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�I have loads to update dont I!� Been so busy!� Anyway, we got the ferry to the North Island and spent a couple of nights in Wellington which i thought was a really cool little city.� We stayed at Fallons auties house which was nice...mmm home cooked food!� Went to Te papa which is a huge museum on the harbour front.� It was really cool, so big tho we only really saw about half of it and we were in their for about 4 hrs...see I am being educated as well as doing ridiculous crazy things!� There was this random man improvising with his guitar in the meeting hall in the museum, i think i could have lived without that!� Bumped into our friends Will and Drew and went for a walk round the city and up the cable cars to get some gorgeous views.� Had lunch and then a walk round the botanical gardens.� Finished the day off with a nice beer!� Lovely!�
After Wellington we went to Taupo, where i did my skydive which was just awesom!� Had a good night that night too cos i was all full of adrenaline.� Drew was� teaching me how to swing dance in the club, think we looked a bit wierd! and we were chatting to these maori dudes who i swear looked like gangsters..one of them was caolled scribble!� The next day we did the Tongariro crossing, rated one of the top 10 day walks in the world.� It was bloody hard work but so worth it, the views really were incredible.� You walk between two active volcanoes, one of which is Mt Doom in Lord of the rings.� There is a really really steep climb near the begining called the devils staircase, it took us ages to get to the top, im sure i shouldnt be this unfit.� The view when we got to the top was amazing tho.� We walked along the ridge of the red crater which was a bit scary cos the winds were really strong.� We also walked through craters and passed the emerald lakes which are beautiful, pure green from all the acids and things from the volcanoes.� It was amazing watching all the steam and stuff coming out of the ground, and there were parts where the volcanic rock was a really beautiful red colour.� Again, i think its one of those thing where i'll just have to show you the pictures cos im clearly crap at describing things!�
Our last day in Taupo we went to the spa park and spent the afternoon soaking away in natural hot pools, it was lovely!� The river was cold water but there was an area where a stream met the river and the water was steaming hot from passing though the volcanic areas.� The result was lots of different little pools all different temperatures.� If you swam in the river there was a bit where you wre in freezing water but a hot water fall came over the top of you!� the pools were so lovely, spent about 3 hours just relaxing in them (we had to leave when a wierdo asked us to shave his eyebrows...think thats a story for another day tho hey?).�
After Taupo we headed up to Rotorua, stopped at the Huka falls on the way up and at this huge bubbling mud pool.� I think this whole area was just amazing.� SO interesting with all the geothermal areas and amazing landscapes.� The mud pool was so cool, just hot bubbling mus spitting out the pool!� We kinda just slept our first afternoon in Rotorua, as we had a completely mental last night in Taupo, think dancing on tables and far too many drinks (and no mum and dad, i didnt get told off for it like i did at my 18th birthday party.. your allowed here hehehe!).� We did manage a walk round the thermal park tho, there was a big lake steaming so much it was like walking through thick fog, pretty cool again!� I also had a swim in our hostels spa pool.� That evening we went to the Tamaki village.� It was a Maori cultural evening and hangi.� Our coach wasour tribe and when we got there our chief had to offer a gift so we could get in the village, think this was the best bit, it was quite scary watching the challenge, too much stomping and spears for my liking!� After that we went into the village and walked round all these different scenes showing how the Maoris lived when they first arrived in NZ,, it was interestibg but a bit hard to take seriously when the acors were all blatantly laughing under thier breaths..a wee bit unproffesional!� They performed some music and dance for us, including the haka which is a war dance.� They told us some legends and taught us about the weapons they used too.� The evening ended with a hangi.� This is a huge feast all cooked in big earth ovens.� Definatley made the night worth while...some of the best food ive had while ive been away, i think it might be quite wrong that i had 2 plates of food and 3 puddings but hey i dont think you are judging!� It was yummy, sweet potatoes, veg, mussels, fish, salads, steamed pudding and pavlova mmmmm.�
�The next day we went to Waitomo and went caving, New Zealand is just so amzing.. done the most incredible things here.� The caves were beautiful, climbed in them and looked at all the formations, then we waded through water, slid down rocks�and went tubing down some passage ways.� We had to jump backwards off underground waterfalls into our rings and then floated down underwater streams.� At one point we switched off our lights and floated in complete darkenss 65m underground.� When we looked up the ceiling was lit up with hundreds and hundereds of tiny glow worms, looked like tiny little green and yellow stars, it was so beautiful.� The water was freezing cold tho!� After more climbing we had to switch our lights off and play get out off the cave in the dark..i swear all the people are crazy here!� The guides kept spinning us round and making us jump by pretending to be stuff in the water..was fun tho!� We eventually emerged out of the caves in a stream in the forest.� It was a great day!� We looked so funny in wetsuits and shorts and boots too!�
Bumped into some of our friends from our old bus last night too which was cool.� Got to Auckland today and been up the skytower, its the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and had some great views.� Going to the bay of islands tomora, hopefully gonna do some sandboarding!
�Hope everyone is smiling!
�love love love xxx
Ok so here I am back in the delightful little country of England but i thought i would stay in denial for just a little bit longer and finish off my blog!
The Bay of Islands was lovely, went up there for 2 days after Auckland. Our first day there we took the ferry over to Russell (i think it was New Zealands first capital). Anyway, it was a really pretty little place with New Zealands oldest pub and oldest church. We walked up to the flagstaff too and had some gorgeous views over the bay of Islands. Then we went for a walk along the beach and had a paddle in the freezing cold sea! We got the ferry back to Pahia and watched a band in the hostel pub that evening.
The next day we went up to the (almost!) northern tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga, Here it is Maori legend that a persons soul goes to get to the next world and we could see the spot in the ocean where the spirits are said to depart..if you believe in all that kinda stuff! Anyway, on the way up there we stopped and walked through a forest with the worlds second biggest trees, Kauri trees (we later saw the worlds biggest in America!). When we got up to the cape we could see the exact point where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet and it creates a really unsettled line in the ocean. We saw the lighthouse too and spent a bit of time there before driving on to a lovely little beach. When we got to the beach most sensible people did a walk there but me and my friend Will had a panic that we might not get another chance to swim in the sea before we went home so both went running into the freezing cold water! It ws more fun than a walk tho and we must have set a trend of cos then a whole bus load of people got in! And it was my last swim in the sea!
We then drove to huge sand dunes just off 90 mile beach and went sandboarding. I honestly think this was the most scary thing i did in NZ..much scarier than a skydive! We trekked up this massive dune.and im not joking..it was massive! When we got to the top we had a quick talk on how to sandboard safely, complete with stories about people who had ran over there own heads amongst other lovely injuries! I was terrified! I did it tho, even tho i did stick my feet in the sand to act like the worlds best brakes! It was fun tho! We then went for a drive down 90 mile beach before finishing the trip with the worlds nicest fish and chips...really. It was kinda our last proper night in NZ so we had a few drinks with our friends Will and Claire. Bit gutting but we found out that while we were up at Cape Reinga a pod of 14 orcas had been in the bay just outside our hostel..everyone saw them and said they were gorgeous!
Our very last day in NZ we went for yet another beautiful walk up to a view point and saw all the way to the hole in the rock in the Bay. NZ really was so beautiful! We went back down to Auckland to catch our flight to Fiji early the next morning, Bye Bye NZ!
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