Saturday 7th March

This morning I was a really bad roommate. I had someone try and call me at 4.30am. Normally this wouldn't matter as I keep my phone on silent but I had switched it to vibrate the other day and had forgotten to change it back. Luckily speaking to the others later on, it only woke one girl up and she went straight back to sleep.

So after a shower and a very quick breakfast -I'd over slept- I went outside and waited for my 9am pickup to Wai-O-Tapu.

Wai-O-Tapu is, as the leaflets state, a thermal wonderland. What you need to remember about NZ is that it's made up of volcanoes and volcanic rock. Rotorua itself is well known for its geothermal activity and its geysers.

We began our tour at Lady Knox Geyser which erupts daily. Back in 1901 an open prison was built in the Waiotaupo area. It was the inmates who first discovered the geyser and while using the hot water to wash their clothes, learnt that the soap powder they used, could make it erupt. These days a chemical is used to recreate the eruption daily for visitors. The water sometimes reaches 20meters high and can last upto an hour.

After Lady Knox we reboarded the bus and went down to the main site. Here I spent a good two hours walking the paths and seeing the amazing pools, craters and mud pools that make up the area. Champagne lake was amazing to me. Not so much for the colours it's well know for, but rather the steam coming off of it!

While trying to get a picture, I would stand with the steam rising and blowing directly into me. Its so very hot and so dense that you can't see more than a couple of yards in front of you. And then it clears just for a few seconds giving you a glimpse of the blue/green pool with the red edging before the whole process begins again.

Arriving back at Rotorua at about 2pm I made my way back to the hostel and spent some time here talking to my dormmate Elaine and comparing travel plans. It really is amazing to me the amount of people out here travelling for extended periods (4months travelling is nothing compared to most of these people) with work visas but no actual plans in place. At the same time though I can understand it as so far NZ seems a relatively easy country to travel around.

After talking to both Elaine and our new roommate about Maori culture evenings I pretty much made the decision to skip my pickup with Stray as our last one was nothing compared to what everyone's experienced here in Rotorua. Obviously it's a calculated risk to skip Lake Aniwhenua and make my own way to Taupo but I'd prefer to spend some actual time in Taupo rather than spend another $80 on something that doesn't teach me a lot or seem very authentic. Its just a shame I don't have time to do a Maori evening here after Elaine recommended a good one.

At 4pm I joined the Rotorua highlight tour that came with my Wai-O-Tapu tour. This was just under 2 hours and while it was alright it wasn't too exciting with my having already visited most of the places. But at least I didn't feel as though I'd missed anything having seen what they recommended.

Sunday 8th March

This morning I woke up early as Elaine began moving around. I retrieved my phone and briefly went on facebook (because what else do you do at 4am?) before deciding to sleep some more. 3 hours later I was up again as people began getting up. Funnily enough though the new girl was the last up despite saying she was leaving early. I stayed in bed awhile longer as I was in no hurry to get going and I quite enjoyed that fact for a change.

When I did finally get up and do the normal routine I then hung around the hostel a little while longer. At just after 10.30 I figured I really should get going if I wasn't going to waste the day, so off I went. Of course I was halfway to the bus station before I remembered that it was sunday! Damn travelling head!

Luckily the bus I was aiming for was the one that would leave at the same time today so I didn't have to adjust my plans. Once on the bus a friendly local began chatting away to me and was good enough to let me and two other tourists know when we needed to get off. After that we made our way down the road to the Redwoods Forest isite to get some information.

I decided to do a 2 hour walk in the Redwood Forest and set off. Not long onto the path I saw a sign stating there was a half marathon going on today. From maybe a quarter of the way around the 7+km track, I could hear them on the loudspeaker welcoming runners and walkers alike over the line.

Reaching a lookout point I figured I was unlikely to make the bus I'd originally thought to aim for but since one left every hour I didn't worry over much. Carrying on I ended up on the same path as the runners/walkers but going against the flow of them. I felt pretty bad for this and was glad when I reached the end of that particular path. It did seem like a big community thing though with families and friends taking part alongside travellers.

On reaching the isite once more I chilled out awhile. Too long infact as the 10minutes I left myself to get to the main road weren't enough. That said I got lucky and caught a different bus passing just minutes after arriving at the bus stop.

