Fiddling with the itinerary

 Luckily we only had one rainy day while we were away in the Waikato and we managed an enjoyable day without getting wet, including a garden walk.  We postponed our visit to the Hamilton Gardens  till the following day as the rain was heavy at the time we were in that area.  We passed a couple of dry hours in the Hamilton Museum along with several groups of school children.  I hardly looked at the art display, I was too entertained by watching and listening to them.  One lad took many photos while telling anyone who would listen that he could recreate most of the exhibits and make his fortune.  I hope he goes far.

Although I'm not a big tea drinker I was keen to visit Zealong Tea Estate, the only commercial tea plantation in New Zealand.  It's not a good idea to be a tourist in NZ on a Monday, lots of places don't open on Mondays and although we could visit the shop and have High Tea (yes, they use the capitals), we couldn't do a guided tour.  Nevertheless we enjoyed our special treat, tasted a couple of nice teas and managed a few photos (in the rain).   I'll definitely return to do a tour which includes a traditional ceremonial tasting and teaches the art of tea appreciation. You never know I might end up a tea drinker yet. 

Just as an aside, many restaurants and other hospitality venues here have reduced their operating hours in response to the economic downturn caused by Covid 19.

The estate would be a lovely place to wander in fine weather.

The garden I mentioned was at Woodlands Estate which isn't far from the tea plantation.  The cafe was closed but for a gold coin donation we visited the Victorian homestead.   A nice bargain after we'd splashed out on High Tea. 

And look what I found in one of the bedrooms - a replica of my oldest son's bassinet.  

I think I must now be an antique.  And in another room I found my mother's sewing machine.  My grandmother's machine, on which I learnt to sew, was another 30 years older than this model. 

 and my grandmother's wood stove.

To be fair, I think the typewriter might be a slightly older version than the ones in the typing room at school.

There are 15 acres of gardens at Woodlands but it was a bit too wet to go far.

The gardens are 140 years old.  I just loved the trunk on this gnarly old tree.  Looked to me like it could be an original.  

And here's something you won't see every day, an antique selfie.