No rest for the wicked on the Kiwi bus....unless you´re really hungover, and then the driver gives you a couple of hours sleep...
Head out of Auckland after a quick tour, play some ´getting to know you´games switching seats and chatting to new people. Some are more in to it than others.

Make a stop at Cathedral Cove - a pleasant 20-25 mins walk, worth it though. Find out they filmed the first part of Prince Caspian on the same beach. Very picturesque. our bus driver dives in the sea....a bit cold for most of our group. unlike the next place...

Hot Water Beach - does what it says on the tin. We dig a hole in the sand, water from geothermic springs fills it up, and we get in......a bit too hot at times, lots of dancing around on the sand....but the icy cold sea balances out the whole experience.....this is not Hastings!

Check in at a cute hostel in Whitianga (Mercury Bay)....nothing else to do here, but after such a fun-filled day, was glad of the peace and quiet. Some of our group decide to hang around here for a day or two as there´s kayaking and stuff in the area, so our small group is even smaller as head in the direction of Rotorua.