What a couple of days. Action packed is probably a nice way to describe it! Yesterday, after a further brush with Maori culture, which we will discuss at a later date - more important things to do now - we headed to the Waitomo Caves to do some Black Water Rafting. Hands up in the air if you know what that is?? I'm sure most of you have heard of White Water Rafting - paddling like idiots down some rapids on an inflatable raft, praying to God you don't fall in...

Our next stop is in the most volcanicly active place in the country, and one of the most in the world. It is full of thermal pools and geysers, and there is a consuming smell of sulphur in the air - although I think it's also Dan using it as a cover up for his flatulence. Today on the bus we headed to some gold mines, and saw the largest working one in the world. It was huge, but apparently will soon be depleted, so they will fill it in with water and make it a ...

I have come to see over the last couple of days that my entries here have been of a slightly less quality than perhaps they should be - much less quality than you deserve. I can see I have become far less erudite, slightly less empassioned, and definitely more abrupt. But it's so busy. Being on this bus is like being on a school trip. There is always something to do, and they constantly have activities planned, and by the time we get back, we all just want to go...

Today was hectic - it started at 7 and straight on the bus heading for the farthest North you can go in New Zealand. Our first stop on the way was a viewing point where we could see the meeting of two seas: The Tasmin and The Pacific Ocean. I grew up just assuming they just met: two enoromous pools of water just gently flowing into one another. How wrong I was. It was like looking down aon a map. You could see the definitely line seperating them, and lines of...

Our Kiwi Experience has officially started. The big green bus picked us up this morning at half 7 and we made our way north of Auckland, to The Bay of Islands, the first area of New Zealand to have European settlers. It is a natural harbour, and contains loads and loads of small islands within it. Once we had reached our destination, we unloaded and Dan and I decided to take a couple of kayaks out and do our own exploring. Many of you may be surprised by this d...