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The Magic Bus departed from central Auckland at 8 on a blustery Saturday morning with a few threatening looking clouds following us out of the city. On our exit from the city we stopped again at Mt. Eden (even colder this time!) for a quick photoshoot before making our way along the Miranda Seabird Coast towards the Coromandel Peninsula. This Peninsula normally bears the brunt of the harsh weather, therefore protecting the inner land, and has an unusual remoteness despite it's proximity to the city. Our first stop along the coastal route was the Hot Water Beach. Here, 2 hours either side of low tide, you can dig a hole in a certain area of this beach and sit in your own hot water bath. Unfortunately when we arrived the tidal swell was too strong so we couldn't perform his particular activity although I can't say that the idea appealed to me much anyway. This beach is also known as one of the four most dangerous in New Zealand due to the rips at certain thermal spots so it is unadvisable to swim here. Next stop was a wonderful little place called Cathedral Cove in the coastal resort of Hahei. From the top of the cliff, it was about a 45 minute wander down to the beach where a limestone arch joins the 2 beaches through a tunnel. Luckily for us the sun decided that it wanted to shine for our journey down and we were able to soak up the rays for a while before carrying on our jouney. That afternoon I was planning to do some bone carving in Whitianga, our overnight spot. To get to Whitianga we had to catch a ferry from a place called Ferry Landing in Cook's Bay. James Cook is often credited with being the discoverer of New Zealand in 1769 as he was the first Westerner to settle on its shores. However, it had been put on world maps long before by Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer. He is seen as a bit of a lame explorer though as he got scared off by the Maori tribesmen, understandably I feel after they murdered 5 of his men. Bone carving forms a large part of Maori traditional art and it was very interesting to learn how to do it. I made a fish hook out of cow's bone (originally it was bone belonging to a whale) which was made into a necklace and meant to ward off evil spirits. That evening I was staying in a little hostel in the middle of a very deserted Whitianga with one other girl from my bus, Brianne. This hostel, called The Cat's Pyjamas, was like staying in someone's home...the manager was so friendly and welcoming and everyone congregated in the living area to enjoy a night full of punch, wine and various other kinds of liquor. Our stay there was unfortunately short however, as we had to catch the bus early the following morning. Our next destination was the Waitomo Caves, via a place called Paeroa, famous for its L&P drink. I didn't dare try it! Here I said farewell to Brianne who was returning to Vancouver that day and we carried on our way into Waitomo. We arrived at around 3pm and some of the bus decided to go black water rafting and to see the famous glow worm caves. Not really being a fan of dark underground places and still a bt jet-lagged, I decided to pass the rest of daylight in the sun with a good book. Luckily at the hostel we were staying in I had been upgraded to a private twin chalet all to myself as they messed up my bookin. It was well needed! After a short drink with some of the group at the nearby pub, I retired to a very warm bed to recuperate in time for more travelling the following day.
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