Hello again! I couldnt blog last night so here is yesterdays blog..... After a lovely evening at Tutrle Bay, my left eye started really hurting and I couldnt open it. It had been hurting on and off since we got here but this time was really bad. Went to bed and managed to get a really good sleep, such a comfy bed, but eye was still bad when I woke up and stayed bad all day :( The bus driver said to go to a pharmacy and get some eye wash when i could. So, the bus left at 7.30 which was pretty early!Our first stop was the Karangahake Scenic Reserve which was an amazine gorge with a river going through. It really was stunning. We had to go over two really wobbly swing bridges and back which reminded me of Im A Celeb. We also went through some old railway mining tunnels which were pretty small and pitch black! Got to see some glow wormstoo :) Was a really good trip even though a group of us went completely the wrong way and ended up getting lost! Didnt mind the detour though and got back to the coach in the end. Jumped back on the bus and went to Matamata, the filming location for Hobbiton (in Lord of the Rings). Had to pay loads to get in the set, but we got some photos by the Hobbiton sign (with a gollum statue and everything!) instead. Had some lunch then tried to find a pharmacy but it was shut because it was national 'white tounge day' which is a bank holiday. After lunch we made our way to Rotorua, our overnight destination. Me, Mike, Ajay and Ross, with a few others from the coach, choose to take a trip to Te Puia, NZs most famous thermal park which was great. The weather was gorgeous and we saw geysers, boiling mud pools, hot springs, saw a real Kiwi and went to the Maurai arts centre which was good too! Got some good photos and brought a soap bar and face mask made out of the mud from the pools. After that we joined the others at out hostle for the night, Base Rotorua. A nice hostle, were in a dorm of 8 with a btahroom and there was a pool! So spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool (couldnt go in because of my eye) so am picking up a tan at last! Me and Mike look so pale on the coach as most people have done Oz before. That evening we went to a Maurai village for an evening. It was such a good night!!! The bus driver who took us there was brilliant teaching us what we had to do, and some of the language. She picked a guy to become the cheif of our group for the night. First we were greeted in the traditional Maurai way. Our cheif was challenged by the cheif to prove we came in peach and he had to stand there as the cheif Maurai warrior shouted at him and stuff and he wasnt allowed to laugh even when the guy was pulling crazy faces. Not sure I would have managed!! We were greeted by a warrior fighting dance then singing, then we were let in the village. We could have our photos taken with the Maurais and chatted to them about their life. They taught us some games and were soo funny and welcoming, not as scary as they seemed at first!! We were then shown how our evening meal was being cooked which was in an underground over they had made. Then we went into a tent and the performed a show for us which was amazing. They were soo talented and it was so uplifting. We then went on to have dinner. I didnt really enjoy the food but was nice to all eat in their dining room. Went outside to get some photos of the village by night then got back on the bus for the journey back to Base. Bus driver had us all singing along to songs. Was so funny as she was getting one person from each country to come up and sing a song from their country which ended in lots of singalongs. Drivers choice was "She'll be coming round the mountain" and she drove round and round a little roundabout for the whole song haha! Anyway, got back to Base pretty late then headed to bed. Was a really good day, getting to see some amazing sights and really enjoyed the Maurai evening.