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Hi Everybody!
Sorry it's been awhile since our last update! So we left sunny Fiji and flew in to Auckland which was a bit of a temperature shock. One of the first things we did was each buy a coat! We had 3 days in Auckland before we left early in the morning for our 6 day tour of the North Island.
Our first stop on the tour was meant to be in a place called Hahei but due to seriously heavy rainfall we weren't actually able to cross the bridge to get there..! So that was a shame, but it all turned out well as we ended up staying with a Maori man who often puts people up on Adventure Tours like us. We all slept in a big traditional Maori hut which was hilarious - felt like we were on a school trip! We had an amazing meal cooked for us and spent the evening just chilling out getting to know eachother! The next day was still wet and miserable, but we're brits so we were ok :) we headed to Rotorua which is the 'smelly town', as its built on active volcanic land, and the sulpher makes it all smell like off eggs! grooosss! It was very interesting though, we were taken to a Maori thermal village where the locals still use the hot springs and other natural bits and bobs for everyday use. We watched one lady getting a massive pot of stew out from a box in the ground- it looked scrummy! We had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves, so had a stroll around the lake and went to the local museum. How cultured are we?!
Next day we drove through Taupo which has the largest lake in New Zealand, and is where you find tonnes of natural pumice! We figured they'd have plenty to go around so grabbed a couple each for our poor travelled feet..! We also stopped off at a "hot pool". Well! It wasn't so much hot as luke warm, and it stank, AND it turned Liv's jewellery brown - great! We all smelled horrendous for the rest of the day, and are still not sure if it was really worth it!! Anywaayyy.. We headed to Blueduck Lodge late afternoon (our acommodation for the night), which we both feel was a real highlight. It was in the middle of nowhere amongst huge hills with grazing livestock - neither of us could understand how the sheep didnt just roll down..! Anyway, we got driven around the massive farm by the owner, and got to do a bit of kayaking. It was really cool because they've only recently started working with Adventure Tours, so it was almost like a sneak preview, and both of us would go back any day! It was just stunning! And to top it off we had a yummy din dins of goat stew. Mm mmm! The next morning wasn't quite so enjoyable as we had to get up at 5am.. horrendous! This was so that a few of our group could go and climb the Tongariro Crossing, or Mount Doom to you Lord of the Rings lovers! It was a stunning day but bitterly cold, and most of us had decided against the 19km, 7 hour walk! Instead we went for a leaisurly 2 hour walk through the Tongariro National Park and spent most of the afternoon relaxing in the hot tub! Good times!!
Our final stop was the capital city, Wellington. We had a lovely afternoon wandering around the museum and exploring the city. It looked like a mixture between Liverpool and Birmingham - really weird! Unfortunately the next morning we had to get up very early and say our farewells to everyone on the tour who were carrying on down to the South Island. We're both gutted we didnt factor in enough time to head down south, but at least we've got more to explore next time!! We proceeded to have a 10 hour bus journey back up to Aukland, which felt much warmer this time around! We've spent the last week here, and as some of you may have seen on facebook...it's SO BORING! Having said that, it's been a very helpful week in that we both felt so run down and exhausted - we hadn't really stopped moving for 3 months! We've managed to find some excitement though, we went to a modern art gallery and spent a good 15 minutes trying to understand what the hell the pieces meant.. :/ then went on a harbour cruise this morning, went to the Aukland Museum, a lovely little suburb called Parnell, oh and Libs got a tattoo.
So anyway, hope you're all well!! Sorry this hasn't been the most thrilling update so far, but I'm afraid most of our time has been spent in Starbucks.. sooo yeah! Off to LA next where we're meeting up with PRI GLEN AND ANDY WOOHOOOO!!! we're slightly excited about that, so the next blog will be involving 5 of us!
Lots and lots of love - only a month to go!!
LIBS AND CATH!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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