Back at the hostel I spent some time talking to my one remaining roomate and sorting out my new itinerary for the next few days. Its a good thing I didn't take Strays word for my pickup being changed as they had accidentally changed the pickup after my next stop too, throwing it all into disarray! Having sorted that, I confirmed my accommodation and bus ticket to Taupo and then arranged to meet up once again with my friend Anna.

We went for a bite to eat and spent an hour or two talking travel but also life in general and the different philosophies people live their lives by. Agreeing to stay in touch we parted for a second time wishing each other well. It really was great to see her again and know how much she's enjoying her life. I feel extremely lucky that we were able to meet up- not once but twice during my time here in Rotorua.

Monday 9th March

Today was a very good day. A really 'everything and nothing' kind of day, but a good one never the less.

Again I woke early, went back to sleep and woke again at about 7am. I managed another 40minutes doze before getting up and doing the normal routine. I was in a really good mood upon getting up today though. I mean really good, walking around, smiling at nothing in particular. Yep I agree- that's weird even for me :)

Since I would also be leaving Rotorua today, I packed my bags up for the final time here. And once i'd checked out, I left my bags in the luggage room and went wandering the town for my last few hours. 

I had been toying with getting my fringe not only cut but made back into a full frontal fringe. Something I hated the last time I did it but what now seems like a fairly practical decision with my hair already doing as it pleases while I'm without my straighteners. Having stopped at a quiet salon I got that done for just under £3 and then continued on to starbucks. 

After a while there enjoying yet another chai latte- it really is an addiction- I continued up the streets towards the lake front. Along the way I stopped and picked up some more insect repellent, as so far, nothings helped too much on this journey. Hopefully an 80% deet lotion will do what the 50% spray couldn't!

On reaching the lake front I was still smiling and even broke into a skip/run anytime I came across a curb or whatnot. I even did run across the green a little ways but I soon figured I probably looked a little odd, randomly running along. Once down by the little activity booths I got even happier as there was a huge fluffy dog to fuss awhile- I miss being around animals each day, incase you hadn't guessed :)

I didn't stick around too long at the lake though as I was feeling rather restles. So I made my way back down the streets, stopping here and there. I made another quick stop in Pak n Save to get some fruit for tomorrow and then went to collect my bags from Crash palace.

Arriving at the isite ready for my Mana bus pickup 20minutes before time I enjoyed the free wifi once more. Which was lucky since I had an email come through informing me that my bus was running upto 40minutes late. I can guarantee if I hadn't of received that email then I would have been panicking about having somehow missed my bus or gotten the initial information wrong.

Once the bus arrived I was in for a nice surprise. While I think the upstairs was pretty full, the downstairs was half empty meaning I had two seats to myself. There's also plugs sockets so we can charge our electronics and free wifi too. All for a whooping $7!

The drive was about an hour from Rotorua to Taupo. Again with wide open spaces consisting of farmland and green rolling hills. It really does seem so strange to see so much space here given how over populated Britain is now.

On arriving in Taupo I got my bearings and walked the 5minutes to my accommodation for the evening. After a false start being given the key to a fully booked room, I settled in quickly, running into Audrey in the common area. 

Since ive only 21hours in Taupo before I hop back on the Stray bus I soon headed out to explore. My first stop was at the isite where I booked some activities for the morning- really scary stuff but I'm already feeling the need to do something crazy so there I go!

Next I grabbed a drink -i'll give you 3 guesses but you should only need 1- and walked via a rose garden down to the boat harbour. Here I walked alongside the water a little ways, coming to a park. Having looped back around I started walking along the Lake the other way. I arrived back at my hostel a little under an hour later and decided to make my dinner while it was fairly quiet. 

Back in my dorm I read a little before heading out for another walk- unfortunately having just missed what I think was a great sunset over the water. Oh well, I saw a few colours and it was nice to get out and see the town at night.

To save time tomorrow I showered before bed and again reorganised my bags- this time ready to jump on the Stray bus tomorrow as I'm unsure how tight I will be time wise. One things for sure though- I won't be eating breakfast! :)

Tuesday 10th March

So having talked to my - I think- 3 German roommates last night, I knew people would be up early this morning. I had a restless night so when I was woken at 5.45 I was surprised when I managed to get back to sleep. Again managing the same thing an hour later when Nadine got up.

