So we left Sydney on the shuttle bus from our Hostel at about 4pm, arrived at the airport at about 4.30pm. We checked our bags in which took ages as we had to sort out Visa's etc for New Zealand. Then we were rushing about as we had to board the plane, some of us got Maccy's, then we literally rushed that down and quickly got round to the gate we was boarding at only to find out that our plane had been delayed for an hour. So we chilled out for a hour trying to sort out if me and Matt could change our flights to Sydney instead of flying to Brisbane as we had changed our mind about where are going to live after NZ. After our 3 hours flight we arrived in Auckland around midnight just after. Manage to find another shuttle bus to take us to our Hostel, by the time we got there it was about 2.30am now and we had to start our Kiwi Experience at 7am in the morning.

Paihia - Bay Of Islands - 13/01/12
The next morning was a tiring one as we had only 3 hours sleep, but we had a 3 hour ride to the north of Auckland to a place called Paihia. It was quite well organised as a clip board gets passed through the bus and you write your name, the Hostel you wanted to stay at and what activities you want to do while you are at the place that your heading to. Then the driver calls them up and books you in. After all checking into the same room we went for a little walk around to book things for the next day. The girls booked there sky dive and all of us booked a boat to take us to swim with dolphins which will be a good experience. The rest of the day we had a little food shop, went for a jog and had a couple of drinks in the bar after dinner, then went and watched Notting Hill.
The next day the girls were up early as they had to go on there Skydive which they really enjoyed, then straight away when they came back they had get the cozzies on and straight out on to the boat for the dolphins. When we got on it Clare was already sitting on the boat as she got the bus after us. It was a really bumpy boat ride which made a few people feel ill, but the dolphins were really nice in there little packs swimming beside the boat which seem to perk people up. A couple even jump in the air for us. But as the sea was really rough they wouldn't let us swim with them which was a bit of a let down. When we got back we put dinner on had a few drinks in the Hostel bar to celebrate the girls doing there sky dive and that Jo was officially staying in Sydney as it was 50-50 before. Clare managed to get another bus back down to Auckland instead of staying another night so she could travel with us for the rest of the time. We had to be up and out by 10am the next morning as we had to check out, and we just chilled all day in the Hostel catching up with our blogs diaries and uploading pics before our 2.45pm bus back down to Auckland...

Auckland - 15/01/12
So after our bus ride back down to Auckland we checked into a different Hostel that we had checked into before. The girls were in a different room to us on the floor below and seemed to have this Indian bloke which seemed quite dodgy. When they went for a shower one of the other girls in there room came running to Gemma saying that the Indian bloke had been looking in there stuff for some reason. We didn't say anything to him until they had a look in there kitty purse and $45 was missing. The police came along and chucked him out for it as a few other things had gone missing in that room since he had been in there. We then went to the downstairs bar and had a good night. All the other went home but me and Clare stayed until the end and the slowest song came on called 'It's Closing Time'. Quite funny at the time. The next day we had to been up and out on the bus at 7.30am so we was all quite tired and ready for a nap on the bus ride down to Coromandel Peninsula.

Coromandel Peninsula (Hot Water Beach) - 16-01-12
After we arrived at Hot Water Beach we all got in as it was evening time, checked in and got our clothes ready for the next day. This place looked like the Caravan Club out of 'The Inbetweeners'. We then all got dinner and had a little chill before heading down to the beach. When we arrived down at the beach there were loads of people down there anyway digging holes and making a little pool. Then you sit in the water as it was steaming hot as they have a super hot volcanic water stream under the ground which was interesting. We all sat there and had a beer loving life. We then all went back and went to sleep as were knackered, and we had to get up early again and on the bus 7.30am and onto Waitomo...

Waitomo - 17/01/12
We all jumped up early and onto the bus heading down to Waitomo. We all booked up Black Water Rafting except Chris and Clare for that day. On the way the bus had a problem with the electronics so we had to sit somewhere for 2 hours while another bus was driven down from Auckland which would take about 2 hours. So we just chilled around the supermarket and a couple of different shops so we wasntn't to bored. After arriving and checking into this really nice Hostel with no bunk beds me, Matty, Gem, Becky and Jo got ready and waited outside for the Black Water Rafting crew to pick us up for our 5 hour adventure through the caves. So after getting all our rubber gear on and a few pics we all heading down to the caves. They showed us how to absale down a 40m black hole which was really fun before getting into the pitch black caves. We all started making our way around the caves on zip lines in pure darkness which was quite funny. Then they gave us a hot chocolate each and a flapjack before jumping into the water. They gave us a hoop each and as I was at the front I went first and had to jump in with the dingy around my bum and land in the water. The water was absolutly freezing, about 12 degrees. We started walking around the caves in the freezing cold water for about a km before we stoopped again and they gave us a hot drink and a piece of chocolate. Then after that we started to climb waterfalls which could be dangerous but they showed us where to put your feet etc so you wouldn't slip. Then eventually we made it outside before we had a few more pics to showed we survived it. They had been taking pics all the way through so there was quite a collection that you could buy at the end. We all had a hot shower and got changed before they fed us with hot tomato soup and bagels. They then took us back to our Hostel just down the road so we could have a proper shower and go to the bar outside. The bar was quite busy and a little bit of music was really nice while sitting there having a few beers. We got a lay in until 9.30am the next morning before having to jump on the bus to Rotorua...

