Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
hi everyone!
well i cant quite believe that we have come to the end of our trip in new zealand but i will update with with our adventures in the north island!
our last night in queenstown we took a drive in some friends campervan to an out of town bowling alley which was good fun, and we saw a friend (phil) from uni - small world! we both loved queenstown - they dont call it the adventure capital of the world for no reason! we then left queenstown and headed back up to christchurch just for an overnight stop before heading back up to kaikora the next day. fortunately this time the weather was a lot better than our first visit there and i went whale watching! becky decided to give it a miss so i ventured off on my own! the boat ride out was abit bumpy but the weather was gorgeous. there was a lot of waiting and just looking for while - i didnt think i was going to get to see any whales but we were patient and eventually spotted a sperm whale! it was massive and on the surface for a while before kicking back down to the ocean. another whale was soon spotted and the boat rushed over and we got to see another one before he went back down. i got some really good photos and i had never seen anything like it before! on the way back we also saw literally hundreds of dusky whales swimming right beside our boat! bonus! we then finished the day with some fish and chips!
our next stop was after a short ferry island from the south to the north island, wellington. we stayed in wellington for 4 nights and the weather was stunning the whole time. we were also lucky as when we checked in there was a bit of a cafuffle with our room and we got moved to sanctuary which is all girls and only 4 bed dorms - luxury for us! in wellington we got the cable car which gave us beautiful views of the city. we also walked thru the botanical gardens, along the harbour front and did lots of shopping! it was anzac day when we were in wellington which meant nothing opened til 1pm - a good excuse for a lie in! we also had a few really good nights in the city - we managed to find a really good student bar so we were happy!
next stop in the north island was taupo after stopping at huka falls. unfortunately here the weather took a turn for the wrose which was disappointing as we had both planned to do a 15000 ft sky dive! we had planned to stay 2 nights but after 2 nights the weather had not improved enough for us to go up so we decided to stay another 2 nights in the hope that the sun would come out for us! our luck was in and on our 3rd day in taupo we had a few sunny hours and were able to go up! be both looed very fetching in ou jump suits and goggles! it was nice that we were both in the same plane so could experience it together! i was first to jump and believe me 15000ft is high up! its was amazing having a 1minute freefall thru the clouds but it was also freezing up there! we both loved the jump and i wanted to go up again! this time i was able to steer aswell which was good fun! weboth got the dvd of our freefall so all look out for some entertaining viewing when we get home! we stayed in a nice homely hostel and soon made friend swith the barman after celebrating jumping out of a plane - we had a really good night out here too despite how small the town is!
our next stop was rotorua. we had been warned about the horrible rotten egg smell here caused by sulphur however it really wasnt that bad! on our fist night in rotorua we went on the local mauri night at the tamaki maori village. on entering the village nobody was allowed to enter until the formal welcome had been performed. this performance was very funny as it is basically almost naked men sticking spears in your face and poking their tongues out at you whilst making very aggressive noises - despite it being a 'challenge of peace'! we the looked round their village and watched them perform their famous 'haka'. we then had dinner!!! dinner was cooked in the traditional way of the 'hangi' this is an earth oven covered in dirt and heated by volcanis rocks! it was the best meal we had had in a while so we made the most of the buffet and dessert! it was a really fun and interesting night - definitely different! in roorua we also went to visit the thermal ares of steaming mud pools and went to the polynesian spa (5th best spa in the world!) this was very relaxing, bathing in hot springs and pools over looking the lake - very nice!
we then travelled on up to auckland with a short stop in hobbiton! we just stayed one night before heading up to pahea and the bay of islands. it was really pretty there, however on our first day there it rained all day - we couldnt even leave the hostel! fortunately we had booked our day trip up to cape reinga for the next day which was glorious sunshine all day! so we headed up to the cape which is the most northern point of new zealand and walked down to the lighthouse where when we looked out to see you can see the tasmin sea and pacific ocean collide! we then had a lunch break before heading up to the sand dunes. we clibed for what seemed to be forever up these dunes and then sandboarded down! it was great fun! we then drove along 90 mile beach which was beautiful and stopped to catch and shell fish fresh from the sea! very salty! on the way home we stopped for fish and chips and eat them over looking a beautiful harbour - not a bad way to spend our 4 month anniversary!
we are now back in auckland and have come to the end of our trip in new zealand and kiwi experience! we have met some great people along the way. yesterday we also met up with my friend helen from uni and went to newmarket and the museum and gardens. we drove over the harbour bridge at night we gave spectacular views of auckland lit up!
as the kiwis would say 'new zealand was great ey! sweet as bro!!!'
we both cant wait to come back here! well onto fiji next!!! we are both looking forward to some sun and relaxation - we need a holiday!
contact may be a bit difficult when we are in the islands so dad and grandad hope you both have a great birthday and we will speak to you all when we get to new york!!
love to all, amy and beck xx
- comments