Auckland to Mercury Bay

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Okay so this is when everyone has told me my Kiwi Experience will really begin, when I start heading south. We met our driver Jared and basically unless I stop extra nights in places, he’ll be my drive through all of New Zealand. So Becky Stu and I boarded the bus with a few others from our hostel and there were already some on the bus and we headed to Mercury Bay (Whitianga). First stop before leaving Auckland Maungawhau (Mt Eden), an amazing spot for views over Auckland. Then we stopped for a walk to a place called Cathedral Cove and back and then onto Hot Water Beach. This place was awesome, basically you dig a whole in the beach and it fills from underneath with hot water because of the thermal outlets. So Becky and I stood and watched whilst Stu, Sam & Sean (guys from the bus) dug the whole and then we jumped in. What? Digging is men’s work! It was very bizarre, like being in a bath and if you wiggled your toes into the sand in certain spots it released more hot water. I could’ve stayed there all day, but after about 1.5 hours I started to get a bit wrinkly and we had to get to Mercury Bay, so off we went to our hostel.

Now anybody out there that is reading this and is on there way to NZ I recommend you stay at this hostel, Turtle Cove Backpackers. The rooms were spotless, the bathrooms split male and female with luxury showers, the hosts were lovely, cheap beer and free pool. Definitely the best hostel I have ever stayed in.

We had dinner and then we decided to play some drinking games (oh dear) then off to the local bar where it was karaoke again, however Becky, Stu and I decided not to sing this time, we were bad enough in the Bay of Islands. Nuno, a Portuguese guy off our bus decided to sing La Bamba….hilarious! One too many later we staggered back. Stu, Sean, Sam, Becky & Me were all in the same room, Sean got in the wrong bed. I get a feeling this Kiwi Experience may turn into Cairns relived!!!

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Photos

Hot Water Beach
Men at work! Sam, Sean & Stu diggin the pool

Hot Water Beach
Relaxing in the Hot Pool

Becky & Nuno
Very drunk before he sang Karaoke