Today was a very eventful day! I started the day by facing a fear of mine - caving. We traveled to the Waitomo caves, famous for the numerous glow worms which live there. There are a variety of ways to explore the caves and I opted for "black water rafting" - floating through the rivers and rapids on a tyre inner tube!

We were kitted out in thick wet suits, wellies and helmets with lights and were led across farm land to the entrance of the cave. This was the hardest part for me - after squeezing down a ladder, I reached a boulder where the guide was waiting. He pointed to a small gap in front of me and said, "Slide down that gap until you reach the water, walk carefully for 15 metres until you reach a yellow post and wait for me there." The space was tiny and I nearly backed out! I made it though, terrified to start with, but quickly adjusted to the dark and the idea of being in a very small space 30m under ground... And it was fantastic. The cave was incredibly beuatiful with huge stalagmites and stalagtites and strange formations. There was only a small amount of crawling through tunnels, and most of the time we were in the water swimming or floating. It was freezing! Hands and toes like ice blocks. But I quickly forgot about the cold when we all turned our lights off and floated through the winding passages by the light of the glow worms. It was like gazing up at the night sky. It was magical experience and I was very proud of myself for going through with it.

Once everyone had emerged from the caves, the bus took us down the road to New Zealand's only Angora rabbit farm. It was hilarious! The rabbits were so furry they were the size of small dogs until they were sheared when we saw they were actually just regular bunny size. They were extremely cute. They have been bred for their fur to such an extent that they have to be sheared 4 times a year or they die from overheating. Also, they can only mate once they're hairless. To shear them they use a strange contraption which attaches to their front and hind legs, stretching them out. They then turn them round like they're on a spit! The ladies sheared a small patch for us to stroke their skin which was the softest thing I've ever touched.