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Hey everyone! I am currently in Auckland. Not Paihai but that's where I was and what I will be writing about.
I took the Kiwi bus up to the North Part of the Island. We stopped at the Honey centre for breakfast and saw a glass beehive and for a short forest walk. The Trees were HUGE! It was really nice but we all felt kinda rushed. Only 15 min to walk around. We got to Paihai which is a small but really really cool town in the Bay of Islands. I went on the Exicitor boat which is a really fast boat that takes you out to the Hole in the Rock and we drove through it! (the pics will show what I mean when I have the time to post them - which should be later today) It was fun cause there were 1m swells and we were flying off of them in the boat. Felt like you were riding a really big jet ski.
That night I stayed at the Pipi Patch hostel. It was pretty nice cause all the rooms had their own washroom and shower. I went to the BBQ for supper. The steak was EXCELLENT! And then just hung out on the beach listening to the waves crashing on the beach and looking up at the stars. The next day I took the bus tour up to Cape Reinga which is at the very top point of New Zealand. The drive up was beautiful. Bright green hills, forests as far as you can see, fields of sheep...it was...well, indescribeable. And the pics won't do it justice either. We went to the very tip of the north island where the Tasman sea meets the South Pacific Ocean. There were just a few white caps in the water and it kinda swirls around. Another exciting thing we did was sandboarding. I hiked up the biggest sand dune I have ever seen. Of course being in the great shape i am in, I only had to stop 3 times for a rest! you lay down on a boogie board on your stomach and just go. It was so fun! I only went up twice and really regret not going another time. The sand didn't go into your face like I thought it was going to. So much fun! We also drove down 90mile beach but it's actually only 64 miles. So amazing. there was beach as far as the eye could see! I was in heaven! We didn't stop and hang out cause the tides were coming in and we had to get to the end of it or else we would have been stuck.
In Paihai, i went on an overnight boat trip. It has definitely been a highlight of my trip and i recommend it to everyone that tells me they are going up there. It the boat was a ferry that was converted. 32 travellers and 6 staff members stayed on it. the rooms weren't that big but it didn't matter. There was a pool table, games, bar and a parrot too! When we first let the wharf, they dragged a plastic duck at the end of the boat and we had a competition shooting it with a BB gun. Even though I had prior experience at good spirit lake, I didn't hit it once. We fished and i caught about 7. They were really small and we had to throw them back but it was still really fun. For dinner we had an excellent steak and sausage dinner with potatoes and salad. REally really tasty.
At night we went Sea Kayaking. In the ocean there are phosphoresents (spelling?) which is a type of algae. When you put your hand in the water or move the water, they release a chemical and they glow. Kinda like little fireworks. It was so pretty. Especially when we went away from the boat and no light around..just the moon. behind everyone's kayak, there were a trail of lights. It was so pretty.
The stars were incredible there. The entire sky was twinkling with lights. We saw the milky way, O'Ryan, the Southern Cross. It was breathtaking. Most of us just sat at the back of the boat and looked up for what seemed like hours. I have never seen stars like that before.
The next day we went to a few islands and hiked around and went snorkelling. I only saw 3 fish and they were a grey color so nothing spectacular. We were hoping to see Stingrays but no such luck! On the way back to Paihia, we got to try Sea Urchin eggs. Apparently they are really popular and expensive in China. They didn't have much of a taste but the texture was nasty! I am trying everything once though!
The boat trip was amazing. I am so glad that I went on it. I have been telling everyone about it. It's a must down in the Bay of Islands!
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