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Craters of the Moon

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While we were in Taupo, we wanted to see Craters of the Moon. This is a geothermal valley with steam vents everywhere you look. The walk through that valley was my favorite place to explore in that area! It started raining while we were about halfway through the walk, but that didn’t last long and we soon dried off afterwards. It did make it a bit confusing for me to sort through our pictures and put them in order, because I switched from taking pictures with my camera to my phone, as it is supposed to be waterproof.

It’s pretty amazing to look out over a valley and see steam coming up everywhere! As Miss Joy said in the first clip I included in the video tour in this post, it looked like a lot of fires–she thought it was houses burning!

The children were getting goofy!

Miss Joy wanted to take a picture of the three of us.

Esther wanted one of the three sisters.

Part of the track went along the top of the hill at the edge of the valley.

Aratiatia Rapids

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We spent two nights at the home of some dear friends in Taupo the first week of February. The morning of the day we were there was spent doing some sightseeing in the area. Our first stop was the Aratiatia Rapids on the Waikato River. A dam was built there to produce hydroelectricity; because there is such a drop in the river at that place, the dam does not have to make a very big lake. The gorge below the dam has very little water in it because of the dam, but several times a day, at set times, water is released so that tourists can see the gorge fill. That was fascinating to watch! When we first arrived, one of the gates was open a little, so there was some water in the gorge, and that was beautiful. Then, the gate was closed for ten minutes, and almost all the water drained out of the top of the gorge. Soon, the siren started going periodically, to warn people who might be in the gorge below that the water would be coming soon. Then, both gates were opened, and we watched the river fill up. What a sight!

I put together a few video clips to show some of what we experienced here. Warning: this starts with a loud siren, which is intended to warn people to get out of the gorge before the water starts coming.

On our way to the next attraction, we passed this plant which produces electricity from geothermal energy.

On the Road

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We didn’t take a lot of pictures while we were driving, so here are the few we got between Auckland and Wellington.

This first group of pictures were from the day we traveled from Drury, just south of Auckland, to Rotorua. We had a lot of fun, as we drove through Morrinsville, spotting the statues of cows. They were all painted differently, and there were a lot of them! This is the only picture I managed to get, though.

The Waikato is a beautiful area!

I can’t remember which town this statue was in. It seems like a lot of towns have statues along the main road.

These next pictures were taken the next day, as we traveled from Rotorua to Taupo.

That is not a nuclear reactor. It is a geothermal power station, if I understood right.

After two days staying in Taupo with friends, we drove to Wellington. It was chilly and dark a lot of the day, but we enjoyed the scenery anyway. First, we drove around Lake Taupo.

Someone was feeling carsick, so we stopped for a few minutes. That few minutes turned into more minutes when blackberries were discovered! Gayle and the younger children ended up picking several cupfuls of blackberries for our lunch.

I believe this next area is what is known as the Desert Road. It certainly looks like a desert!

We saw several of these statues in the town of Bulls.

Toward the end of the day, the younger children were getting quite crazy. I challenged Mr. Imagination and Little Miss to see who could spot five interesting things in five minutes. After the first round or two of that, I handed out notepads to them, and a piece of paper to Mr. Sweetie and told them to draw or write a few words about every interesting thing they saw in ten minutes. This was Mr. Sweetie’s notes; the other two each had a lot of little bits of paper which I couldn’t really photograph, given where we were. That activity really helped keep them going!

The Green and Blue Lakes

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On our way to Te Wairoa, The Buried Village, we passed the Green and Blue Lakes. They are in the Tikitapu Bush, which is mentioned in Fire in the Sky, a book we read on our way. We stopped and walked down to the Blue Lake, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. This first picture is the Blue Lake, seen from the road.

The sign at the beginning of the track.

Someone grabbed a couple of pictures of Miss Joy, showing two facets of her personality, while we were there.

Book Review–A Hope Fulfilled

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About the Book:

Book: A Hope Fulfilled

Author: April W Gardner

Genre: Biblical Fiction (Obadiah)

Release Date: November, 2023

One Hebrew slave’s courage and faith opens the gate on Edom’s demise.

