Hello people! Well once back in Auckland, I took a day to explore the nearby island of Waiheke. Although the weather was a bit cold and overcast I explored the local beaches, shops and cafes of this quaint place that in summer would be paradise, only half an hour by boat from Auckland. Shar arrived in Auckland that evening but I didn't manage to meet her due to the crap staff at the hostel! So the next day I booked onto a bus to Rotorua, and did manage to meet her for a cheeky beer before I left! Rotorua is lovely, if a bit stinky due to the sulphur from all the thermal activity! For those who don't know, New Zealand is made up of volcanoes and Rotorua is a hub of thermal activity making it a hot spot for tourists such as myself!! It is also the culture capital of NZ, offering lots of cultural evenings and so I headed off to a Maori Concert and Hangi. It was a great evening and a kind Kiwi couple, an Aussie and an Austrian adopted me as I was blatantly a loner!! i think it had something to do with the Austrian guy taking a liking to me and telling me I was a 'beautiful lady' (!!) and 'his burning river', but I'm not quite sure what he meant by that (we only talked!!)! The Tamiki Village was great and they were so welcoming. They performed cultural dances and songs for us including the Haka which was pretty impressive! After we had a feast called a Hangi that they cook in the ground which was yummy! The next day I had a relaxing morning in the Polynesian Spa's (despite the Japanese tour bus!) and had a walk around the area to see the thermal activity, but turned back when the smell got too much! After meeting Shar off the bus we went for a couple of beers and watched in horrer as Oz started to kick our asses in the Ashes. I am not impressed and glad I am not in Oz. (hmmm.) We then went to the nearby Agrodome to jump into a plastic ball together, have some water thrown in and be rolled down a hill. Zorbing. The funniest thing I have ever done!! I couldn't stop laughing as both of us tried in vain to stand up! Highly recommend it!! Then I had to jump on the bus back to Auckland in the rain...