The Kiwi Experience

So let's get up to date.

On 0ur first day in NZ we spent some time getting back to the 'real world' at our hostel and then took a walk along Queen St to the harbour (downtown). It was bloody cold (9c) compared to Fiji (about 30c) ! There were basically lots of shops and the general busy-ness of a city, which we found weird after being on desert islands, but Megan loved it being the self proclaimed 'city girl' she is. We walked up to the sky tower, where Megan fell flat on her face in the street (!) , and then back over to Albert Park, where there were some scary Lord of the Rings style trees. Back at the hostel we booked on to the Magic Bus to start going down towards Wellington, as our original plans to go north to the Bay of islands kind of changed when we found out there had been severe flooding there, the roads were closed and there was no power. That evening we headed to the Globe bar, where we found ourselves unexpectedly drunk thanks to 2 for 1 beer vouchers and a 15 minute free bar stunt. We weren't complaining.

The next day, we got up early to get the bus down to Rotorua. Firstly, we stopped up at Mt Eden, a dormant volcano that gave great views over Auckland, even if it was freezing! We carried on towards the Waitomo Caves, about 3 hours away, and it felt good to be driving and on the move. It also gave us time to reflect on how we missed cheese and other such delights. At the caves we took a walking and boat tour to see the famous glowworms, which was cool if a little overpriced. We are starting to notice that there is loads to do here, but you have to pay (lots!) if you want to do it. After the caves, we took a half an hour walk in the 'jungle' back to the village, which was cool, and more importantly free! The village was pretty dead, so we settled ourselves in the only bar/pub in the village until it was time to leave. We saw a gorgeous sunset on the way into Rotorua, a town famous for being the point where the Earth's crust is at its thinnest in the world, and consequently an area of thermal activity. On arrival, we dined on super noddles at our hostel (appropriately called Hot Rocks), before going down to the Lava bar with some Dutch girls from our dorm.

This morning we slept in for the first time in a long time. We walked down into the town around midday, and ended up walking through the Government Gardens and all the way along the lakefront. The lake being sulphur based, smelt rather badly of egg, but was apparently a wildlife reserve (although all we could see were seagulls!) In the afternoon, we walked along by the shops, and found ourselves in a really nice cafe called Fat Dog, where we ate probably the nicest food we've had in at least a month. On heading back to the hostel, we took a swim in the pool, which was outdoor, but thermically heated, and very nice indeed. As for this evening, we found the internet still logged on so freeloaded a good 3 hours of usage. Tonight is friday night though, so i guess that means we HAVE to go out somewhere....

Speak soon, love to all xxxx