Tikvah, a Hebrew slave in Edom, lives in hope of once again seeing Jerusalem, the Holy City. When a Babylonian general and his dashing Jewish liaison arrive at her master’s house, whispering plans of Edom’s destruction, she senses Yahweh at work. After all, there’s a prophecy foretelling His justice upon the kingdom. Tikvah clings to that promise while obediently following the call of service into the heart of danger. If only there were a promise she would come out the other side alive.

My Thoughts:

I have been seeing books by April Gardner for awhile, and wondering what her books were like, so I decided to read this book when I had the chance to. I found it quite an interesting “what-if” about the fall of Edom to the Assyrians. I had to cringe at the description of how one of the main characters was mutilated, and the slaughter of people by the Assyrians—but that was reality for the people of that time. I loved the strong faith of several of the main characters. What I did not care for was the romance in this book. It just wasn’t my style. I prefer the romance to be low-key, not the main point of the book. So, those who love Biblical romance will like this book; it just didn’t quite work for me.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

April W Gardner is an indie author whose great passion is historical romance with themes of Native American and Southeastern U.S. culture. Copyeditor, mother of two grown children, and non-trad college student, April lives in South Texas with her husband and two German Shepherds. In no particular order, April dreams of owning a horse, learning a third language, and visiting all the national parks.

More from April:

So…Obadiah? Who ever heard of Obadiah as the backdrop for biblical fiction? I hadn’t. But that’s not where A Hope Fulfilled began…

In late December 2021, while deciding on a Bible reading goal for the upcoming year, I pondered which sections of the Bible I knew least. The minor prophets came to mind right off, then camped there as I asked myself what I knew about these little books.

I’d heard a million sermons preached from one or another of them over the years, but could I give even a one-sentence summary on any of the twelve? That question required a moment’s thought, which produced Jonah and the big fish, Hosea and his harlot wife, Joel and the locusts, Amos and… Uh, er, uh…

This was a problem. After burning some brain cells on the matter, I finally hung my head and admitted I was a minor failure. If I’d been tested right then on the minor prophets, I would have received a big red F.

How was this possible? I’m a missionary’s kid who never missed a church service, for goodness’ sake. This was unacceptable. I had an MK reputation to uphold.

Kidding, kidding. But the point remains. After 4.5 decades in church, I should be able to state every book’s title and theme. At a minimum. Anything less is spiritual laziness.

With that challenge in mind, I hitched up my trousers and set to work. My task? One minor prophet a month. I would read each one again and again, really drilling them home, absorbing their messages and banishing my spiritual “shame.”

By April, and my fourth read of Obadiah, I stared at my Bible, the verses swimming before me, and admitted to a second problem—despite my faithful rereading, the first four books were all running together in a mental smear of prophety messages.

Warning, judgment, doom, gloom. There was hope in there, too, of course. Praise God. And a harlot wife. I had that one down. But I was no closer to being able to distinguish them, to really understand the books with any kind of true ownership.

Since I’m a goal-girl, it made me a little sad to set aside my twelve-prophet year, but there was no getting around it. If this was going to work, I would have to go deeper, get messier, put on my work gloves and knee pads, and start digging.

New goal! Understand Obadiah. I’d worry about the rest once I had this one down. Fifteen months and three written books later, here we are, celebrating the release of my first biblical fiction, A Hope Fulfilled.

So, how did I get from studying a minor prophet to writing biblical fiction? The journey from point A to point B wasn’t very long. The series (A Fire and a Flame) started out as a Bible commentary for women, but when I got to exploring the history around Obadiah, my fiction brain kinda took over. It does that sometimes. Silly brain.

I did finish the commentary, but as soon as I allowed myself to ponder all the what-ifs of the event, the novella practically wrote itself.

Obadiah gives a fiction writer almost no details to build on. So, A Hope Fulfilled is what one might call an artist’s rendition of what might have happened during the fall of Edom. There were probably Hebrew slaves in Edom. One of them probably knew the prophecy of Edom’s doom. And that somebody might have, just might have, longed to help God’s justice play out.

