Had a really wkd few days and met alot of new people so thought i would update u all quickly. I am currently in Rotorua 4 the night b4 going on a small tour of the east coast where i shall be doing the 1st of my great walks- Lake Waikaremoana so am really looking 4ward 2 the nxt week- spec as the east coast has nt alot around (which will also prob mean no internet) bt is nice 2 b in places that rnt v touristy.

So this week started wiv me in Auckland n i had a big day shoppin on monday 4 everything i needed 4 my hiking while im over here. Got a great pair of walkin boots 4 around 60 quid which was gd n lots of cookin things along wiv a dehydrated roast chicken dinner 4 1 of the evenins on my hike- actually cant wait 2 c wat this is like- u cook it by pourin water into the bag so shud b interestin bt gd.

Tuesday i took the nt so long trip 2 Thames via Mount Eden (again) altho this time i didnt hav 2 walk up it n it was less cloudy so it was all gd! From Thames went up the Coromandel Peninsula to Hot Water Beach where u can dig a hole in the sand n hot water rises up creating ur v own hot pool. This wasnt as gr8 as i thought it was gonna b as there seemed 2 b only 1 place on the beach every1 was doin it so was v crowded n the tide came in v fast! In the afternoon the bus stopped at cathedral cove (where narnia was filmed) n was really nice. Was gr8 weather n there was a really nice beach down there n the cove itself was pretty kl- jus a big hole through the cliff bt was gd 2 c. Spent the rest of the day in the town of Whitianga where there wasnt too much 2 do bt stayed in a really nice place- On the Beach! Thats the name of the hostel bt wen we arrived there wasnt enough space in the dorms so got a twin room wiv a guy i met on the bus (Gino whose frm the netherlands) n was kl cus we had a kl little flat thing wiv this kitchen n bathroom that we shared wiv a couple of other guys. We found these really gd steaks 4 like 3 pound (really cheap 4 meat over here) n made a gd meal wiv lots of different vegs. In the evenin we jus relaxed n hung out wiv sum motre peeps frm our bus bt was kl 2 jus hang around chattin- like bein back at uni.

Wednesday mornin we took kayaks out onto the sea (since we were on the beach) n they were free frm our hostel! Was really gd altho we nearly gt washed out 2 sea as we didnt realise on the way back how far out wed come n was so tough paddlin back. Everytime u stopped u went back about 10 metres so jus had 2 keep goin- we were prob really stupid 2 go out so far n wnt b repeatin the exp- had blisters on my hands by the time i got back 2 shore. One point i saw this sail boat n started manically paddlin towards it in the hope they cud rescue me if i dint make it back bt was all gd n we can laugh bout it nw- lol. In the afternoon we made our way over to coromandel town which was even smaller than whitianga and had even less 2 do bt was a really nice place n agen stayed in a really nice hostel. In the evenin we had a bbq which was pretty gd and i ended up meetin this couple frm somerset! They were really nice n were so kl- theyre goin round nz in a car n jus camp out wherever they can. Theyve bin 2 thailand b4 as well n spent like a yr in austrailia so was really kl hearin all theyre stories n i found that i had lots 2 tell myself frm all my travels up til nw- tis kl 2 look back 4 abit n think about all the hilarious things that hav happened. They also seemed v impressed wiv my dehydrated roast dinner altho think they jus thought it was hilarious.

On thursday since i didnt hav alot 2 do i decided 2 prepare myself 4 nxt weeks walk by doing a hike up 2 Castle Rock (the highest point in Coromandel) n the views were really gd. Was a 6 hour hike in total n i hav no aches n pains 2day so is all gd! Also shud say that the people in new zealand r jus so nice! All the people iv met in hostels, n the people who own the hostels tryin 2 make u feel at home is really kl. I met this girl in the same hostel las night n shed already bin all around nz n done sum of the gr8 walks so she gave me sum advice n was gd cus i cud ask abbout how hard they were n wat food 2 take (n lots hav dehydrated meals so is all gd) n she gave me the leftovers of her milk powder so i can hav milk n cereal wen im up in the huts!

2day ive had another wkd day after going down the west rd along coromandel (the coast looked so nice) n taking a picture of the famous Lemon and Paeroa bottle. This afternoon i went on the tour of the Hobbiton film set! Was pretty much just a field with hills n little hobbit holes built into them bt was sooo kl. Was really surreal like i was actually in the film. N i got 2 c the party tree n go up 2 bag end n we got told all these kl facts about the films and little tricks they use (like wen sam says ive never bin this far away frm home- its about 20m away frm the hobbit holes in the hill). After we got 2 see a sheep b sheared n got 2 feed the lambs which were so cute- was a really gd day overall!

Am looking 4ward 2 the nxt week wiv all the walkin n seein the east coast- lets hope its as gd as this week. Also keep hearin frm every1 how amazin the south coast is so am really lookin 4ward 2 that n am v eager 2 get down there. Still spendin lots bt hav decided i dnt care- am havin the best time n if thats wat it costs then so b it- i shall make the most of it! Hope u r all well back home n rnt 2 jealous of the sunny weather i am having over here! ;-)