After an awesome time in Taupo, we departed around 7.30am for our short hop up to Rotorua, arriving shortly after 10am. Rotorua is a place famous for two things, its Maori culture and its smell. The area in which Rotorua is situated is a hotbed of geothermal activity and as such, the large quantity of sulphur in the air provided the place with a somewhat eggy smell, which luckily for some provided the opportunity to break wind at will without any suspicious looks. With only one day here, we had planned a action packed itinerary for the afternoon. This started with the last adrenaline based activity we had to tick off our "must do" list, white water rafting.

Despite not offering the most extreme, grade 5 rapids, like some others in New Zealand, Kaitiaki Rafting was famous for its large drops. This included a 7 metre waterfall, the largest commercially run drop in the world. After being picked up from our hostel, we made the short journey to the site of the rafting. Soon after paying, we were instructed to make ourselves look as idiotic as possible and were handed some fetching wetsuits. Having squeezed into these flattering numbers it was easy to see that our figures had coped admirably well with the meticulous fitness regime and the exemplary diets we had each managed to maintain throughout our travels. Soon after our briefing which highlighted the numerous ways in which our lives could be endangered on the trip, we hit the water. Given the slightly precarious weight distribution on the boat, with Ant on the left balancing our James on the right, our instructor, Jesse, put all our minds at rest by suggesting that the chances of us surviving the 7 metre drop with the boat the right way up were no more than 50-50. To heighten our fears further, the guides all felt it necessary to chant several Maori sayings to the Gods in the hope that they would ensure our safe passage.

During the trip there was a lot of stop starting as we had to wait for all the boats to regroup after each rapids section. We soon gathered in the lagoon above the 7m drop. After a final Maori chant, the first group disappeared over the edge. Soon after, we noticed the odd floating oar in the water at the bottom of the 'fall along with several people bobbing in the water. Following a lengthy wait whilst everyone was accounted for in the Titanic-esque disaster below, it was time for the second group to face their destiny. After the drop we were relieved to see their boat safely emerge at the bottom. It was now our turn. We edged serenely towards the drop until the instruction of a couple of sharp and fast paddles, before crouching down inside the boat and hanging on for dear life as we took the plunge. Several seconds and a face full of water later, we emerged upright and floated into the lagoon celebrating our exceptional rafting talents that enabled us to survive the perilous drop. We then headed further down river to tackle some more rapids and a few smaller drops. Right at the end of the trip, Jesse decided to show off a little. He instructed us to paddle directly into a small rapid. The result of this was the back of the boat rising out of the water and totally submerging the front of the boat, which led to one poor screaming girl at the front of the boat to be totally engulfed by water. On completion, we dragged ourselves and the boats out of the water and headed back to the bus to go back to the rafting centre, reflecting on one of the most enjoyable and best value activities we had done to date.

We then returned back to our Base Hostel, a company that had provided us with over priced and exceptionally basic accommodation throughout our tour of New Zealand. It was to our astonishment therefore that the Base in Rotorua, along with supplying a fairly non-creaky bed, also came equipped with an outdoor thermal pool. It was an opportunity that none of us could resist. Following a compulsory session of throwing a tennis ball around, Ant and Dave had to leave for the evening's activity, the Tamaki culture experience. This was an evening in a traditional Maori village complete with matching tribe that aimed to give visitors an insight into Maori culture. Ant and Dave were joined by Austin and Eamer from the victorious Banjo Chords team of Kaikoura, along with a load of other Kiwi Experience passengers who had just started their tour in Auckland.