Thus, Tikah and her story, A Hope Fulfilled, were born.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

The Buried Village

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A week or so before we left home for our big North Island trip, I spent a little time one afternoon online, checking out things we could do around Rotorua. When I stumbled upon the website for The Buried Village, I knew that was a place we wanted to go. We have a book (supposed to be on the shelf, but I couldn’t find it today to take a picture) titled Fire in the Sky, a fictional diary of a boy who visited the Pink and White Terraces days before they were destroyed in the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886. We read the book once, probably about 12 years ago. Esther and I decided we should take it with us and read it aloud before we went to Rotorua. She read the entire book to us as we drove on our first few days. When we visited the archeological site, which has been partially reconstructed, it really came to life, since we had read the book, which is set in the village of Te Wairoa. This was the entrance to the village. There were signs set up along the path, each of them displaying a fictional letter written by someone who had visited the area around the time of the eruption.

This is scoria, or volcanic ash, from the eruption. All the paths are covered with it.

The rock in this picture is volcanic ash, which covered the ground two meters (about six feet) deep.

This was the site of one of the hotels, which has been excavated down to the original ground level. The case holds items found on the site.

A reconstructed Maori whare, or house, on its original location. A lot of the buildings collapsed under the weight of the volcanic ash.

From the village, the track led into the bush and along a beautiful creek.

Along the creek was a shelter holding an old waka, or war canoe. The children were reading a sign posted on the ceiling, part of a treasure hunt they had been doing throughout the village. Because they found the end of the hunt, here in this shelter, and were able to repeat what it said to the woman at the desk in the office, they were each given a chocolate coin.

Just after the waka, the track divided. Gayle was tired, so we took the easier fork and were treated to this view, with the sign that explained what we saw. During the eruption, the hill in the distance shielded Te Wairoa to a certain extent from the ash; everything that landed on the village had to come all the way over that hill.

The other branch of the track went to this waterfall; the older children walked around there.

After leaving the village, we drove up the road a short distance to an overlook and were able to see Mount Tarawera. What a view! It is the flat-topped mountain on the right side of the picture beyond the lake.

Right after I published this post, I received an email in response to it. The reader commented: I doubt if you would have read of the Christian man killed at the village you visited the Buried Village. He was a young Englishman who was at the hotel when the eruption began all those years ago. When the eruption began he gathered the people together with awful danger increasing by the seconds he shared the Gospel urging the people to get right with God. After sharing the Gospel an attempt was made by the people to seek better shelter. Sadly this young man was not successful and crushed to death under the weight of the ash on the collapsing hotel. Many years ago I visited his grave in a cemetery outside Rotorua. Actually, we did hear about this person. There is a museum attached to the village, which we wandered through before exploring the site. The only exhibit in the museum which is not a still display is a room with a man sitting at a desk. When you enter the room, lights start flashing in the window, and the room rumbles and shakes. The man starts talking, saying the words the Christian man (Reverend Bainbridge, if I remember right) wrote just before he died, calling people to repentance. And then, suddenly, all goes dark and quiet after a final crashing and rumbling as the hotel collapsed.

Rotorua

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One place we were looking forward to visiting was Rotorua, where we wanted to see some of the hot, bubbling mud and steaming hot pools we had heard about. We had lunch at Kuirau Park and then started walking around to look at the sights. At first we were quite disappointed. The first track we walking around had a few spots where bubbles came to the top of the water and popped, but that was it. Then, as we wandered on farther, we started seeing more of what we had heard about. The farther we went, the hotter things got! And, the more strongly the air smelled of sulfur. We ended up spending two or three hours wandering around that park from one fenced-in area to another, seeing more and more amazing spots. Be sure to watch the video if you can; it gives you a much better idea of what we saw than the still pictures.

Can you see the steam rising from this?

This pool was quite hot!

This mud was constantly bubbling.

A loud boiling sound came from within that cluster of boulders!

On one side of the steaming lake we found this. The water level had risen, and the moss was encrusted with minerals.

Keep in mind that we were there on a hot day–see that steam!

This was a hot stream going away from the lake.

These boys got tired!

Book Review–Call to Embrace

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About the Book:

Book: Call to Embrace

Author: Maryann Landers

Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction

Release Date: November 1, 2023

She’s detached in a stormy marriage because of both of their unfaithfulness. Now she faces the aftermath of her compromise with an unwanted pregnancy. Will fleeing bring her the freedom she yearns for?

Emily Corentin wants to escape the jagged edges of her brokenness. She believes the only option she has is to take her young daughter, leave her husband, and end the unintended pregnancy with an abortion. But her plans take an unexpected turn when the homeless shelter she finds is not the type of help she wanted. She’d buried religion years ago with the death of her Gran. Any God-fearing place will only confirm how much God abandoned her.