Finally dragging myself out of bed about 8am I tried not to think too much on the coming hours. Not having left myself much time this wasn't too much of a problem. I tried to pack up as best as I could, going back and forth over what to wear.

You see the second activity I had signed up for didn't bother me at all as I had done another variation of it before. The first one however, was something I had always wanted to try but truely believed I would chicken out of- again.

If you haven't guessed it yet, I was going Bunjy Jumping!

I got picked up at my accomodation at 9am and was soon at the jump site signing forms and weighing in! I did like the way they worded their disclaimer, 'I am with large doses of common sense...do consider jumping from a platform achored 47meters above the Waikato River, Taupo, to be an achievement and an activity I must do'.

Once everything was signed I made my way nervously down to the platform and waited until they were ready. This was my first glimpse of where I would be jumping after bypassing checking it out before I did the paperwork. The water is a really clear green colour and already the sun was high in the sky making it glisten.

As I got strapped in I looked around, trying not to freeze up. Once my harness was on and had been double checked, I was given instructions on how to jump. We were going to attempt a skim of the water but the river levels were low, so it wasn't a done deal. Still I had to fall (it really is a fall rather than a jump) with my hands above my head as you would diving into a pool.

Having shuffled my way to the edge I put my hands in the position i'd been told too and looked down. At this stage it all happened quickly. So quickly there wasn't time to get too scared. Just a moment of looking over the river wondering what i'd gotten myself into before my 3-2-1 countdown reached the 'JUMP' point.

I admit that there was a hesitation before I leaned forward and allowed myself to fall. But not enough that they had time to start the count over. Flying through the air, I of course screamed. Loudly. Most anyone who knows me, knows I'm good at this :)

I bounced on hiting the end and then I was flying through the air again but this time away from the water. Having then settled into swinging in what felt like circles, the boat came and collected me. They used a long stick for me to grab a hold of until they could reach up and grab both my wrists. They then lowered me flat onto the boat and got rid of the harness.

By the time I was off the boat and making the climb back up to the bungy center, the adrenaline had worn off but I was still smiling. I did develop a little bit of a headache after the 2nd bounce so I made sure to get a drink while waiting to see my pictures and video. As predicted I hadn't dared to eat or drink much this morning!

Because I had booked a package combining the bungy and high speed. Jetboat, I had my pictures included in the price. The close ups arnt too flattering but it's pretty cool to see me diving towards the water. The same goes for the video I brought. The best part of it is laughing as I hear myself scream on the way down. It was also half the normal price because of the package deal so I was happy enough to buy it.

Having finished that, I got a lift to the jetboat site. The girl who gave me the lift seemed the crankiest of the lot, but she did try and chill out making conversation as we tried to get to my 10am booking on time. Now I am a football fan but today everyone I spoke to wanted to talk about the english cricket team. I can't blame them, it sounds like they got beatten badley last night when they got knocked out. A bit like in the football world cup. We used to be a huge power in both sports-the ones to beat- but these days we've turned into a bit of a joke.

By the time I checked in and got down to the pier I was maybe 5minutes late but luckily they didn't hold it against me. Quickly putting on the ugly waterproof overcoat they gave me (i'd forgotten my fleece in my bag when I left it at reception) and the lifejacket, I had my picture taken and was soon on the boat.

The only other time ive done this type of high spead boat experience was in Kelowna and I loved it. It was only a maximum of 10minutes compared to the 30 here, but I loved the adrenaline rush it gave me with the 360 turns. To say I was looking forward to it was an understaement.

This was a really awesome trip. I know there was an accident in New Zealand a month or so ago when a tour jetboat hit a rock. After this I can understand how easily it can happen as our driver Jeremy aimed for everything he could, twisting and turning at the last minute. Sometimes within inches of poles, branches and yes rocks. Not to mention doing 360 turns while heading straight for the clifface and piers. But what a thrill and how talented is he to be able to judge it that well?

Now I have been known to be called a control freak before. Not often but enough that you may be wondering how I could relax and enjoy this. But with these types of things (skydive, paragliding, bungy etc) I just completly let go and trust that people know what they are doing. And hope that if they don't then I meet a fairly clean end.

I don't mean to sound careless but there's really only so much worrying a person can do. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and jump in with both feet, trusting that it's the right decision.

