Whirlwind
sooo much has happened in the last week. I can't load pics at the moment, so you'll have to use your imagination.
I have been to Hahei on the coromandel peninsula.
The bus broke down twice on the way there.
Then the bus broke down again on the way to Raglan. This time instead of sitting on the side of the road for two hours like last time, we sat around for an hour and half outside a supermarket. At least it was next to the river and had park with a bunch of mangroves surrounding. Raglan is one of the top surf beaches in New Zealand. I didn't surf but I did hike :) Went up to search for a lookout point that didn't exist. haha. We peered through the trees while standing on boulders to see a glimpse of the city and the sea.
Next day we (this means, me and the bus tour group I was with) went to Waitomo!!! One of my goal destinations. I signed up for a blackwater rafting trip with a company that my bus company didn't work with, so I set myself up to stay the night. I went black water rafting THAT day. If you don't know what blackwater rafting is. I'll try to explain. It's underground river travel basically. So, spalunking with tubing, flying fox, 30 metre abseil, and rock climbing up waterfalls. All this was enhanced by the glow worms. Tiny gnat larvae that glow to attract their prey and trap them in sticky webs. It was brilliant! I could have stayed down there all day long if it wasn't so FREEZING!!! I was shaking like a leaf! They stopped and gave us hot things to drink, and I was shivering so much my cup almost fell out of my hand! The tour I was on was called The Black Abyss. It was 5 hours underground with two guides. Our guides were awesome. They all wore funky speedos/bikini bottoms over top of their wetsuits. I really liked the trip and am so glad I did it!
I had planned to split with my new hostel mates the next day. While they were out blackwater rafting the next day, I sat on the side of the road waiting for a bus that never came. Two hours and three phonecalls later... still no bus, and no answer. I was CHOKED. They paid for my additional night in the hostel, but this also meant being way-laid for meeting my friend Chris in Rotorua. We won't touch that one though. I was too overwhelmed by that to really talk about it on here.
I got a good laugh when my hostel mates (Sam, Julie and Chantelle) got back and there I was just treking back up the hill to the hostel.
Turns out the bus had broke down again! And nobody bothered to inform me. I had a great time hanging out with the crew at the one pub in the tiny town that closed between 1130 and midnight every day ! haha. I swear we must have woken up the town on the way home. It's a really neat little place, Waitomo. It reminded me of Quadra Island as you could see every star in the sky on a clear night.
We made it to Rotorua the next day. There, we went luging ! rode a gondola up a hill and rode down on these rickety plastic luge carts! it was great!
And yesterday... I... WENT WHITE WATER RAFTING!!! this I have no proof of because they wanted to charge a lot of money for our photos. IT was a really great experience though. We rode over a 7 metre waterfall which is the worlds HIGHEST commercially ridden waterfall. Yup. I did that.
We checked out some more geothermal activity on our way to Taupo. We hit up Kerosene Creek which looks like a regular river but the water is SUPER warm!! Like a freshly drawn bath!! Seriously. We were there on a super hot day and it was so disappointing to stick your feet in HOT water!! We also saw some bubbling mud pools. I can't remember what they were called, but they bubbled and boiled and shplooshed all over. It was really cool.
Taupo is where you will find New Zealand's largest lake and cheapest skydiving! I might check out the lake, and I will be the photographer when the other three jump out of the plane. Besides not being able to afford the $500 ride, it just might not be my kind of adrenaline rush. Give me back the caves or the river ANY DAY though!!
I am still so excited about all the things I have done. I almost didn't get to do any of those things that I wanted to, as teh bus broke down soooo many times that I kept missing out on activities and being left behind. So I called Stray.... that's the name of the bus company. They upgraded my pass to include my trip all the way to wellington and back to auckland. That's a good $170 bonus on top of my pass. I'll take it! so things are going forward a lot more smoothly now.
AH! lovin' it. Miss you all! Cheers!
I have been to Hahei on the coromandel peninsula.
The bus broke down twice on the way there.
Then the bus broke down again on the way to Raglan. This time instead of sitting on the side of the road for two hours like last time, we sat around for an hour and half outside a supermarket. At least it was next to the river and had park with a bunch of mangroves surrounding. Raglan is one of the top surf beaches in New Zealand. I didn't surf but I did hike :) Went up to search for a lookout point that didn't exist. haha. We peered through the trees while standing on boulders to see a glimpse of the city and the sea.
Next day we (this means, me and the bus tour group I was with) went to Waitomo!!! One of my goal destinations. I signed up for a blackwater rafting trip with a company that my bus company didn't work with, so I set myself up to stay the night. I went black water rafting THAT day. If you don't know what blackwater rafting is. I'll try to explain. It's underground river travel basically. So, spalunking with tubing, flying fox, 30 metre abseil, and rock climbing up waterfalls. All this was enhanced by the glow worms. Tiny gnat larvae that glow to attract their prey and trap them in sticky webs. It was brilliant! I could have stayed down there all day long if it wasn't so FREEZING!!! I was shaking like a leaf! They stopped and gave us hot things to drink, and I was shivering so much my cup almost fell out of my hand! The tour I was on was called The Black Abyss. It was 5 hours underground with two guides. Our guides were awesome. They all wore funky speedos/bikini bottoms over top of their wetsuits. I really liked the trip and am so glad I did it!
I had planned to split with my new hostel mates the next day. While they were out blackwater rafting the next day, I sat on the side of the road waiting for a bus that never came. Two hours and three phonecalls later... still no bus, and no answer. I was CHOKED. They paid for my additional night in the hostel, but this also meant being way-laid for meeting my friend Chris in Rotorua. We won't touch that one though. I was too overwhelmed by that to really talk about it on here.
I got a good laugh when my hostel mates (Sam, Julie and Chantelle) got back and there I was just treking back up the hill to the hostel.
Turns out the bus had broke down again! And nobody bothered to inform me. I had a great time hanging out with the crew at the one pub in the tiny town that closed between 1130 and midnight every day ! haha. I swear we must have woken up the town on the way home. It's a really neat little place, Waitomo. It reminded me of Quadra Island as you could see every star in the sky on a clear night.
We made it to Rotorua the next day. There, we went luging ! rode a gondola up a hill and rode down on these rickety plastic luge carts! it was great!
And yesterday... I... WENT WHITE WATER RAFTING!!! this I have no proof of because they wanted to charge a lot of money for our photos. IT was a really great experience though. We rode over a 7 metre waterfall which is the worlds HIGHEST commercially ridden waterfall. Yup. I did that.
We checked out some more geothermal activity on our way to Taupo. We hit up Kerosene Creek which looks like a regular river but the water is SUPER warm!! Like a freshly drawn bath!! Seriously. We were there on a super hot day and it was so disappointing to stick your feet in HOT water!! We also saw some bubbling mud pools. I can't remember what they were called, but they bubbled and boiled and shplooshed all over. It was really cool.
Taupo is where you will find New Zealand's largest lake and cheapest skydiving! I might check out the lake, and I will be the photographer when the other three jump out of the plane. Besides not being able to afford the $500 ride, it just might not be my kind of adrenaline rush. Give me back the caves or the river ANY DAY though!!
I am still so excited about all the things I have done. I almost didn't get to do any of those things that I wanted to, as teh bus broke down soooo many times that I kept missing out on activities and being left behind. So I called Stray.... that's the name of the bus company. They upgraded my pass to include my trip all the way to wellington and back to auckland. That's a good $170 bonus on top of my pass. I'll take it! so things are going forward a lot more smoothly now.
AH! lovin' it. Miss you all! Cheers!
so said Crys at 2:25 PM
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