An offer from a shelter volunteer may be the lifeline she and her daughter need, but Emily only sees it as a means to an end. The unlikely friendship that follows, draws her closer to the answers she may have carried with her all along. But rash decisions bring new challenges that drag her further into a sea of helplessness.

When all hope is lost in despair will she be washed away by the patterns of her past? Or will she answer the call to embrace the mercy of the cross and in turn bring reconciliation to her marriage?

My Thoughts:

As I often do when considering whether to sign up for a blog tour of a book that has already published, I went to Amazon and read the preview of Call to Embrace. The story sucked me in quickly as I wondered if Emily would survive her flight from a husband who bragged about an affair—while she had just discovered the consequences of her own unfaithfulness! I could tell, though it was not stated explicitly in those chapters, that she planned to get an abortion—would she do it?

Maryann Landers certainly kept my attention throughout Call to Embrace. The story was well-written and kept moving. I enjoyed a clean book without any kisses. At the same time, I was disappointed that the story wrapped up so cleanly and quickly. It didn’t feel quite true-to-life, because it was so rushed. For example, the salvation experiences happened in an instant. Yes, I know that can happen—but it’s not the norm, in my experience. I didn’t see the characters repenting of their sins. One thing I did love was seeing how God can use one person’s mistakes and brokenness to help another who thinks they have done things that are unforgiveable. All in all, my view of this book is that it’s all right, but not great. It’s certainly not bad. I did like the setting—I haven’t read many books set in Alaska!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Alaskan based author Maryann Landers writes women’s faith filled fiction based on true stories of extraordinary women of her magnificent state. She loves to showcase the unique north and give her readers a little taste of rustic Alaska.

While writing in her log home in the woods she is also looking forward to her next adventure with her Alaskan husband, juggling mom tasks such as crafting homemade meals from moose and caribou meat, building DIY projects from scrap wood piles and guiding her teens in their homeschooling.

Her first novel in the Alaskan Women of Caliber Series; Alaskan Calibration released June 2021.

More from Maryann:

Call to Embrace is inspired by a true story of a young mom that I met over 13 years ago as I walked alongside her during a difficult time of her life. A year and a half ago I stood in the Pacific Ocean dip netting for salmon near the mouth of the Kenai River. As the waters tugged at my waders, I remembered the church set on the hill behind me where a cross is always lit as a beacon and I thought there is a story here. With anticipation, I prayed what God wanted me to share. What unfolded is the plot line of my friendship with that young mom set in the stunning geographical area of South-Central Alaska.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Devonport

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On the afternoon of the day we spent in Auckland, we took a ferry to Devonport, on the other side of the harbour. That was more of our field trip–to experience riding a ferry! This cruise ship was tied up to the dock near where the ferry docked.

There were also a lot of huge freight ships.

When we landed in Devonport, we started walking toward Mount Victoria. I quickly realized, though, that I wouldn’t make it much farther, as my sciatic nerve was playing up. Gayle and all the older children went up to the top, so these are Esther’s pictures. They saw this banyan tree along the way.

At the top is a gun bunker leftover from World War II.

A view of the Harbour, with Auckland on the other side and Devonport in the foreground.

Meanwhile, Mr. Imagination, Little Miss and Miss Joy stayed with me at a playground at sea level.

After the children played for a little while on the playground, they wanted to check out the beach, so we wandered over there.

I watched ferries go back and forth while the children played in the sand.

Mr. Imagination was delighted to find a crab in the rocks.

Soon it was time to return to Auckland. We went back to the ferry dock and watched it come in, then boarded.

We noticed several Navy ships tied up on the other side of the harbour.

When we reached Auckland again, we caught the train and returned to Drury.

Book Review–Who Brought the Dog to Church?

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About the Book:

Book: Who Brought the Dog to Church?

Author: Tracy L. Smoak

Genre: Christian Contemporary Fiction

Release Date: June, 2023

Betty is sure that Ida Lou does not belong in their church when the woman shows up to the Good Friday service with her small dog in tow. But before she knows what’s happening, Betty is pushed into helping the woman as she deals with the sudden hospitalization of her husband. Having lost her own husband just one year ago, Betty is chosen as the perfect person to help walk through this valley with the newcomer—along with the other women of the WUFHs (Women United For Him).