Rotorua - 18/01/12
We left Waitomo at about 10.30am and picked up the rest of the crew from Black Water Rafting as they had a few that got up at 6.45am and did it. Matt was sitting at the front of the bus the day before so he wrote everyones name down so we got a decent time for doing it. After arriving in Rotorua we all checked into our Hostel at about 3pm. Jo, Becky and Gemma were together, Chris and Matt was in a different room and me and Clare was in a different room so we was all split up. At 3.30pm Matty (bus driver) picked me, Chris, Jo, Becky, Gem and Clare up and a few others and took us Luging (basically a little go-kart which you stop by pulling the handle bars back and holding it half way to make it go) down all these different tracks which was a lot of fun, Matty didn't fancy it so he stayed back and watched some Prison Break. When we got back the girls and Matt were going to this New Zealnd Culture dinner where they would go to place and they cook there food underground as there was something in ther ground thats cooks the food. Me and Chris didn't fancy it as it was $88pp. There was a free BBQ outside our Hostel at the bar opposite so we went there and had dinner and basically chilled out until the others got back at around 10.30pm. When Clare got back she was moaning about she had ate too much food as it was a all you can eat buffet. So we went for a little half hour walk, then back to the Hostel for some sleep. The next morning we got up and jumped on the bus for 8.45am and headed for Taupo...

Taupo - 19/01/12
We stopped at a nice place like 5 minutes around the corner for a tour around Tepuia (which was the largest Geyser in the southern Hemisphere) which was cool when the boiling hot water shot up in the air about 100ft. The reason for this is that a complex spring which discharges water in a cyclic manner. It is thought that a geyser requires an intricate plumbing system involving one or more chambers into which hot water, steam and gases are fed. Eventually this reservoir becomes sufficiently pressurised and hot enough for the water to begin boiling. From the rapid and violent pressure within the chamber, water is forced up the geyser vent and the ejected up in the air. The tour guide cooked a load of eggs in a boiling water pool for a couple of minutes and let us all have one each. After the tour we all headed back to the bus to head to Taupo. When we arrived in Taupo the boys were in one room and the girls were in another. Then me, Matt and Chris went to the supermarket to pick up some food for the next couple of days as there weren't no shops to go to where we was going next. Later that night we all arranged to go for a curry so we found a Indian restraunt. Matt had never had a curry before, he loved it and wants to go for one in Brick Lane when we get back. There was a couple of Clare's mate that were meeting us aswell as one of Vhris's mates that they were travelling with. When we met them we found out that me and Matt knew Clare's 2 mates from our room in Byron Bay. After the curry we got some drinks from the bottle shop and had a few drinks in our rooms before going down to Element Bar next door. We played a little bit of pool, had a little dance and Jo won $100 for winning the wet t-shirt competition. After that everyone started to leave and me and Jo stayed for about half an hour after before heading back to go to bed.

River Valley - 20/01/2012
We arrived at this little place at the end of this road, not alot to do except for White Watr Rafting which was the next day. So the girls, Matt and Chris went down to the river for a dip and a go on the swing while I met this girl called Samina and went for a 3 hour walk with her. Later that night I cooked carbanara for us lads and the girls before watching 'Taken'. The next morning me, Jo, Becky, Matt and Gemma got up at about 8am as we were going White Water Rafting. So after getting all ready for it in our wet suits we headed on a 25 minute drive to where it started. Us 5 were all in the same boat which waas good. They told us that they have boats flip once every 2 weeks so we have to be careful. That day 3 boats tipped and in a dangerous part aswell. When we drgged some of the boys onto our boat they looked so scared of what just happened as they couldn't get there heas above the water. Next thing just about to go and a huge tree fell down the cliff and landed right in our way. They told us that if the second boat didn't tip then we would be right under that tree as it fell so in some way we all felt like we cheated death. When we arrived back at the Hostel we all jumped back on the boat for a 5 hour bus drive to Wellington.

Wellington - 21/01/2012
We arrived at Wellington about 7pm and checked into a 20 bed dorm which was cool as there were loads of us that knew each other. So me, Matty and Chris went out to get subway for dinner and grab some drinks to have while we were getting ready. Then after that we headed out with everyone down the road to Base Hostel which has a bar underneath. After a few drinks in there we headed to another bar down the road which we couldn't get into at the start as we weren't wearing collars. Then they realised how many of us there was a let us in. It turned out to be a really good night. We hadn't even spent 12 hours in New Zealand's capital city before having to leave again to catch a Ferry to the south island...