Day 4: 4/1/13
I didn't sleep much last night- ill be sleep deprived after this trip! The hostel was roasting and the room was like a sauna. I only got to the room around quarter to 2. I was definitely still awake at half 2 and the alarm went off at half six. I was on the top bunk of course and had to climb down. I had my bag and valuables on the bed with me and I took out the key before I got down and left it on the bed near the ladder. When I got down I couldn't find it. I needed to go to the toilet and you can't come back into the room without the key! I ended up having to leave my shoe in the door and being as quick as I could so no one would move it! I spent about 5 minutes searching for the key then as there was a $20 deposit for it an eventually found it tangled in between the sheets! How it got there when I only left it down for a second I do not know!
I paled up all my stuff then. I wanted the front of my rucksack as the day bag so I had a bit of reorganising to do! When I got downstairs they wouldn't check me out until I went back upstairs and got my pillowcase! You can imagine how delighted I was!
The pickup for the stray bus was just around the corner from the hostel. There were a few people waiting there and the bus came without too much delay.
We spent a good while driving around to other hostels collecting people and then we were brought to the stray office to check our ID's and show us how to hange our trip if we want to stay longer somewhere. I won't be doing that as I'm flying the next day after the trip so I don't have any extra days for staying places.
We drove about an hour then to a place called Thames, which they pronounce Tims. There's a river there and when Captain Cook discovered the islands he sailed up the river and thought it was quite like the Thames in London so he named the town after it. The river itself is called something else- the guide wasn't too sure! The bus driver is the guide. Her nickname is Motors- she wouldn't say why! She seems fairly chatty and easy going but most of the time we were driving she didn't say much. She doesn't seem to be one for information about places really - she just announces what were going to do next.
In Thames we stopped in the Supermarket to get food and drink for the next few days. It was like a massive aldi type place so there were offers on lots of things and a lot of own brand cheap stuff. That was good!
After that we all got on the bus again to go to Hahei. The option for the afternoon was kayaking, but only four people on the bus signed up for it. I pressure the reason for a lot of people was that it was going to cost 75 dollars and its a 3 hour long kayak. I haven't been in a kayak for years so three hits would be a bit much!
Most of us that weren't kayaking did a hike to the same place you go to on the kayak. We walked onto Hahei beach, right near the accommodation, which was mostly a camping area but had rooms for us. The beach itself was gorgeous. The sea was really blue and there these little islands out in the ocean which made the view really good. The trek was about an hour long with lots if climbing but wasn't too tough. It brought you to Cathedral Cove- a lovely cove secluded by cliffs. There were more islands in the water and a cave in between two coves so it looked really cool.
We had about an hour to kill then when we went back and then it was time for a barbecue. This is one of the only meals were having together I think. The guide bought all the food- there were lots of salads and lots of meat. It was good!
After that we put on our swim wear and went to hot water beach. Here there are springs under the ground so when the tide is out you can dig a hole in the sand and the water underneath will make a hot pool. When we got there, there were lots of holes already dug. Some were cold but we found one that was roasting. It would actually burn you! It was weird to see everyone with their swim suits sitting on the beach in a puddle of water! It was good! The only problem was that you got lots of sand on your arse!!
When we came back everyone sat around the kitchen chatting and drinking. I hadn't bought any drink for tonight as I had been so tired. But sure after everyone chatting the time flew and it was quarter to one when I got to bed.
Everyone seems really nice. There are a lot of people travelling on their own so everyone is nice as they are in the same boat. There are about 42 people though so I don't know will I ever get to know all their names!