Rotorua, New Zealand
Alpacas and I get along quite well.
But they don’t seem to like my friend Alistair so much, LOL!
Alistair and his dad Craig were my gracious hosts in Rotorua when I visited in December 2009. In fact, the day we met was this fateful, dramatic day in which I actually had to stop by the emergency room before I came to their house.
Anyway, I didn’t let a couple stitches ruin my time in Rotorua. I saw a Maori cultural show, visited the Rotorua Museum of Art and History, went to the geothermal pools, did some woodworking and milked a cow on a farm tour.
The highlight: I got to hang out with alpacas!
They’re sooooo cute. I just wanna snuggle my face into their fluffy coats.
And HOW do I know these are alpacas, and not llamas? Well, because someone told me.
The easiest way to tell the difference between an alpaca and a llama is the SIZE of the animal, and the shape of its EARS.
- Alpacas are generally quite small (around 150 pounds) and have short, pointy ears.
- Llamas are larger (around 300 pounds) and have longer, curved ears.
For my llama encounters, check out my post on the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia. Seriously, check it out. The pics are crazy cute.
Photos taken December 9, 2009