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We have just added descriptions to the photos which we were going to do before but it sent them before we were ready. They are also now in order if you want to go onto the site and look at them again.
We are back to Civilisation where there are pavements shops etc, and they speak a sort of English. We have been walking on the road in Easter Island where there was no traffic and what there was was slow, then Moorea on the side of the road but still not a lot of traffic. Auckland is not that busy by UK standards but is certainly more than the previous places.
Auckland was our first taste of YHA and the room was OK but so hot. The standard of rooms was much better than we had imagined, so that was a good start. We didn't think much to Auckland itself, but it had a nice harbour with some amazing yachts to look at. We took a trip across the harbour to Devonport which was still unspoilt.
We took the Magic Bus which was fine down to Rotorua via Waitomo Gloworm Caves, these were weird but as it was raining they were fine and we kept dry. By the time we reached Rotorua it had stopped raining, this was our first hitch in our journey as they hadn't changed our booking and thus hadn't a room for us. We had all our paperwork so they put us in a motel down the road. We were still able to go and use the hot geo thermal pool which was 41 degrees. It was weird walking back to the Motel with steam coming out of drains and peoples back gardens.
On our way to our next destination which was Taupo we stopped at the Thermal Wonderland which was an unreal place with different colours and smells and bubbling wells. At Taupo we arrived at 4pm and at 5pm decided to walk alongside the Lake. It was very hot and no shade and we only managed an hour before we had to seek shelter and a beer!!! Even when we got back to the hostel it was still hot and at 10pm we went for a walk round the block to cool off!! before we tried to sleep.
We arrived in Wellington the windy city at 4pm, the sun was out but the wind was blowing, everyone was in shorts and tee shirts and the bus dropped us on top of Mount Victoria for a view of the city. It was freezing cold, we shot up to the viewing area and ran back. That evening we walked by the harbour with our fleeces done up to keep warm. Next morning we were back in tee shirts and shorts again and no fleeces, there was no wind and the sun was much warmer. We took the cable car to upper Wellington and then walked back down through the Botanical Gardens, beautiful. In the evening we walked along the harbour road Thea in a strappy top - what a difference. Our hostel was 5 star rated and this was where we really started to use the kitchen and other facilities instead of eating out. There was a great supermarket opposite which did hot food as well. The other hostel Downtown Backpackers is the other end of town near the railway station and Ferry, but we did stop and take a photo of it for Trish.
We decided to fly across the straits to Picton as it was much the same price and we would come back by the ferry, this gave us a lie in at Wellington. The plane was that small that we had to bend over double to get into our seats. The pilot (there was no co pilot Thea sat behind the non existent co pilot) took us on a tour of Wellington before heading across the straits, this was a bit bumpy as we hit air pockets near the mountains. We were met on the landing strip and taken to the Magic Bus at the ferry terminal where we continued to Nelson.
South Island to be continued later.
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