All right, I finally had a moment to sit down and explain the photos that I recently added to the photo album. Well, the last journal entry that I wrote was after Wellington. The next day I hiked the Tongariro Crossing, known as one of the best day hikes in NZ! A suitable name. David dropped me off at 8:30 and I hiked along with other people that came on bus trips. The first part of the hike across the Mangatepoo valley was easy. Then I hit the first real climb up to the South Crater. The climb was over lava rocks and it was very steep. After crossing the South Crater, I had an amazing view of Mt. Ngauruhoe. Another steep climb to the Red Crater (the highest point of the hike was 1886 meters). I met some Brazilian guys (Ivan and Felipe) at this point, who became my new hiking buddies. We slid down the loose rocks to Emerald Lakes, just before the fog set in. The pictures do not do them justice. Then the rest of the hike was a bit easier. The guys helped me practice my spanish along the way to kill time. We hiked past the Ketetahi hot springs and then through some bush. By the end of the 6 1/2 hours, my toes were even more swollen than when I did the Queen Charlotte. Also, somewhere along the way I hurt my ankle. Yep, I am a regular klutz. Oh, well. So, i hopped on a bus up to the city of Taupo. The bus driver provided quality comic entertainment along the way. Plus, he knew a great deal about the World Cup teams. That seems to be the topic around th country right now. In fact, I have found it interesting that a lot of people are talking about going to Thailand during the World Cup because it comes on at night over there (and beer is cheap). Anyway, Ivan walked me to meet David at Mulligans (a local pub). Felipe was heading straight to bed for a nap. We hung out and celebrated our journey for a bit. Unfortunately, David didn't get to go sky diving because there was bad weather in Taupo all day. I tried to put up my tent after that but the tent poles were broken from some bad wind a few days prior. I was having such bad luck with things this week. I forgot my running shoes in Greymouth (had to have them mailed to me), forgot to give my key back to one of the hostels, forgot my collection of food at another hostel, forgot that the tent was broken, and who knows what else. Anyway, we went out for a night on the town with the Brazilian guys, it was a blast. The next day, David finally got to go sky diving! I of course did not, but I did limp my way around town running erans all day. It was quite nice actually. After David returned, we drove out to see Huka falls. So cool! I don't think I have ever seen water move that fast. I also got my tent fixed for only $18. Then we made the short drive up to Rotorua. It rained most of the way. Saw my fifth rainbow in New Zealand as we drove into town. We arrived and just walked around the town. Dodgie 2, I forgot how bad that town smelt from all of the sulfur in the air. However, it felt like yesterday that we were last there. Anyway, David made some wonderful lamb for dinner. Umm! It was so good. It was an early night for me, I was in bed by 9:00. We head out to see the sights the next day with Carissa, a friend we met the night before from North Carolina. We went to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley outside of town first. I can actually say that this was the first thing that I have done in New Zealand that I felt was a complete rip off! We paid $28 to walk through these hot geothermal areas and they were not very interesting at all. To make matters worse, it rained all morning long. So, by the end of it, we were soaked, cold, and miserable. The only cool thing that we saw was the Inferno Crater Lake. Oh, and my ankle-toes were killing me. Yep, so not too pumped up to do anything after that. David and I headed into townb had a great lunch then went to see Ice Age II (it was the only thing playing when we got there). The evening turned out to be a whole lot better. We attended a Maori Hangi. We chose a smaller one with the Mitai tribe outside of Rotorua. The guide was incredible. There were 11 nations represented in the people attending, and he had comments in each language that was spoken. Carissa got David to volunteer to be our leading chief. He really didn't know what he was getting into. When we arrived at the welcoming ceremony, David had to accept a peace offering, then he had to make a speech to the chief of the tribe on our behalf. The entire ceremony was really interesting. They showed us Maori weapons, instruments, clothing, dances, and fighting moves. The chief explained about the traditions. He also explained the history behind their facial tatoos. Their sacred grounds had the village, the 100 year old sacred spring basin, and acres of natural forest land. We finally got to sit down to the Hangi. We had kummra, potatoes, lamb, chicken, salads, dressing, bread, deserts, etc. It was so filling. Finally, today David and I drove through the Bay of Plenty area. Stopping at some beaches. I got some oysters for lunch. Now, we are at Tauranga up on the coast. Tomorrow, we are going deep sea fishing and then David is leaving on Sunday to go to Australia early. He is meeting up with the girls from Alabama that we met in Greymouth. So, I will have about a week on my own again. I am excited about where I will go next. Till next time..... Meghan