Aotearoa- The land of the long white cloud…

The North Island

Steven and I decided that with so little time in New Zealand we would pay someone else to do all the organizing for us. We booked onto a 'tour' called the Kiwi Experience. It is a bus ticket that takes you round both the North and South Islands of New Zealand and you get to see as much as you can in a short space of time. Its is perfect for us…it is so much more than a bus ticket. The driver; 'Bods' is a living legend. He is a really eccentric Kiwi guy who has taught us so much about the history of New Zealand and is really knowledgeable and passionate about the Maori culture. He picked us up in Auckland and we have been on his bus ever since. On our first day he took us up to Mount Eden in Auckland where you can see the city from up high.Its such a small city because the population of New Zealand is just over 4 million, yet the population of London is 7.7 million…..New Zealand has a bigger land mass than England but half the population of its capital city…that amazes me!!!!

New Zealand is a young country ad was the last to be inhabited by humans so it's no surprise that the country in general is so unspoiled. Our first destination was Mercury Bay…we stopped at Cathedral Cove and did a coastal walk down to the beach. The scenery was so dramatic...It was like a mini Great Ocean road but the sea was unbelievably blue.I know I use the word to much but it was AMAZING!! We have had brilliant weather since we arrived. It is pretty cold but the sun has been shining and the sky has been clear everyday.

On our first day on the bus we met Seth, a 29 year old Londoner who loves playing stupid games. He made us all play a game where you can't say the word' mine'. It's really easy to catch people out and if you say it you have to do 10 press ups. So annoying but funny….especially when you're drunk. I had to do 60 press ups in one day! Monkeys would have caught on quicker than me!!

That night we met up with Jen and Rich…two friends we met in Thailand at the full moon party. They are camper-vanning round NZ and decided to follow our bus for a while.

The next day we got on our way on the 'lean mean green machine'.We stopped at the Karangahake scenic reserve, and our driver guide took us on a 1km walk through an old railway tunnel that was part of a gold mine. It was really dark and wet and a bit smelly!! We then stopped for lunch in Paeroa which is famous for its "Lemon and Paeroa" soft drink. There's a giant model of a bottle in the centre of the town!! We also stopped briefly in Matamata where large portions of 'The Lord of The Rings' was filmed. We got some cheesy pictures with a model of Gollum. Not sure who made the model though because it looked nothing like him. Maybe he was drunk??

We then drove to Rotarua…a town famous for its Maori community and natural hot springs. The whole town smells of eggs because of the sulphur…mmmmm nice. We stopped at a hostel in town and all made good use of the heated swimming pool. I was in there for nearly two hours!! My hands were even wrinklier when I eventually prized myself out. That night we all went to a traditional Maori 'hangi'. It was a concert and educational evening about the Maori culture followed by the biggest feast you could possibly imagine. They cooked the meat in an earth oven in the ground. It was so delicious. We all ate too much though and felt a little 'slugged up' after that.

The next day we set off to Waitomo, stopping at the 'agrodome' on the way. We were treated to a good old fashioned kiwi farm show. I thought there was no way anyone could make sheep and cows appealing to me but it was really entertaining. He seared a sheep on stage, milked a cow and the sheep dogs did a little show for us. It was definitely worth a visit just to see the baby lambs and puppies at the end. We also stopped at a random Angora rabbit farm where they sheared a rabbit. It was all a little bit weird. Especially when they tied the poor thing up. She reassured me that the rabbit wasn't in any pain though. Apparently when they get sheared they can mate again without overheating and dying so he was actually a very happy bunny!

When we arrived in Waitomo we all went for a walk before tea which was a BBQ in the pub next to the hostel. Mmmmm…steak. That night we all got drunk and played drinking games till the beer ran out!!

Nursing a rather sore head the next morning I went over to the kitchen to grab some breakfast. I slipped on the ice and fell for what felt like an eternity. I looked up to see if anyone saw me only to realize the professional rugby team staying at our hostel were all sat on their coach right next to where I fell…and they were all laughing!!!! Soooooo embarrassing…but I would have laughed too!

That day we checked out the famous Huka falls on the way to Taupo. Taupo is a smallish town by 'Lake Taupo'. This lake was absolutely enormous. The guide told us you can fit the island of Singapore in it…MASSIVE! It was created by a volcanic eruption…one of the biggest the world has known. The mountains the other side of the lake were stunning!! One of them was 'Mount Doom' from Lord of the Rings. We stayed in Taupo for two nights so we took advantage of a lie in and all went out on the town. We made it to one bar and stayed there till 2am. It was cheap and we're all skint so it was a win win situation. Bods got everyone on the bus a shot...and apparently me and him were singing Abba's 'Dancing Queen' into an imaginary mic but I really don't remember that. Steven got in the decks and then did the worm all the way across the dance floor! Hilarious.

The next day we went kayaking along the river. It was such a beautiful river. It was an easy kayak as the current took us and we passed some hot pools created by the hot springs. After the kayak we decided to go back to the hot springs with Jen end Rich for a soak. Mmmmmmm…hot springs. Jen and Rich had some ridiculous novelty teeth that we played with for hours…so easily entertained.

The next stop on the Kiwi bus was River Valley. We were all booked into the River Valley Adventure Lodge. It was literally a wooden lodge in the middle of nowhere. The surroundings were breathtaking. We went horse riding through the valley the next day. I had a really old slow horse which was fine by me. Steven and Seth had really young horses that kept biting each other!! It was our first day of rain that day which was a little disappointing but nothing could spoil the experience for me.

After River Valley we got back on the road and went to Tongariro National Park where we trekked for an hour to the Taranaki falls. It was really cold and icy but it was a nice walk. We then made our way to Wellington for a night. We entered a quiz at the hostel and did abysmally but it was all in the name of fun. It was absolutely freezing in Wellington. Its right on the bottom of the North Island and the wind is channeled through it!! Brrrrrrr freezing!!! It was an indication of the temperatures we're going to experience on the South Island though!! Bring it on……