After the jetboat I got a lift back into town and had over an hour to get sorted before jumping back onto Stray. Audrey was also jumping back on along with her friend Anne so we spent some time chatting while waiting for people to turn up. This bus is pretty cool, only being half full, with Papa G as the driver. Within an hour or so I decided he's probably going to be my favourite so far as he doesn't seem as wound up as the other two.

After picking up most of the group at the skydive center we continued on, only making two stops later on. The first was alongside a beach where Papa G taught us to float rocks. Essentially this only required picking the correct type of rock which is more like driftwood than stone.

The second stop we made was just to get cash and groceries as this area was once again very remote. No phone signal and limited wifi. In fact I was kind of surprised there was any wifi at all. Given the one cable coming into the Blue Duck Station I doubt it fairs well in the bad weather.

The night before on arriving in Taupo I had actually had the thought in my head that NZ is so completely different as the scenery doesn't scream at you from around every corner the way Western Canada does. That it doesn't even whisper. Its just quietly there waiting for you to realise how amazing it is. Today as we made this journey to Whakahoro I felt as though NZ was protesting my opinion. The scenery was breathtaking along the water and later on as we neared The National Park and caught our first glimpse of the mountain range otherwise known as 'Mount doom'.

The Blue Duck Station is essentially a farm that has now branched into catering to backpackers to help cover costs. Its named after the Blue duck which is a native duck which is only found in a few select places now. This being one of them.

The farm consists of 4,000 acres. To me that is mindblowing. And then on top of that, the neighbouring farm is also owned by another relative, taking the whole 'Family' acreage to 7,500. I can't even conceive of this. 7,000 sheep, 30 + dogs and 16horses. I've no idea on the cattle which there are plenty of Angus, Red Devon and Hertifordshire.

On arrival - which took us through valleys on a twisty gravel track- we were greeted by Wendy who proceeded to educate us on the conservation efforts of Blue Duck. It was pretty interesting as it's not a subject I know to much about.

Basically, man has only been on NZ between 800 and 1000 years. They introduced many different animals to the country as sources of food. Before this NZ only had one land mammal- a type of bat. The problem with introducing the food sources was that they then had to introduce other animals to control the numbers. Ie stouts were introduced to keep down the number of rabbits. But the stouts are one of the most viscous killers and began to hunt the native animals such as the blue duck, creating another problem.

The Blue Duck Station works hard to protect the native animals, including both the blue ducks and the 13 sets of kiwi on their land. They do this by using instant kill traps as well as hunting any animal that isn't native. I would later learn that 3 years ago 500lambs were killed by wild boar in one year. That is a staggering amount.

After this we walked back down the track to our accomodation and picked our rooms. I spent a good while speaking to Anne before going to join the group for dinner. We had wraps and there was A LOT of food. Given that Anne and I hadn't helped prepare any of it I helped with the clear up before going with a group down the track a ways to star gaze.

Once again today this took my breath away.

During the past year I've spent a lot of nights staring up at the sky as I've had issues sleeping. I'd often go for a drive and stargaze late at night,either by the water or in the forest. Places where there isn't too much light. Here at Blue Duck it was like the clearest of those nights. Times a thousand.

I admit I felt a little sad wishing my friend who would sometimes do the same, could see what I could. We've spent many nights coming up with outrageous conspiracy theories together and I know it would blow them away the way it did me. I mean we could even see the Milky Way!

Not long after returning to the house I made my way to my dorm room. I spent the next hour or so reading before Anne came in and we again got talking. Unfortunately we had made a bad choice in our dorm room as we were right by the lounge where most of the group were doing drinking games until the early hours.

Wednesday 11th March

Today I woke early. Again. But again I dozed until we had to get up. Having a quick breakfast I spoke to the other 3 girls going on the morning riding trek about what they were taking.

At 9.30 Bentley came to pick us up. At this point the German girl Alex, who is a former competitive rider -now a riding instructor- began having doubts about going with him as 'he's not a good rider'.

As soon as we walked into the barn though Alex picked her horse while the rest of us didn't mind much- though I did NOT want the one wearing the western saddle! Luckily Bently paired this one up with Audrey who quite enjoys western riding.

Having been given Couragious to ride, we got our stuff together and were soon headed down the track. We had 4 Huntaway dogs with us on leaving the barn but on passing Bentleys house we were joined by another. The only female dog to join us was a whooping 11yrs old! She was struggling by the end but she did amazingly well for her age!

