Blogs from Waitomo, King Country, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2

9.11.05 We drove to Otorohanga through Tirau where they had dog and sheep shaped buildings which were unusual. We got to Otorohanga had a short walk around here then moved onto Waitomo, where we planned to do some caving. We made the most of the sun and got sunbathing around the pool. That evening we went for a walk to a look out point (that means steep climbing) It was a great view though. After dinner we went for a drive in the dark to scenic reserve where there were glow worms by the river. Armed with our little torch we set off. Straight away in the carpark we saw a possum! Which is surprising because all the parks have poison down to kill them as they eat the kiwis and are regaurded as pests. After ... read more

Today started out slightly later giving me an opportunity to have a breif walk down the main street in Rotorua and get a final whiff of the rotten egg sulphur smell! Short hop on the bus today, which still included a brief stop to take in the wonders of a monster pedestrian suspension bridge! Arrived in Waitomo which is tiny, but the YHA is really nice accommodation. Was picked up at lunch time to go to the Waitomo Black Water Rafting Company! Went on Black Abyss! So, to summerise: I abseiled down thirty five metres into the cave! Walked a short distance. Took a zip line down a bit deeper! Had a cup of tea. Got into my tube on the water! Tubed along for a bit under some amazing glow worms! Had some 'team building ... read more

The alarm went off unbelievably early and for a moment neither of us could remember why - surely it wasn’t Friday again? No, thank goodness, it was definitely Saturday, and (even better) the Auckland holiday weekend, which meant three days off instead of two, a hire care to be collected and places to be visited. So armed with our trusty backpack, our chilly bag (couldn’t quite stretch to a whole bin) of food, and a credit card, we collected said car and headed off into the wide blue yonder. Well, Hamilton, two hours south of Auckland, to be precise. We had a lunch date with my second cousin once removed, whom I had never met before. Lunch turned out to be lovely - despite never having met me before, Iain and his wife Sue were very ... read more