RIght, sorry for delay in blog over the last while, have been furiously busy in New Zealand, so here's an update of my first week in the Kiwi land.

17th Nov - 23rd Nov

So got to Auckland early hours in the morning and manage to navigate the relevant bus into the city and found my hostel, it was currently 5am in the morning so couldn't check into the hostel yet, but could hang about for a bit cleaning my revolting clothes and showering after being in the same clothes for about 26 hours....yum! Went for a walk in the morning before being able to check in. Aucklands like every other major city, high buildings, busy people. What i couldn't get used to was all the cars driving on the left and everyone speaking english. I often found myself thinking we were on the wrong side of the road when on the bus and also kept answering everyone in spanish and saying english words in a spanish accent, bit stupid really but, de nada! In Auckland went to a wicked museum and generally got embersed in the life there....in stupididly hot heat.

On my birthday i was in Paihia or Bay of Islands. Where i took a ferry ride looking at the 144 Islands they have up there and also saw some doplhins.....so seeing dolphins...........check, also saw one of their famous landmarks, which is called Hole in the Wall....ironically it is an island with a huge hole in the wall, strangly enough. Had managed to meet some people in hostel and so had some wicked people to spend my birthday with, which was always good. So that night consisted of random people finding out it was my birthday and buying me several tequila's.......this helped me notice how my tolerance of drinking has seemed to improve vastly as i remember the whole night...was a good birthday, and i thank everyone for it!

Back i Auckland, didn't really do much that night as i was so tired, but did meet up with some friends from my South America trip, eating myself into a stuper, which was brilliant! So leaving Auckland, was the start of the main bus i was going to be on for a while, quickly found myself bantering up with everyone, talking nonsense as normal!! On trip went to a large lookout point over Auckland and could see Eden Park from there, which was pretty spectacular. Also managed to meet my first other Welshies from Carmarthen on bus....just a point of reference, only 2 people i've met so far from home. No exciting events today, apart from a beach visit to a beach, lush swim, then arrival at Mercury Bay. Few drinks and a bit more bonding (almost winning killer pool, god i suck).

Saw rain in Rotarua for the first time in a long time, was quite refreshing (i know you probably hate me for sayin that, but still). So dynamics i the bus are alot different from that of my South America trip, mainly cause its such a large group, but its been awesome so far, thoroughly enjoying everyone i've met. Rotarua was pretty cool, we went luging, but as a group (was a bit like the bob sleigh in Oakwood park, but like 5 of you on one track). Was wicked good cheap fun, although got a bit carried away and was playing distruction derby for a bit with other guys in the group, whoops!!! After this, we went to a Maori Culture night, which was amazing. The Maori's never kept any written word so the the only knowladge of their history was passed down through the generations, so this was pretty amazing!!!

On the way to Waitomo we visited a sheep show!!!! I give it a miss, stating that 'I see sheep every bloody day back home, i really don't need to pay for an opportunity to see MORE SHEEP. However it didn't stop alot of other people from other countries loving seeing sheep, maybe due to not having them in there!!! That night in Waitomo we had a few drinks with some very drunk locals (along with our driver!), in a local pub...very local!

Next day We'd managed to book into a bit of tubing through the caves, whilst checking out gloworms, this was pretty amazing. Basically we were 65 m under ground sitting on giant tyres floating through under water lakes. Was amazing seeing the gloworms, with all our torches off, was like looking at the night sky, under the caves though. Was amazing, we did also play scare the living daylights out of people in the water in pitch black which was a laugh. Was also a few peoples last nights tonight, so it consisted of our first big night out in Taupo!! I vaguely remember attempting a quiz, but was mainly happy being part of a team with 6 girls!

All in all NZ been pretty busy, and the people here are awesome, if not a bit tight fisted and expensive!!! Have got a load more to look forward to and know it will be wicked.

Till next time!!