En route to the village, our entertaining guide told us a few Maori customs along with what to expect from the rest of the night. On arrival, we all lined a courtyard where several Maori warriors confronted our tribe/bus to see if our intentions were peaceful. Little did they know that Ant and Dave's intentions were to learn a little about Maori culture then absolutely destroy the buffet that was included. After our intentions were deemed peaceful enough, we were invited into the village where we were able to walk around and listen to the Maoris' explanations of specific parts of their village life. Whilst interesting, we did feel rather rushed and we were unable to visit every area of the village, before being ushered along to the next part of the tour. Here, we were shown out food being lifted out of the ground having been cooked in a traditional Maori way known as 'Hangi', which appeared to us as just being covered in cloth and dirt. Despite this unusual cooking method, we couldn't help but notice that there was clearly going to be plenty of food to go around. The last part of the tour was a demonstration of traditional Maori song and dance, including their local tribe's Haka. Finally the time had arrived to eat.

The fact the food had been cooked underground and the Maoris were catering for nearly 200 people didn't take away from the quality and so Ant and Dave ploughed their way through 2 heaped plates apiece and onto a veritable mountain of puddings, including a traditional New Zealand pavlova. Since being away we have adopted a technique we once learnt from Chris Van Dyk at CCYFC. In pre match warm-ups on those frightfully cold Sunday mornings, we were advised to stretch our muscles until there was mild discomfort and so during mealtimes, we have recognize that we are not really full until we feel that slight pain. We were also told not to leave the match with any regrets and so we never leave a dinner table feeling we could have done better. The meal certainly lived up to its billing and while we slumped back in our chairs, proud of our efforts, we knew we owed a lot to our former manager.

After dinner we were treated to some more singing and watched gleefully as they performed the All Blacks' Haka. Having enjoyed a good cultural evening and large feast, we were then astonished by our bus driver's hidden talent. He managed to reel off the whole bus load's names and nationalities which must have been at least 40 people. With stomachs full and brains frazzled, we decided to hit the sack early…after a few drinks at the Lava Bar next door of course.

After our final night in Rotorua, it was another early start for us to take us to Auckland. Arriving late afternoon and having had little to eat during the day, we decided to treat ourselves to a Wagamamas. Having missed the buffet the previous night at the Maori cultural evening, James was desperate to catch up in the eating stakes. Where any normal person would feel fairly full after one Chicken Katsu Curry, James demolished the first before overcoming his embarrassment to order a second, which was destroyed even quicker than the first. The big decision now was whether a third could, or even should be eaten. After 20 minutes of deliberation, with other customers coming and going, James opted out of the third, claiming that he could easily eat another but just couldn't bring himself to order it, given the waitress had already said that it was rare for customers to order 2 meals. The rematch for James vs Wagamamas is yet to be scheduled but it is rumoured that London could be the next host city.

After Wagamamas, we had arranged to meet Austin and Eamer in the Base bar for a few drinks. As it was Easter weekend, most places were closing before midnight, although Base bar was having a lock-in and closing the doors at 11.30pm. Not wanting to spend all night in Base Bar, Ant, Dave, Austin and Eamer headed to a bar down the road called Cassette Bar which is owned by the same company as the infamous World Bar in Queenstown, meaning one thing: teapots. After this we headed back to meet James and Flossies in Base bar and got ready for the long haul into the small hours. This didn't materalise however, as the bar closed shortly before 1am. A tame end to an enjoyable evening.

Despite the premature finish to the night, we had a late start and then a chilled out day until a ferocious game of monopoly, emphatically won by Ant in just over 2hours. An early night beckoned as we were due to arise early for our bus to the Bay of Islands the following morning.

As usual we awoke having maximised our sleep time and made our way to the big green bus for our journey to Paihia. Following a lengthy journey we arrived in a somewhat overcast Paihia in the supposedly 'winterless' Bay of Islands. After dumping our bags, we explored the small town, which, given we were there on Easter Saturday, meant that it wasn't the liveliest of places. After wandering aimlessly around for another hour, including an excruciating walk around a golf course, we headed back to the hostel for a remarkably average BBQ, before heading out for the night.

