Ok so today was a good day but it started out a little shady…

We got up early and headed to the I-site to get some info on accommodation (the woman was thoroughly unhelpful) and after ringing around a couple of places jumped in the van to go and have a look at one, that by the brochure, looked ok!

Well, the brochure is outdated. That's all I can say.

We turned up and immediately I was thinking 'Hmm, okay….give it a chance' getting out of the van it was deserted and I walked up to the reception room to meet the man I had spoken to on the phone about 2 separate rooms. Inside the reception, the first thing that hit me was the smell, just really not good.

I walked up to the desk and a woman was there, I explained that I had called and had arranged to come and look at 2 rooms that they had available. Well, that just set things off, she went off into her own little monologue about '2 rooms, oo we don't have 2 rooms, oh maybe that one, it was my husband you must have spoken too, oh maybe he meant to put you in these ones, ok, oh this one….'

Seriously, she took ages and all I could think was 'it was literally 5 minutes ago, if it's that confusing go get your husband' and 'sheessh, is it that difficult, there isn't anyone else here - all you have is rooms!'

It got to the point that I was starting to think perhaps she didn't have a husband and it was some weird Psycho-esque type thing (seriously the place was deserted) when she finally gave us the keys to look at. Walking out and across the car park I said to Chris that I wasn't sure about it. Opening the first room, I immediately dismissed it - it smelt, It looked weird and the whole place just had a strange vibe about it. I had already decided I didn't want to stay there when we went to room two and my mind was made up - there wasn't anything horribly wrong, I was just freaked out by the place and said to Chris, "well it would be the most horrible place I've ever stayed with anyone" and then said "maybe I'll just give that other place a call" and gave Chris the keys to take back.

Getting back in the van and leaving we were both quite for a minute before I said I didn't like the place and Chris commented that she was weird, a bit like that place in the film and I cut him off and said "Bates Motel in Psycho?" "Yes!!"

Turns out we had both been thinking the same thing, even the possibility of her not actually having a husband….

Creepy Camilla - it gave me the willies and I felt a bit odd for the rest of the day - seriously! Always go with your gut instinct I say, and mine said "Hell no!"

After that unsettling experience we decided to stay at Go Global, which was a backpacking place above the bar we had been to last night, and it gave discount on meals too and wasn't that expensive. That done we had a bit of lunch then booked in on a sailing cruise out on the lake to some Moari carvings that you can only reach via boat or kayak. We had an hour or so before the cruise so decided to drive out to the Aratiatia Rapids to watch the floodgates at the dam be opened before heading to the boat. The rapids was incredible and we decided that we would go back the following morning to see them open from the other side before we did the Huka Falls walk.

We headed to the boat and settled in, they were lovely and basically told us to relax and treat it like our own, if we wanted anything, shout if not just sit back and enjoy - we took up two prime spots at the front of the boat on two lovely big bean bags and just relaxed as we sailed out on the lake. The cruise took most of the afternoon and the guy that ran it was very good, told us lots of information and was making jokes etc along the way. Out at the carvings we saw one lady who was walking down from her house (expensive houses on the lake) and was getting into the water on a lilo, turns out it was one with a chair part to it and she was sitting up, floating along with her dog sat in her lap and a drink in the armchair!

We got back from the cruise and headed straight up to the room to change and then go down to Finns for food and to play some pool. We ended up challenging people to doubles as the tables were full and one particular guy was telling us about Kiwi rules. He wanted to play that way and so we listened to the rules, not all too dissimilar, and then he said "and if you miss the black when you're on it, you lose" Chris and I looked at each other, clarified what he had said and then started to play. I mentioned to Chris that I thought it was a bit harsh that you lose if you don't pot the black and he agreed.

As it got down to the end, they were on the black first, and potted it first time and won. Next doubles game, they won. Then we were back on.

Still a little anxious about getting on the black first, it turned out that they did, and he hit the black but didn't pot it. We said "does that mean we win then" and he said "no I hit it - just didn't pot it!"

Ahhhh ok, that makes a hell of a lot more sense - if you fail to hit the ball completely you lose, not if you miss the pot! We told him he could have been a bit clearly when we asked him the first time to clarify, but anyway, we thrashed them from then on!

After that, we went up to the room and went to bed, only to be rudely awoken at 5am to the sounds of the 'full timers' coming in from a night out and to the sounds of the guy next door snoring! Honestly the place was nice, but it was noisy, you could hear the bar below and people on the street and the people that live there like a house, are so noisy that it doesn't really work well for people that are genuinely backpacking in the sense that they need places to sleep because they are moving on early etc etc.

Anyway, we were awake then so, let the games begin!