What a Few Days!!!

We have been out of touch...... Out of WIFI and also.... Out of this world!!!

Here's why.....

15/11/11
A day of driving. Having left the bay of Islands, it was time to head South to continue with our tour of the North Island. LOTS of driving but LOTS of sites and LOTS of fun. We started by heading back through Whangarei and popped into town to have a quick look at the hospital and the housing market and prices. Bungalows or 'Sheds' as they are called here is very much the order of the day. When we asked someone why this was the case....... Because there is plenty of room!! Brilliant answer.   Anyway..... Onwards to Auckland. A quick drive over the Harbour Bridge and a swing by the Sky Tower was enough for us. We have enough cities in England... This is all about the scenery and being out in the middle of nowhere.  We continued through Hamilton and into Cambridge. That's right, Cambridge in New Zealand. A beautiful small village with the most amazing school we have ever seen and also a rather good cafe where we stopped for a snack. A chocolate brownie for Sarah and a date scone for Neil. Both delicious. Not time to stop though..... Back on the road and onwards to 'Matamata'. Made famous as the set of Hobbiton in LOTR. They are currently filming the Hobbit here so was very excited but alas, no film stars spotted!!  The final part of our day saw us arrive in Rotorua. Sarah was not feeling great by now so Neil decided to aid her feeling by booking some relaxing activities for the next few days before heading up to a campsite next to Lake Rotoiti for the night. Enough time for a feast of a BBQ before bed. 

16/11/11
A day of peace and tranquility..... YEAH RIGHT!!!
Let's start with the morning....... Meeting a local company for some white water rafting on the Kaituna River. In Neil's words...... Awesome. In Sarah's words.... A multiple near death experience. Great fun was had by both and it was made personal by it being out of season and therefore just the 2 of us and the guides who were all great fun.  Although there was one hairy moment when the boat flipped on the largest waterfall...... Leaving Sarah floating off downstream and Neil trapped under the boat at the bottom of the waterfall. Apparently we were both panicked about the others safety immediately which was according to our guides quite cute but also rather sickening. Having got the photos and said our goodbyes (as well as a job offer for Neil) we showered and went on a way for a peaceful couple of hours.