The following day it was an early start for our day trip to the most northerly part of the north island, Cape Reinga. The first port of call was a drive up 90 mile beach, in our coach. After some lunatic driving as our guide started to drive into the sea in order to get to Australia, we began our trip up the beach at a remarkable speed. Whilst driving on a beach was impressive, after an hour or so it became a bit samey. We were relieved to take a sharp right off the beach but instead of heading onto tarmac, this right hand turn took us down Te Paki stream. After 20 minutes driving through the on-rushing water, we made it to a series of successive sand-dunes standing over 100 metres tall, with imposing gradients. Here was the scene for our very last adrenalin activity in New Zealand, sand boarding. The activity involves getting your hands on a body board with a highly sophisticated slippy arse, then trudging up to the top of the sand dune, jumping on the board and then letting gravity propel you down slope head first. Luckily for us, rain earlier in the morning had hardened the sand that according to our guide would make for a fast ride down. After a couple of practice runs we were impressed by the speed we were able to pick up and were also convinced that it was easily the most dangerous activity we had encountered in New Zealand.

With confidence brimming it was time for a four way race between us three and one other from our trip. Following…some great form in the practice runs from Dave, he went into the race as favourite, with James and his significant weight advantage his closest challenger. Having already seen many before us come off their boards and tumble several metres down the slope, we all went into the race with the same trepidation. Having finally reached the summit, we all jostled for position in order to gain the best line down the slope. In the outside lane stood the unfancied other guy from our trip. Next to him stood the reliably talented Ant, followed by the pre-race favourite Dave who in turn was flanked by the imposing James. Following a countdown from the guide, the four jumped into action. To the surprise of many watching, Ant tore up the form guide, making a terrific start and racing into a seemingly unassailable lead. With half the race gone, Ant was already preparing his victory speech. However, he didn't account for the tactical nouce and technical brilliance of Dave. In an unconventional move, Dave swooped round the back of the field and in doing so found the ideal racing line to rapidly close the gap created from his poor start. With James and the other guy floundering, it was a straight shootout between Ant and Dave. With just 20m remaining, Ant still looked in control but Dave's tactical move had paid dividends and with break neck speed, he overtook the shocked Ant with just 5m remaining to claim a memorable victory. Soon after the other guy finished in third, ahead of a fuming James who ended the race winded after crashing over the finish line in a very disappointing last place.

After sand boarding, we hopped back on the bus where our guide took the opportunity to describe some of the injuries that he had seen/sustained whilst on the dunes which included broken necks, ribs and lost teeth. Having opened our eyes to the danger we had just subjected ourselves to, we headed to Tapotupotu Bay where we took the opportunity to have a quick dip in the decidedly cold Pacific Ocean and of course launch a tennis ball about. We then headed to Cape Reinga where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea, a place of spiritual significance to the Maoris, who believe the cape is where the spirits of the dead leave Aoterea for their final journey to the afterlife. Following a quick walk to the most northerly part of NZ, it was back on the bus for a stopover at an overpriced wood carving factory before heading back to Maunganui for what was claimed to be NZ's and possibly the world's, best fish and chips. Given the enormous build up and the massive queue, the fish and chips, whilst good, were by no stretch of the imagination the best we have we ever had. Seamasters in Mill End produces a better offering.

We then began to make our way back to Paihia. En route, we stopped off at the Puteti Kauri Rainforest to view the ancient and enormous Kauri trees which live to thousands of years old. Following a compulsory spot of tree hugging, we continued on our journey back to Paihia, where we spent a quiet night in the hostel.

The next day the weather was awful, so we spent the morning in the hostel before catching our final Kiwi bus back to Auckland. The road back we encountered our first traffic jam in New Zealand that delayed our return to Auckland for several hours. When we eventually arrived, we met up with Nick and Sarah from our south island Kiwi bus, before heading out for our final night out as a trio of travelers.

The following morning we arose with weary heads, as it was time for Ant and Dave to part company with James after 3 glorious months, as he returned to Heathrow and Ant and Dave continued on their travels to Santiago, Chile. We have had a fantastic time away together and we all agreed that with all its incredible scenery, awesome activities and the great new friends we've made, that we were parting ways after the highlight of the trip.

Kia Ora!

Ant, Dave and James