Sarah McAdams knows her husband loves her. He just loses his temper sometimes. It comes with the stress of being a highly recognized police officer. But when Sarah makes the decision that this is not the life she wants for her young son, will she be able to get out alive? Where can she go? And who will help her?

God works in mysterious ways—and through ordinary people. The town of Prosper is about to experience some drama—and it all starts with a dog who comes to church.

My Thoughts:

Some books catch my interest as soon as I start reading them. Who Brought the Dog to Church? was one of those. When I saw the request for reviewers, I looked up the preview on Amazon to decide if I wanted to read the book. I read the three or four chapters that were available there, and was hooked, so I signed up for the review. Then, I had to decide when to read the book. Should I read the ebook that was sent to me, or wait until a friend could bring the physical book in their suitcase from the States? Since the physical book would arrive here in time to read before the review was due, I decided to wait. There is something about holding a print book and reading it that is quite different from reading on my Kindle! It was worth waiting for. 

I spent a week reading Who Brought the Dog to Church? We were away from home on a family vacation, so I didn’t have time to read more than a couple of chapters each evening before bed until one day we were driving a long distance and the road was straight enough to be able to read for awhile and I could find out how the story ended. This was a book that caught my attention and held it, so much so that when I was not reading I often thought about it and wondered what would happen next to Sarah.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book based on domestic violence before. When I started reading this one, I wondered how in the world all these characters were connected. The story shifted from Betty watching Ida Lou and her dog in church, to Letitia mixing up a message on the prayer chain, to Sarah being hurt by her angry husband—where could a story with such a collection of characters be going? After awhile, everything came together, however, and started to make sense. The thoughts and feelings of each person were described so vividly that I found myself wrapped up in this story and emotionally invested in several of them. This debut novel is gripping, and offers many tips for helping to recognize and help victims of domestic violence, as well as those grieving the loss of loved ones.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

A native Floridian, Tracy L. Smoak grew up riding horses and climbing citrus trees. Her passion is to encourage others in their faith journey. Smoak writes for Guideposts. Ambassador International released her debut novel, Who Brought the Dog to Church?. Bold Vision published her Bible study about encouragement titled Refuge of Grace: Finding Your Safe Place.

She loves photography and authored two hardcover devotionals with her original nature art (Living Water to Refresh Your Soul – tranquil lake scenes; and Arranged with Love– floral landscapes).

Smoak holds a master’s in Education and a bachelor’s in Communication. At her church home, she leads small-group Bible studies. She is an active member of Word Weavers International.

More from Tracy:

What secrets are hidden behind your neighbor’s door? What do you try to hide?

The idea for this contemporary fiction began in a small country church during an Easter prayer vigil a decade ago. As I sat in the pew late at night, I heard a strange scratching noise. When I turned to locate the sound’s source, I saw a woman across the aisle with a little Yorkie.

The vigil was silent, so I didn’t approach the lady, but I did wonder why that pooch accompanied her in the sanctuary. That scenario, connected with others in my weekly involvement in several volunteer roles, sparked imagination. We judge appearances and may completely miss needs of the heart. Do we know our neighbors?

Experiences as an advocate for survivors of domestic violence started me wondering how do people get free from damaging situations? What are the obstacles holding them back?

Serving as a Stephens Ministry leader in my home church exposed me to people suffering loss. How are we to stand with those crushed with grief?

Another volunteer role helping immigrants settle in the U.S. reminded me of the difficulties they face. How can one fill out an online job application when a person relocates from a refugee camp with no electricity and never has had a computer?

The story’s heart is learning to really see, and know, our neighbors. Three women and their friendships reveal how doing good unites a community. Through comic misunderstandings and risky undertakings, the characters show us how to be Christ’s hands and feet.

Short videos to introduce the main characters can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kuEoU7pFvU&list=PLf6ZzeQjavMcocMuZDOZUvLxZG48BiWm5&index=1.

Audio book excerpts can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwxqS2mNisI&list=PLf6ZzeQjavMcocMuZDOZUvLxZG48BiWm5&index=9.

Video resources for survivors of domestic violence are at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3Aq2myofjo&list=PLf6ZzeQjavMd0mkdKujmZeq7iKDzi8IoQ&index=2.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.