Hey all, how's it going? I've finally stopped for five minutes so i thought i'd try and update you on what i've been up to! I started in Auckland an on my first night there i bumped into Tom who I was in Thailand with, so i headed down to the casino with him for a few hours to catch up etc! The next day I was picked up by the Kiwi Experience bus which didn't get off to the best start as we had a crash lol - the driver was adamant it wasn't his fault an too be fair he was probably right! Back on the bus our first stop was Mount Eden which had absolutely amazing 360 degree views of the whole of Auckland - you could see the harbour bridge, sky tower, Eden Park (where the Rugby World Cup final will be held) along with all the othe volcanoes etc. The views really were superb!!!
Back on the bus we headed for Mercury Bay an the Hot Water Beach. Some how you dig out the sand and hot water comes through the ground so you can actually make your own little hot water pool which is pretty cool - it was pretty hot at times though the sand was actually bubbling!!!
We got back on the bus and headed to our hostel where we had something to eat and a few drinks and started to get to know the other people on the bus.

The next morning we got on the bus and headed to Karanghake Scenic Reserve which was a pretty cool walk. We ended up walking through caves in the pitch black. After the walk we jumped back on the bus and headed to the town of Paeroa which is famous for the drink L&P - apparently its a really good hangover cure!!! After a quick stop we then headed to Matamata which was the filming location for Hobbition in Lord of the Rings! We had a quick cheesey photo by the Hobittion sign and then carried on our journey to Rotorua!