Mercury Bay

---

First Stop with the kiwi bus going south! Wha hey! After a long bus ride back from Paihia, and a very rushed dinner and nights rest I jumped on the 8.30 bus to Mercury Bay. The people on my bus were the people I would be hanging out with for the next week or so and I was really looking forward to sticking with a group for a while. Sure enough, a friend of mine Fraser was on my bus and it was real good to have friendly face so early in the morning... he was also tired after the Paihia trip! So it was sympathy all round there! The first taboo happened not even leaving Auckland! The traditionla green kiwi bus didnt turn up in the begining but instead the driver came in a huge white bus and picked us all up only to inform us of the fact that we had to go to Kiwi Experience office to get some paperwork done and fix the bus as the stereo or something wasnt working... So off we went to the office and got everything we needed to get done, done... only for everybody to get on the bus and realise it wouldnt start... My driver Cam was so not impressed and called a mechnic to fix it, so yet another 30 mins went by and we had to wait outside in the chilly weather... then the other (right and orginal Kiwi Exp.) bus arrived and the unloading had to commence! Imagine 50 backpackers with massive 30 kg backpacks all at once trying to grab and drag their belongings from one bus to another! It is always the worst part of any trip! As with anything with my luck written all over it, my back pack was in the middle and I had to crawl on all fours into the bottom of the bus to attempt to drag my bag out... The guys on my bus found this highly amusing and rather than giving a helping hand - they offered a sort of paparazzi session with their cameras... Really is it that funny I ask them!?! hahaha!
Once the unloading - reloading - break down - start up was done we were off and volcanoes and coves were on the menu for the day. We made plenty of stops, as one does on the kiwi/oz/fiji Experience trips! The nicest one was Cathedral Cove though... This BEAUTIFUL cove with crystal clear waters... only the brave ones chose to swim, and I was one of them! Me and another girl- Jenessa braved the waters and dove into freezing cold waters. It was just too gorgeous to not dive into.
When we arrived in Mercury Bay there was the option of doing nothing or go bone carving a traditonal Maouri craft. I was in no mood to sit on my butt doing nothing so I leapt to the carving centre - alone! Boring people, but just meant I got a private lesson and long chat with probably one of the most fascinating women I have ever met, she had such an interesting life and was the kindest thing that ever walked in a pair of shoes (swedish saying... translated...) I carved a whale tail which signifies good luck in travels and good health. Something I thought would do me good! And I was so impressed I managed to make it look like a whale tail as well! The woman helped me curve carve it representing beauty... she said I had the most amazing eye she had ever seen ! How sweet was that! Very good day! Then I met everyone else in Turtle cove for dinner and drinks. Was such a fun night and a group of 13 of us dormed together which was a big mistake by the management because the boys were not in mood to go to bed at 1 am... When everyone else was! Haha! Nevertheless Emma and I had a shed with one bunk in it and we locked them out, but not the noise... The amount to sleep we got was ... limited! They paid for it the next morining though! Rotorua next stop!
Im missing you all so so much and thinking of you all every single day! xxx

---