Corcovado and Beyond
 New Zealand North Island I arrived into Auckland and was immediately shocked by how cold and how expensive it was!! $5 for a bottle of coke is extortion!!! First job was to buy some warmer clothes and sort out how I would travel round. I decided to book a Stray pass. This is a hop-on, hop-off bus service that brings you all around the North and South Islands. My first trip was North of Auckland up to the Bay of Islands, Paihia. It’s beautiful up there but not very arm as it’s the middle of winter. We took a day trip all the way up to Cape Reinga (the northernmost point of NZ. To get there we drove on 90 mile beach (It’s actually only 64 miles long but does seem to go on forever). We were racing the tide to get off the beach before we got stuck there in the waves. We went sand boarding there too that was really fun. The next day we went back to Auckland where I spent a few more days relaxing as I’d hurt my back. The physio recommended I get rid of my backpack as hat was probably causing the problem. I’m now officially a flashpacker!! I have a wheely suitcase. It’s much easier that lugging around 17kg on my back though! Once I was feeling better I got back on the Stray bus and set off for Raglan. This is on the West coast and we stayed at a surf school but we were unlucky with the weather. It poured rain so nobody went surfing. After Raglan we went to Waitomo to visit the glow worm caves. There fascinating creatures. We walked around in the dark caves and took a dingy through an underwater cave to see the rook=f covered with tiny glowing lights. They were very difficult to photograph though. That night we stayed with a Maori tribe and learned some traditional dances. The guys got to learn the Haka that the All Blacks do before each game. It was a fun evening and we had yummy dinner too with pavlova for dessert. Rotorua was our next stop. The town is built in an area with high geothermal activity. We went to see the mud and sulphur pools and had a mud bath while we were there. It wasn’t as cool as the one in Colombia though. We then went to Tongariro National park. It’s where the mountain that was Mount Doom in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is. We went for a walk around the park and saw a waterfall that was frozen at the bottom. The views of ‘Mount Doom’ were cool while we walked. Blue Duck Lodge was our next stay. It’s in the middle of nowhere with huge tree covered mountains all around. I went horse riding across the mountains and the slipped and slided all the way back down as it was steep and muddy. Then I tried clay pigeon shooting. It was really hard but loads of fun. I got to Wellington the next day and stayed with Alma and Mark. It was great to see familiar faces! They have a fabulous house with amazing views over the city. We went to watch the Hurricanes vs the Chiefs in rugby. It was my first rugby game and it was brilliant! They brought me all around Wellington by car and motorbike :). We went to the studio that made the Lord of the Rings, Te Papa museum (they have an earthquake simulator). We went rollerblading along the seafront and shopping, and saw The Dark Knight Rises. They were great hosts and I was sad leaving them. It was so nice to have a bit of normality for 2 weeks. It’s amazing what you take for granted when you’re at home. Double beds in your own room, clean bathrooms, hot water, full kitchens, fast wifi, television and most of all, friends who know you! I was spoiled rotten while I was there. From here I take the ferry to the South Island. It’s meant to have more spectacular scenery, and of course, Queenstown – the adventure sport capital!
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Diary Photos
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| Giant Kauri tree |
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| Sandboarding at 90 mile beach |
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| Cape Reinga, where the 2 seas collide |
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| Cant quite see home... |
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| Waitomo caves |
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| Glow worms |
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| Glow worms |
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| Ice crystals |
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| Mount Doom! |
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| Clay pigeon shooting |
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| Mount vic in Wellington |
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| The Westpac stadium |
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