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We reached Wellington the day before the Queens Diamond Jubilee expecting the Capital city to put on some sort of festive celebration. What with H.R.H being head of state and appearing on every coin and bank note, it seemed only sensible to hold a party. All New Zealanders get her birthday off work as a public holiday, which us Brits don't, so logically; this momentous occasion should go off in style. Would you believe the heathens didn't even raise bunting? No street parties with union jack cardboard plates? Well, we were to make our own festivities with a few rounded up Brits, some reluctant Irish and a great deal of booze to make Westminster proud. Our tiny union jack top hat also made an appearance to show the full extent of our support (Thanks to Joe).
Despite being the capital, Wellington is a manageable size (Auckland being the largest city) and has a great deal to offer, the downtown area has a load of good bars and restaurants and is only a short walk from the beaches. Alice and I made good use of these amenities and balanced our drinking with trips to the Te Papa Museum (which is massive and completely free), before getting out of the city and heading north.
After a brief and uneventful overnight stop in Napier, we arrive in Taupo. The township sits on the shores of the massive lake Taupo and in the shadow of the Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro Mountains. All these features being remnants of the area's long and violent volcanic history. Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in New Zealand (the size of Singapore) is, in fact, the water-filled crater of a giant volcano, a volcano that created the largest eruption of the last 5,000 years. After a visit to the stunning geothermal mud pools and the volcano discover centre, we found that this volcano, although quiet, is not dead but sleeping. Experts say the possibility of a repeat performance is "not a matter of if, but when". This prompted a fitful nights sleep followed by a early departure. We were in a rush anyway and didn't want to test our luck. The cause of our rush being the Ireland vs All Blacks game in Auckland; that we had tickets for!
We arrived in Auckland the day prior to the game and the city was buzzing with Rugby and Lady Ga Ga fans. This made an interesting mix of visitors and accommodation was at a premium so we booked ahead. Unfortunately our booked hostel was a backstreet dive. Pictures can be so deceiving. However amongst the grime and corridors we saw the friendly and unexpected face of Amy; a chum we had met in Cambodia a few months ago. After catching up, we headed to Eden Park to watch the rugby and had a great time, although it was a shame to see the Irish side beat so convincingly after a promising start.
With raging hangovers, we boarded a bus the next day, headed for Paihai; gateway to The Bay of Islands in the far north. The trip up was a living hell as on the windy roads played havoc on my delicate stomach and must have had an effect on my inner ear as I very nearly redecorated the busses interior with chopped carrot. However once we arrived, all was well as the beautiful town was the perfect place for some well needed R&R in the dying days of our New Zealand adventure. Paihai, is perfectly placed within easy reach of 90 mile beach - for sand boarding and the 68 mile beach (bloody liars), Cape Reinga - New Zealand's most northerly point and of course, the bay of islands - a load of islands (in a bay) and dolphins. Between lazy walks and some heroic Lay-ins, we managed to see all of the above before returning to Auckland for a final fair well and our next flight: LA
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