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Last days in New Zealand
Leaving South Island was a bit sad, but I couldn't stay sad for long, because after a very bumpy flight (everyone sighed out of relief and clapped when the tiny plane finally landed) in to Wellington, the windiest city in the world, the fun continued. Sanna and her kiwi boyfriend picked me from the airport, we did some sightseeing, went to Te Papa, the biggest museum in NZ and in the evening we had a lovely meal with Sanna, Matt and their friends and did bit of a bar crawl. Nightlife in Wellington was great, it seemed to me like there was somekind of festival going on, it was so busy, but they assured me it was just a typical saturday night.
After Wellington did a quick one night stop in Taupo, went swimming in the hot springs and admired the massive lake. Taupo is said to be the Queenstown of North island, but because I was already running behind schedule, I had to keep going. I got to Auckland and met up with Kimmo and we rented a car and headed to Coromandel Penisula.
The first night we stayed in Anchor Lodge guesthouse in Coromandel Town, which was great, there was a swimming pool, hot tub and we could use bikes to cycle to the beach. We had planned a big hike for the following day, but we hadn't really prepared all that well. We had some water, but by the time we reached the starting point of the hike (and it took ages, even the distance wasn't so long, the roads were so winding and hard to drive, it took us forever to get there) we realized there were no shops around. We did found this conference center (apparently they have never held a conference there, but I have no idea what that's about) and the lady was so worried, she found us some fruits for the trip. So we did the 7 hour hike, the scenery was amazing, great lookouts, stopped for a swim and when we got back, we didn't see any showers, so just washed our selves in the river. By the time we got back to town, had something to eat and started to look for accomodation, it was already ten pm and apparently everything closes in Coromandel by nine. So we were in a bit of a pickle there, trying to find something that was still open and that would also suit our budget. Luckily we found a bar that rented rooms upstairs so we were fine.
The next day we drove to Whitianga and we were supposed to go and see the famous hot water beach, where you can dig a hole in the sand and make your own natural hot tub, but unfortunatley it just rained all day (this would never happen in south island!) and we just spent the day napping and watching movies. At least for me it was a welcome break after the activity filled holiday. The following day the weather was back to being gorgeous and we went to Cathedral Cove. I have to say, it was one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen in my life! Ever since I left South Island, I kept making little remarks, how everything is better there, but hey, they don't have the Cathedral Cove there!
That night we drove back to Auckland as I was supposed to catch a flight the following morning, which funnily enough I missed, because I woke up around the time my flight was taking off. I blame the dark room, without a window and my sleepdeprived state. Anyways, with nothing left to do, I dashed to the airport and caught the next flight to Sydney. Luckily enough it was a busy route with many flights and the new flight wasn't too dear. I had to get to Sydney for our get-together, plus we had all these bookings made already.. But the last night in Auckland was fun, we checked into the hostel, did some last minute shopping, and went to a great Mexican restaurant. It was so good, it might have even topped Cafe Pacifico! Then we had a party at the hostel, because we had a trempoline in our room.
Back in Australia
Arrived to Sydney and it was great to be back! That's what I love most about my trip, where ever I go, it's always great. I might be sad leaving a place, but as soon as I reach the next place, I'm in loving it! So I got to Sydney and checked into our hostel, and thanks to Minna&Ruhels tip we got to stay in the BEST hostel ever! So if you're heading to Sydney, stay in the Sydney Harbour YHA. It might be a bit pricey, but since we stayed in a family room, (me, Kaisa, Kari, Anna and Hannu) we got a great deal. The hostel is brand new, has all the basic amenities, the kitchen is well equipped and spotless, we had our own bathroom in our room and a flatscreen tv (Kari was happy, since he could follow the olympics) and last but not least, we could eat our breakfast or dinner at the rooftop terrace and enjoy the Sydney harbour views, admiring the Opera house and the Harbour bridge. Not too shabby, I say!
The following day I did yet another winetour. But it was Anna&Hannus first and of course I wanted to go along. And I'm glad I did, because it was the best tour I've done so far. We went to Hunter Valley and it was just us three, our lovely guide Tim, who we (especially Hannu) liked to call Timmy and two American girls. We started the day by going to see crocodiles, cassowarys, kangaroos, koalas and other australian wildlife. Then we started the wine tasting, visiting 5 different winerys, plus a cheese tasting and an olive oil tasting and finished off in a brewery. On the way back we were all pretty jolly (expect maybe for Timmy), happy with our day and our purchases. We got back to the city and had an evening picnic in Hyde Park, while hundreds of bats were flying over us.
The following three days we spent doing typical touristy stuff; we went to Bondi Beach, did a two hour coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee, with six different beaches on the way.. man, are they lucky, the people who live there! Went to Imax one rainy day to see Avatar. It's a 3D film and the Sydney Imax has the worlds largerst screen, so it made an already impressing film even more impressing! Went to Powerhouse museum, which was really interesting and could've spent all day in there, but mainly we amused ourselves in the "80's are back"-exhibition, laughing at the outfits of the eighties, listening to the songs, playing pacman and reminiscing about other 80s computer games and feeling all nostalgic with cabbage patch kids (mum: kaalimaankakarat in finnish!) and other toys from our childhood.. We finished the Sydneypart of our holiday in Orbit bar, enjoying delicious cocktails high up at a 47th floor revolving restaurant. Great way to say goodbye to the city! (Thanks Lassi!) And then Kaisa&Kari headed to Hawai and me, Anna&Hannu took the night bus to Byron Bay.
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kaisu Moi Anni! Huikeat seikkailut jatkuvat, edelleen upeita paikkoja ja kokemuksia. Onneksi meillä on nämä nykyaikaiset yhteydenpitokonstit. Australiasta Perthistä tammikuussa lähettämäsi postikortti tuli tänään 2.3. !! Mukava se oli silti saada. Terkkuja, Kaisu