New Zealand; Day 9

Today was science education day: we learned lots about geology, particularly vulcanology, and Eleanor learned about the geometry of trying to get a picnic table and two chairs into a cubby house.

We started at the Volcanic Activity Centre, which had some really great displays on, well, volcanoes, but also tectonic plates, the various types of volcanic rocks and earthquakes. A lot of it was text-heavy and Daddy-perfect, but the little room that demonstrates what a 6.3 earthquake feels like was Eleanor's favourite thing since the Hagglund/Ninky Nonk back in Christchurch. As soon as she found the 'Start' button we had little chance of getting her out of there.

Next it was a half hour stroll through the fragrant sulphur fumes at Wairakei Thermal Valley, where steam just comes up out of the ground in all sorts of little patches. Forty minutes later we were in Rotorua, where the main down town park is full of fenced off patches and the eggy smell is really strong. Although that might be mostly because our accommodation here, just a standard little motel, has its own geyser and thermal pool. Happily for Eleanor it also has the above mentioned playground, which she had to be dragged out of kicking and screaming.

Our final activity was an evening at the Mitai Maori Village, where we got to see a traditional war canoe paddled up stream, followed by a great demonstration of the haka and dinner cooked in a hangi pit. As part of the same tour we went next door to the Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park. By this stage it was 9.30pm and their four little kiwis were out of bed and wandering around their enclosure, where the fence is only knee high. Eleanor, who has a collection of toy kiwis and a new favourite book about a kiwi who is afraid of the dark, was delighted when one ran right past her.

By the time we got home it was late and Eleanor was exhausted, but she's had yet another fantastic day. We all have.