Hi everyone! Well it has been a mad 5 days, can't believe how much I have done in less than a week - I'm bloody exhausted!!!

12/2 - Auckland to Hahei. Left Auckland and started my adventure on the Stray bus. Our driver was called 'Skins'! Made friends with an English and a Canadian girl almost straight away and we all got on really well. Our first stop was to Mount Eden, which had fantastic views over Auckland. It was really cold and windy and I was shattered having had no sleep the night before in the dorm room from hell! We then went to the Hot Water Beach and had to dig a hole in the sand so that the hot water from beneath would fill it. It was 64 degrees as it is on top of a volcano and the water was so nice it was like being in a hot bath!! The weather was a bit grey but once we got in the hole we warmed up. Arrived at our lodge in time for a BBQ dinner which was yummy. We then went on an evening walk to Cathedral Cove which was pretty hard going but the cave and beach were really cool and it was worth the steps!! Had an early night as was so exhausted.

13/2 - Hahei to Raglan. Friday 13th!!! Well I'm not normally superstitious but today was a bit of a disaster. Our bus broke down on the way to Raglan and we were stuck in the most boring town for hours. Our driver was a bit of an ass and was pissing everyone off and it took us ages to get to Raglan. When we arrived the town looked really nice but I was reluctant to surf after my last attempt and it was bloody freezing! Our lodge was in the middle of nowhere and was really cute. We went on what was supposed to be a gentle 1 hour walk but was anything but gentle although it did have great views of the sea. We then went on the Flying Fox ride which is a zip wire and I went hurtling backwards down it but it was a lot of fun. After dinner we went to Bridal Veil Falls which really did look like a brides veil. Bit of a disappointing day.

14/2 - Raglan to Maketu. Valentines Day!!! Had the best Valentines Day ever!!! Left Raglan this morning and it was freezing. Arrived at the Waitomo Caves at 10 and got dressed into very sexy wetsuits complete with white wellies! We then went blck water rafting/toobing in the caves and it was awesome!!! There were 6 girls and everyone got on well, and we had to cover our faces with mud. We had a walk through the woods and then climbed down into the caves. The water was freezing and we had to walk/climb through the caves before jumping backwards off the ledge with a rubber ring into the water and then pulling yourself along a rope in the pitch black - great fun! The gloworms on the ceiling were all lit up and it was so beautiful. It was so tiring climbing over the rocks when the boots were filled with water and really heavy but it was such a laugh and the glowworms were amazing - did you know the glow is from their poo as they don't have bums!! In the afternoon we went zorbing! Zorbing is basically an inflatable hamster ball which you get inside and it was filled with water and rolled down a hill!! I went in with my friend and it was the funniest thing ever! It went really fast and we were holding hands and laughing the whole way down. Brilliant!! We arrived in Maketu at a Mawri village and were welcomed by Uncle Boy who we were staying with and said Kiaora which means hello. Had a yummy dinner and then we had to select a chief of our group who had to be welcomed in the traditional way before we were allowed to enter. The mawris were dressed in traditional wear and were approaching the slected chief shouting and sticking out their tongue and waving a stick - it was very intimidating!! We then had to greet everyone by touching noses and then the show began. It was brilliant, and they performed the haka (just like in the rugby!) and various songs and dances which we all joined in with. The boys then had to learn the haka and the girls had to learn how to use the Po (spelt wrong!) but I would have prefered to do the haka and we then performed it which was pretty funny. We had to wave a pom pom on a piece of string and try and catch it which didn't really work but a smile gets you far!! Was such an enjoyable evening, they were so freindly and welcoming and I learnt so much about their culture and Uncle Boy's family. We slept on the floor and it was the best night sleep!!

15/2 - Maketu to Taupo. Skydiving day!!! After the exhausting day before we decided to have a chilled out morning at the Thermal Village in Rotorua. The place stinks of rotten eggs which is from the thermal pools and mud. The village was really nice and the local people bathe in the pools and cook their food in it which is very impressive. They performed a show for us which was great fun and then we ate the sweetcorn they cooked in the water,very yummy. The boiling mud pools was great to watch but absolutely stunk!! We then drove to the hot springs and took a dip in the water which was boiling hot. We arrived in Taupo in the afternoon and I WENT SKYDIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god it was absolutely amazing I will bore you all with the DVD when I get back! I had an instructor called Reno and he was completely mad. He told me to relax and then kept forgetting equipment which the others had and I had to keep asking him. We had a bright pink plane and as we were taking off he realised I didn't have a cap or goggles and so we had to land -that made me nervous!! The views were breathtaking as the plane got higher and I went to 15,000 feet. I was surprisingly calm the whole way but kept thinking that I didn't realise it would be this high up! When it was our time I didn't have time to be scared as the instructor just jumps out before you can think about it! It was just an unbelieveable feeling and I couldn't stop smiling. We freefalled for 60 seconds and it was just brilliant. You could see everything and it was a really clear day. When the parachute came up I took my googles off and had a look around. It was all over so quickly and when we landed I wanted to do it again!!!! Was speechless afterwards and just kept saying wow! It was definitely the best thing I have ever done and I would recommend it to everyone!!!!! Was so exhausted after the jump and we went back to the hostel in Taupo and had some dinner. We then went to see Huka Falls which I thought would be yet another waterfall but they were so impressive and were fast flowing rapids with really clear blue water- very cool, and then we chilled out in some hot springs and I could not stop smiling after the skydiving!

16/2 - Taupo to Tongariro. Had an early start this morning and made our way to Tongariro National Park to do the Tongariro Crossing, which was a gruelling 19.4km walk!!!! Oh my god it was bloody exhausting and took us about 6 hours but it was absolutely breathtaking and definitely worth the pain I am now in!! The first part was pretty easy going and then came the hike up the mountain to the South Crater which was awful and was only saved by pick & mix sweets we brought with us! Then we arrived at the Red Crater which was a very red crater and really spectacular. We practically slid down the mountain as the terrain was really slippy and then arrived at the Emerald Lakes which again lived up to their names and were bright green! Was blown away by the views and although it was a bit cloudy the mist kept clearing to reveal the most stunning scenery. The last part although being downhill was definitely the worst part as it was never ending!! The path kept twisting and turning and you could see where you needed to get to but it kept getting further away. The final 2km was through the woods and just took forever, it felt like 20km! We eventually arrived delusional and stuffed with sweets at the end and collapsed it a heap!! Back at the hostel now which is really lovely and we are going to hit the hot tub later if I can even walk!! Off to Wellington tomorrow and planning on staying put for a few days as I'm exhausted xxxxxxxxx