We spent the next 1hr and a half going across valleys and up the rolling hills. While making our way across the Blue Duck land, we saw the NZ sheep herding themselves up the hill on sightening us and once we reached the peak of one of the hills we stopped and took a break. We spent maybe 40minutes relaxing in the sun with the horses and dogs before heading back down.

I was more than happy to let Audrey go ahead of me a little later on. Partly to see if we could get her horse moving a bit faster but also I needed a break from listening to Alex. Don't get me wrong im sure she's a lovely person. Shes just very much of the mindset that her opinion is the only one that matters. I did enjoy hearing from Anne later on how gentle and easy her mount was though- the same one Alex had kept on about being so strong and hard to hold. (Its not the first time I've met professionals who can't cope with the everyday horse or ride but it was perhaps the most satisfying!)

After the ride Bentley introduced us to his two chesnut horses Lilly and Gem. I spent awhile brushing Lilly simply as she had gotton out before Bently could shut the gate, so I kept her distracted while he was busy sorting the rest of the horses. Such a hardship :)

After that I went back to the dorm house to shower and get something to eat. I spent some time talking to the other girl who had come on the ride and a new girl who had turned up at the Blue Duck.

I passed the afternoon sat in the sun and went for a short walk. Oh and we also rangled a couple more loose horses and put them back in what we assumed was the right field! I also spent time trying to change my plans for the next few days only to regret it later as we heard the weather wasn't meant to be good for our trek tomorrow.

In the evening I had opted for the meal offered by Blue Duck so I walked down there and had wild boar for the first time and apparently goat sausage. Though I'm unsure if this is correct. But it is entirely possible as I know Audrey had done the hunting trip and killed one that afternoon.

Thursday 12th March

So today was the day that we would travel into The National Park and do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. At 19.4km (12miles) long, this is said to be the best 1 day alpine trek in the world. However the weather forecast had said it was unlikely that we would be able to do it, with heavy rain and possible storms due in the afternoon.

Yesterday a couple of us had discussed staying in The National Park an extra day to do the walk when the weather was better. Luckily we had decided to wait and see how the weather was this morning.

In the dark we made our way back down the long twisty track, leaving The Blue Duck station behind us. As it happened, it had stormed last night and we had to stop and move some rocks on our way out. A little later on though we were told that it looked as though we could go ahead with the walk as the mountains looked quite clear.

This was good news but very unexpected, so Kim, Anne and I started trying to sort out our day packs out as we had pretty much accepted that we wouldn't be doing it today and had packed accordingly!

Tongariro is an active volcano which erupted twice in 2012 so it's not somewhere to go off on your own or not take seriously. I've not had a chance to watch the youtube clips ive been told exist from the eruptions but I do plan to- now that im safely back down. Tongariro is also right next door to Mt Ngauruhoe- aka Mt Doom.

We stopped at Adrift which checked what equipment we had and rented us whatever we didn't. We then got shuttled by them to the mountain range which looked amazing. But far to big to climb! On being dropped off we were given 7hrs and 20minutes to get to the car park at the other end to get picked up. And we were warned that if we missed that time, then it would cost $200 each to get picked up!

Kim and I had agreed days ago that since we both knew we were going to struggle with this climb, that we would do it together. This was a good thing because it was hard going and there was no way I would have kept up with the superfreaks -I mean this in the most affectionate way of course- who were out of sight within minutes! We both agreed to go slow and steady rather than push ourselves too much early on. Something that proved to be a good decision.

So you begin by walking through the valley before arriving at the first check point on our maps. We then carried on towards Devils Staircase which is exactly what it sounds like- hell! Even stopping alot in between the endless stair climb, we still made it to the second check point- the South Crater - well within the allotted time.

The South Crater is completely flat and looks something like I imagine parts of Mars does. Only with Mt Doom looming in the background. While it was plenty warm it was still cloudy but both Kim and I agreed that we preferred it that way as the hot sun of the day before, would have made it near impossible to stand.

As we started climbing again, this time on a rocky path, we began to feel pretty pleased with ourselves. The Devils staircase was the worst part by far and by the time we made it to the Red Crater we were amongst the lowest of clouds. Quite amazing.

The Red crater is a huge rock face across a type of canyon and its a brilliant red and black colour. Completely unreal. We stopped here for a few minutes to take pictures commenting on the smell of sulphur.

