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Hi / Salaams all, had some downtime, so thought I'd update the bits of the New Zealand tour that I've completed so far (today Saturday 13 Feb 2010). Hope you are all well, the weather here today is pants, rain, high winds, dark sky, reminds me of home !
Aotearoa (Maori name for New Zealand = land of the long white cloud) - North Island
Auckland (Sunday 7 Feb) - Arrived at 17.00 and I was picked up by Ktatija, my sister-in-law Saida's cousin and her husband Ahmed. The weather was dry and sunny, but not as hot as Australia. We arrived at their house and I was greeted by the rest of their family (4 sons, two daughter-in-laws and grandson) and we all sat down to a hearty meal (lasagne, chicken drumsticks, samosas, pizzas). I could go on, but it will only make you hungry, so long as you've got the message that there was lots to eat) !
After dinner, we sat and chatted and before I knew it, it was 1am, so managed to get my head down for a few hours, before heading for Scenic Hotels where I met the rest of the people who were on the NZ Grand Explorer tour. Throughout most of my tours in Australia, the majority of participants had been couples, so it was great being part of a group where all ten people were single (Louise, Francein, Gillian, Jessie, Caroline, Jason, Jo, Alison, Will Gates - not The Bill Gates, our Bill is only 23 !)
Our guide Sue is absolutely great and she's become our personal photographer. Sue has been taking "family" photos from her professional camera and will give each of us a cd with full of memorable pictures at the end of the tour - marvellous !
Bay of Islands (Mon 8 & Tues 9 Feb) - After introductions and safety talks from Sue, our minibus headed for Bay of Islands, north of Auckland to spend a full day and an overnight stay on a boat. On route, we stopped at Wakworth and walked through Parry Kauri Park, and saw an 800 year old McKinney Kauri tree (we had our first family photo under this tree) !
We arrived at Paihia Wharf at 3pm and boarded our boat called "The Rock", which apparently is New Zealand's biggest house boat. Before dinner, the skipper moored up and we fished for snappers and mackerel (from the back of the boat). I did manage to catch a snapper, but unfortunately it was not big enough to eat, so it was released back into the waters. Once darkness fell, I got ready for my next new experience - night kayaking. I didn't realise at the time I put my name down that I would be on my own in a kayak, I thought they'd be two of us in a kayak ! Anyway after putting on a lifejacket, I did it and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Whilst rowing, I looked up and could see thousands of stars twinkling in the night sky. What was even more fascinating was the bluish light that was displayed in the water as my oars moved through the water. This is created when the single-celled bioluminescent (these are half-plant, half-animal organisms) are agitated by the movement of the oars - truly awesome !
The following day, we went snorkelling (don't I sound just like a pro) and then visited Waiwahtora Island and climbed to the top to see the views of the Bay, and the climb was most definitely worth it ! We then headed back to The Rock for lunch and then returned to Paihia Wharf.
Waitomo (Wed 10 Feb) - on route to Waitomo, we stopped a couple of times to see some unusual views. Firstly we saw some fluorescent pink sheep at the Black Sheep Farm (for those who may think that there really are pink sheep in NZ - don't be silly they're painted). We then saw a giant Kiwi and Sue didn't need to twist our arms to have a "family" photo taken underneath the big bird!
After arriving at Kiwi Paka backpackers and unpacking our bags, we headed to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves for our Blackwater Rafting excursion. I was told that the water was not very deep and that we would be wearing wet suits which would give us buoyancy in the water, which it did. As well as wet suits, we were kitted out with a tyre tube, wellington boots and a helmet. Once inside the caves, we were asked to switch off the lights on our helmets and we were able to see millions of glowworms illuminating the limestone formations on the walls of the cave. In total darkness we glided through the water for about 1.5 kms (our butts on the tyre tubes, whilst holding on to the wellington boots of the person behind) - there's no stopping me on this trip, I'm going for gold !
Rotorua (Thursday 11 Feb) - As we arrived at the outskirts of Rotorua, we dropped Jason and Carolyn at the helicopter station for their 3 hour helicopter ride over White Island and they were also taken over an active volcano. The rest of the group took part in Sprint Car Racing and /or Zorbing - this is when a person climbs inside a large inflated balloon and rolls down a hill, whilst trying to keep upright !
In the evening, we went to Mitai Cultural Evening, where the local Maori (pronounced Mauldy) performed some cultural dances including the infamous Haka. After the performance a traditional dinner was served and after dessert on we went for a walk in the forest, where our host gave us a talk on the different types of trees found across NZ.
Whakapapa (pronounced Fakapapa) (Fri 12 & Sat 13 Feb) - We stopped at Te Puia Heritage Village near Rotorua and were given a guided tour by one of the local lads (he was the 6th generation at this village). After walking through the Carving & Weaving schools, we were taken to see the Geysers & mudpools. The Pohutu Geyser erupts every hour and can reach heights of up to 30 metres. We didn't stay around for too long as it was a tad smelly (sulphuric pong)!
After leaving the Te Puia village, we stopped to look at some nutters throwing themselves down whilst attached to a large elastic band (yep, you've guessed it, Bungy Jump), not sure how that experience can be pleasurable and no I didn't try that activity !
As we arrived at our two day stopover at Skotel backpackers in Whakapapa the colour of the sky changed from patchy blue to grey with very low clouds and were unable to see the Mount Ruapehu, which we were going to climb the next day (well, I'd decided not to climb as it was an 8 hour hike with some steep hills). As it turned out the walk was cancelled due to exceptionally high winds and we were advised against the climb. Some of the group decided to go for a short walk (2 hours) the following morning (Sat 13 Feb).
So that brings me up to date for now, bye for now, love Dee xxx
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