We didn't have to be on the coach til 9am this morning so it wasn't too painful getting up.
We went around lake Taupo to a remote part of the north island. We stayed in Blue duck Lodge. It's named after the rare blue ducks that live around there.
To get to the accommodation we had to turn off the main road then when it looks like your in the middle of nowhere you take a turn for 40km into the national park. The lodge is a working station with cows and sheep and an environmental conservation leader ensuring the national park stays the way it is. They shoot goats, wrestle boars, trap and kill rats, rabbits and cats. They actually encourage you to run over a cat if you see them and your driving. Apparently the first settlers introduced these animals but they kill the land and the cats kill the rare blue duck so the people at the lodge kill the non native animals. In fact one of their activities is goat shooting! We went with clay pigeon shooting instead. To be honest I don't want to talk about it because I was rubbish at it and completely freaked out when the gun went off. I hate being rubbish at stuff and to top it off Lee was the best! Maan.
After shooting plates that look nothing like pigeons we went for an hour walk to a waterfall to try and find the rare birds. Whilst Lee and Melissa scrambled down the rocks to the bottom of the fall I had a chat to a bird. It actually freaked me out because it came about 30cm away from me so I had to walk away.... Didn't want to get in it's way. When we got back from the walk me and Lee were given a separate room. They love pointing out couples and to be honest it was the most bizarre 'private' room. It was at the end of the dorm. Literally there was a door at the back of the room with two separate beds? We had to walk through the dorm to get out or go the toilet and we happened to have people on the trip who didn't like to speak English so were sometimes a little rude. For example when I wanted to get past I'd say excuse me and I'd have to wait until they were finished doing what they were doing... I didn't wait that long the second time I just repeated EXCUSE ME, can you move I need to get past! More a fact than a question. Different parts of Germany seem to have different levels of politeness. They're not meaning to be rude it's just what they're used to in their culture so you can't get offended. It is annoying sometimes though.
That night me and Lee invented the best tea ever! Super noodles mixed with a cup of soup. Seriously give it a try. Just do your chicken noodles the standard way and have your cup of soup ready, preferably red Thai curry flavour, then when you have your noodles in your bowl tip in the cup of soup. BOOM. It tastes 'awesome' Melissa's favourite word!
We ate that whilst watching the others shoot the clay then we all sat around the camp fire whilst playing 'I'm going to the moon and I'm going to bring...' Then bed!