Kim moved on before me and soon called for me to come quick. She was only perhaps 200yrds in front of me but having risen just that bit higher she had a found the source of the sulphur smell. The Emerald and Blue Lakes- what a sight!

While up here we ran across a school group and spoke to one of the teachers who was hoping to complete the crossing for the first time- on her other attempts she had to turn back as there was too much volcanic activity!

Making our way down this next bit was tricky as it was so slidy with the rocks having turned to a Volcanic type of black sand that we sank into. It seemed to take a long time to get down to the lakes but at least it was easier on our legs and gave us great views.

After passing the Lakes we continued over another piece of open terrain. After there being lots of people on the paths the last 3 hours there were suddenly very few. It made for a nice change though as we briefly climbed upwards again. Luckily it wasn't nearly as strenuous as the earlier parts and we came across another bigger lake.

At this point it started to drizzle. The rain wasn't heavy but it was persistent so we put our raincoats on and continued on as the clouds moved lower. As Kim is a big LOTR fan we had spent the first part of the walk comparing thoughts on both of the trilogies.

Now as we walked around this mountain peak in the cloud, the very same one used in the trilogy, Kim mentioned how it would just complete the day to be able to listen to 'I see fire' or 'Misty Mountain'.

As it so happens, I have 'I see fire' on my phone!

So were walking along, just the two of us, singing along softly to Ed Sheeran while shrouded in cloud. Its raining but we simply didn't care as we were in our own little fantasy bubble. I think this may be my favourite memory from the day!

The next hour or so was passed with us barley seeing anyone else as walked mostly in a peaceful silence on the easiest part of the trek. So long as your going downhill anyway!

Kim is a Brit too from Stoke and we both agreed that this part of the crossing could almost pass as part of the English moors. At least until you pass more signs warning you to keep your stops to a minimum as this part of the 'Volcanic Hazard zone' is extra sensitive!

The only part of the trek that took us longer than the allocated time, was the very last part. Not because it was difficult- though the forest was never ending- but because Kim wasn't feeling too well so we took more breaks and plodded along at a very slow pace. Not that it mattered as we knew we would make it to the shuttle bus on time. While on this last part we also crossed through a 'Lahar' zone. Neither one of us knew what this was at the time but I now know that it's when there's a landslide that mixes with a river and follows the river bed leaving destruction in its wake.

Once we made it to the bottom carpark we met with most of the others- though not all of them which was worrying. We spent some time resting as we waited for the shuttle. Once it did arrive we were in for a nice surprise. The driver really did have cold beer waiting for us!

As they tried to track the rest of the group down we enjoyed our beers. And a second one as so many people were still missing. We managed to account for everyone but Alex and Sharon but another driver had seen two women that could have been them back at the other carpark.

After waiting an extra 40mintues we got back on the bus- beers in tow- and made the journey back to the small town. Just in time as it started raining heavily.

On arriving we checked in and got our bags from the coach. Kim showered first and then me. The hot water felt amazing on my sore muscles! After I finished I left the dutch girls to themselves and went to find some food or other people.

I succeeded in finding the rest of the group and heard that Alex and Sharon were still unaccounted for and Papa G was having to get rangers called in to search from them! As you can imagine with it now thundering we were all really concerned about them.

It turns out that they had been with Audrey and Anne doing the extra hike up to Mt Doom but on the way back Anne fell and hurt her arm. Because she then struggled to get down they told Audrey they were going to go on and try to finish the hike and catch the bus. Audrey then did the sensible thing and called adrift and asked what they should do. With the time frame they were told to go back the way they had come as they weren't even half way. Unfortunately Alex and Sharon weren't as sensible thinking they could walk it in 2 hours- our leaflets clearly told us that its a minimum of 3hours so i'm not sure what they were thinking!

As everyone split up, I ran into Kim and we agreed to get some grub. Ordering at the bar we got the Stray meal deal which is a burger and chips with a glass of wine. Having gotten a table by the rest of the group eating/drinking, we settled in waiting to hear any news. Soon Papa G got a message saying 'all off and safe'. I then went down and told the rest of the girls before returning to the restaurant.

Kim and I shared the table with the French couple and enjoyed a nice chat. Even sharing some brownie later on :)

About an hour after Papa G got the all clear message, Sharon and Alex turned up. Seeming very unconcerned about the trouble they had caused. Why am I not surprised with Alex involved? I did find it very ironic that she had been the one to ignore everything we had been told after having said that morning 'I don't see why they're making such a big deal about this trek'. Urmm it's an active volcanic mountain? Really you have to ask?

