Advertisement
Kia Ora everyone!
I've been in New Zealand for a week now and I've managed to squeeze quite a lot in. Unfortunately I don't have time to visit the South island, as I'm only here for 10 days in total, which is a shame but there's always next time!
When I last blogged I was staying in a hostel dorm for four people, but I was all on my own for the first couple of days I was in there - it sounds like a good thing, but actually I was starting to get pretty bored. Auckland is not a super interesting city to wander around by yourself for days on end, and there's not all that much to do here either. Fortunately I had booked to go to a trip to the Waitomo glowworm caves on Tuesday, I had heard mixed reviews about this attraction so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleased to be getting out of Auckland for the day at least. The caves were actually really good, I saw tons of glowworms and learnt all about them and how the caves were discovered. The weather was pretty awful that day so I
didn't mind being either on a coach or underground for the majority of the day.
I got back to the hostel at around 4pm and I decided to nip online and check my emails. While I was there I decided to do some research for the rest of my trip, and I started to look at the various events happening in Los Angeles between 21st - 25th June this year. I actually had no intention of visiting LA at all, it's not a place that has ever interested me. However, due to my original camping tour of the US being cancelled, I
will be visiting Los Angeles whether I like it or not! Anyway, as luck would have it, my newly acquired dates in Los Angeles just happen to coincide with the famous 'Warped Tour'. It's a big punk tour that travels across the country every year (60 bands all together, so I imagine it's quite a feat to organise!). One of my favourite bands, 'Every Time I Die' are confirmed to play there, along with a ton of other bands that I'm only mildly indifferent towards - well, it's something to do while I'm in LA, right? Needless
to say, (I had the last laugh!*) I bought a ticket, and it only cost me $40! Bargain!
So I'd just booked my ticket to the Warped tour, and I was sitting on the floor in my room, surrounded by empty bunks, watching some rubbish on Kiwi telly, when I receive a room mate! Joy! Perhaps he's from Canada or Australia! Of course not... he's from Locks Heath, about half an hours drive from Holbury. Anyway, Jon had plans to see The Avengers at the cinema that night, and I've been dying to see it for weeks, so I invited myself along. It was completely awesome! Definitely going to buy it when it comes out on DVD. It's very silly though, but then it's a superhero film so what do you expect? Still awesome. On the way back to the hostel Jon and I stopped at Burger King, I listened to his explanation of how to deal with loud snorers in hostels... apparently the correct method is to 'throw a cough' at them, and when he started demonstrating this method I laughed so hard I nearly choked on my burger. The next morning I left early to catch my
bus to Paihia. I did my best to be quiet so as not to wake Jon up, I didn't fancy becoming the recipient of a thrown cough.
Paihia is in The Bay of Islands, which is one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand. When I arrived the sun was shining, and I walked up the beach to Waitangi, which is where the first Treaty between the Maori people and the Brits was signed. I also booked two tours, one to Cape Reinga which included bodyboarding on the sand dunes at Te Paki - so fun! And the second one was a dolphin cruise to the 'Hole in the Rock'. Both of the tours were awesome! Ahhh I have so much to say but I've run out of time! Less than 5 minutes left until I get chucked off the computer!
Hopefully you'll get the jist of my trip to Paihia from the photos anyway!
I'm off to find dinner now...
Will blog again soon... off to Coromandel on Monday.
Lots of love,
Streets.
* Little nod to any Alan Partridge fans reading this.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.088s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 44; dbt: 0.052s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb