Hill