Anyway. Having completed our first mountain trek- or even our first all day trek- Kim and I were pretty pleased with ourselves. We headed back to the dorm really early but spent time playing on our phones before calling it quite around 11pm.

Friday 13th March
So for the first 4/5hrs of the night I slept like the dead but after that I woke up with another massive headache which only got worse as the time crawled by. In the end I couldn't sleep because it hurt so bad so I climbed down from my top bunk and dug out the migraine pills I had bought. This was fun in the dark, trying not to wake anyone. Luckily after having managed this I did get another hour or so sleep before we all got up and started to pack. Again.
Kim and I went and dumped our bags on the bus and then went to check out. Today would be an express day to Wellington which I didn't mind at all. The less required of me the better!
We did make quite a few stops today. I think partly because even the fittest of us were struggling today with our aching bodies. So getting us up and moving, even for a few minutes was a good idea.
We first stopped alongside the road as we drove through the 'carrot capital of NZ', Ohakune. Yep, that's a thing! They grow so many carrots here that they dump piles of them in the fields to feed the livestock. I didn't believe it myself until we saw the sheep eating them. Hence the stop to take pictures.
Next up we stopped in the gumboot tournament town of Taihape. I know, today it just got weirder and weirder. Apparently seeing how far you can throw a wellie is an international competition with the current male title holder coming from Scandinavia. So with Papa G's instance we got off the bus and competed against each other in an actual gumboot alley and I have to admit, it was actually quite fun in how ridiculous it was. I didn't do too well but also not too bad either. At least mine stayed on the track and went in the right direction- not everybodies did!
For lunch we stopped at the town of Bulls, which years ago became well known for being 'the only place in the world you can get milk from Bulls'. This caused quite the stir and the town has since played it up by making slogans and names using 'bull'. Eg the 'Delect-a-bull' cafe or the 'Relieve-a-bull' toilets.
Our last stop of the day was in Levin where we spent some time at a playground which quite frankly could have been made for adults as well as kids! We swung on the swings and some went in the hamster wheel before we continued on to Wellington.
On arriving about an hour later we passed the stadium where the world cup cricket is being played as well as the harbour. Funnily enough there was a ship there I recognised- P+O's Aurora! Odd to think I usually see this ship sail out of Southampton and here we both are on the opposite side of the world!
So even though we were checked in well before 4pm I really couldn't be bothered to do anything. Instead I spent some time sorting boring things like banking etc. At 6.30pm Anne and I went down to the bar next door as we get a free meal while travelling with Stray. It wasn't great but it was free food so I wasn't going to complain.
There had been talk of our watching the Wellington rugby match but a lot of the group headed down to the harbour after a drink. Papa G, Jeanine, Hannah and I stayed behind and talked while watching the game before Hannah went to make a call. Papa G then suggested going to an actual sports bar to watch the second period preferably somewhere with sound.
We acquired a couple more guys from the bus on our way out but as soon as we got to the sports bar, Five Stags, we ended up splitting up anyway! Jeanine and I spent an hour or so talking and drinking before saying goodbye to the guys and walking back to the hostel.
Once there I didn't stay long but went to explore Cuba Street a lively road with street performers and all kinds of food carts. It was winding down down by the time I got there so I continued on to Courtney Place, another social hangout.
Saturday 14th March
This morning I woke up extremely tired thanks to certain roommates who had friends coming and going all morning long. Still at least I'd enjoyed a deep sleep for awhile.
I decided to spend the morning down by the harbour and maybe visit the museum. As I walked along towards Oriental Parade I found there was a triathlon taking place. I then went along to Te Papa, which I've been told is the best museum in NZ.
I only had about about 90minutes here but it really is such an interesting place and you could easily spend a full day here. They have interactive displays, one especially good one is about recycling which is great for kids.
After spending some time looking at the oceans to mountains display I then moved on to the Earthquake/tsunami display where they have an actual room you can go in to 'feel' an earthquake. Lastly I visited the Maori history area but honestly I could have easily spent more time in both of these areas as there brilliant.
After leaving the museum I picked up some supplies and then wandered along to where the dragon boat racing was happening. I have to say it's very odd having that here after having visited south east asia where the dragon boat originates from.
At 1pm I was meeting Philip, a friend I made in Canada a few years ago. He's from Wellington and on hearing that I would be visiting, he had been kind enough to offer to show me around. So making sure to get back to the hostel 15minutes before our meet time, I left my shopping in my dorm and changed into long pants (it was a drizzerly day) I went outside just as Philip arrived.
We started by going to Weta Cave which is a small shop/museum which is an offshot of Weta studios who helped created many of the creatures and weapons for LOTR and the Hobbit films. I knew before coming to NZ that Wellington is often referred to as Wellywood with it now being quite the film making hub. It wasn't until we arrived at Weta Cave however, that I realised just how many films have come from this city, and Weta particularly.
During a short documentary on how the company began I learnt a lot. Firstly did you know there in the process of getting ready to film another 3 Avatar films? Okay, you might, but I didn't. Weta worked on the last one as well as Robin Hood, Tintin, District 9, Elyslum, The Hunger games, Narnia and many more.
Weta came into being after a chance meeting between Peter Jackson and the companies co-founders. At the time they were doing small time costumes and masks and Jackson had heard about them and wondered if they could help with his latest idea. After working with Jackson and making more film connections the company was born and started creating a name for itself over the coming years.
Inside Weta Cave they have collectable figures from their main works. There was a lot of LOTR and Hobbit stuff, but plenty of others too.
Philip kindly paid for us (insisting im already spending enough on this trip)to go into the actual workshop on tour which is something he had never done before himself. This would have been interesting enough but our guide was one of the actual workers, Elise. She gave us a good understanding on the processes they go through with each new piece of art. Its an extensive- and exhausting process- from creating a design to how best to build a test piece and what material to use. How realistic is it? How heavy? Are copies needed for different scenes? Does it need a lot of detail for close ups or will less do as it will be seen in the background?
They worry about how used the piece looks and if needed not only do they add 'wear' to it but first they will work out how the wear would look depending on how it's meant to end up like that. Eg. If it's for an alien weapon and they've been at war for years then their guns need to looked scuffed and greasy from their claw like hands so the team at Weta will work out exactly where the greasy marks would be on the gun and what to use so it doesn't rub onto the actors.
Weta is just a small part of creating films but they put so much time and energy into every step that it's hard to grasp how much work goes into the film/tv industry overall. I will definitely be paying more attention in future when I watch films!
On leaving Weta we stopped at a theatre we had passed on our way there. Currently in Wellington there is a Hobbit costume trail and this theatre is one of the locations being an old style cinema- interestingly, Philip told me that Peter Jackson and others were involved in reopening the theatres doors after it had closed down a few years ago.
After enjoying a drink and cake at the cafe inside, I took some pictures of the Hobbit pictures lining the wall and the Gandalf statue outside. We then moved on to the other nearby costume trail location- Wellington airport!
Inside the terminals they have a huge Gollum hanging from the ceiling along with 2 ravens with Gandalf atop one of them. In the same area were the costumes of two of the Hobbit dwarves- my favourite dwarf in fact, Kili. In the check in area they also have Smaug nestled into some 'rocks'. Its pretty cool though as they have his eyes opening and closing giving you a good glimpse at the difference his eyes make to his appearance.
On leaving the airport we drove up Mount Victoria and had a look at the viewpoint. I have to admit given the somewhat dreary weather today, I was pleasantly surprised at how good a view of the city we had. Truly beautiful overlooking the harbour and downtown area.
We made a short stop along Oriental Parade so I could take some pictures and then went along to the parliament buildings. There's a pretty cool pub across the street from here that has caricature statues of the different members of parliament. I find it pretty amusing that a lot of those said parliament members actually frequent the place!
Philip and I had thought to get something to eat at the waterfront and then watch the free saturday night movie in the park. We did watch some of the circus type acts performing in the park beforehand and they were very amusing. And we did get something to eat but all afternoon I had been yawning my head off. Anyone would think I was tired!
Anyway a little after 8 I decided to call it a night so Philip and I walked back to the hostel and said our goodbyes. Its less than two years since we met in Vancouver but it seems a lifetime ago and yet here we are the other side of the world having met up. I'm passing through Wellington in a few weeks time again so we'll have to see how things work out but maybe we'll see each other again soon.