Kiwi Adventures....

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When we got to New Zealand, Elizabeth and I had no idea of what to do...So we headed to the travel desk at our hostel and they did everything for us...literally...After the fact, we both kind of realized we were on a tour...It's called Kiwi Experience and it's a hop on/hop off bus company...You can make it as touristy as you like or travel on your own if you want...They help you choose where you want to go, what you want to do, and how long you want to stay in a location...We stayed in Auckland for a night and then took a bus the next day to a spot called the Bay of Islands...We went to a small town called Paihia and took a ferry over to Russel (it has the first licensed pub in New Zealand...useless trivia)...and took hike up to the top for a great view of the bay...From there we headed back down to Auckland...the next day we got up super early to catch a bus to Mercury Bay...On the way to our location we stopped at beach called Cathedral Cove...It's a 40 minute walk to the beach...more like a hike...we were sweating and breathing really hard...We layed out there for a while and even went in the water...Which was FREEZING!!! From Cathedral Cove we went to Mercury Bay for the night...The place we stayed was more of a house than a hostel and the people who ran it made us the best home cooked meal...The next day we got up early to head to Rotorua...On the way we stopped at a place called Karangahake to take a hike...The area used to be a gold mine so we walked through a ton of abandoned tunnels...Elizabeth and I had no flash light...So it took us a while to find our way out because it was pitch black and we were completely blind...Following the hike we stopped in a city called Matamata...For all of you Lord of the Rings fans...This is where Hobbiton was filmed...Upon arriving in Rotorua we dropped our stuff in the hostel and headed for Kaituna River for white water rafting...It was so awesome...We went over a 7 meter waterfall and our raft completely submerged under water...A quick note on Rotorua...There are a ton of geysers...and because there is soo much geothermal activity the whole place smells like rotten eggs...I kind of wonder if you ever get used to it...We did not...The next day we went to see Te Puia geothermal reserve...They introduce you to the Maori culture and you get to see tons of geysers and mud ponds (it smelled)...Following this we departed for Waitomo...It is the home of tons of limestone underground caves...It was pouring rain so Elizabeth and I headed to the only other establishment in town...Curly's Bar...They had a challenge called "Around the World"...So we accepted and after many pints our success was immortalized on a large chalkboard above the bar...We slept very soundly that night...The next day we got up to go black water rafting...Basically, they give you a wetsuit, helmet and inner tube and take you down to the caves...Since it had been raining soo hard the night before the water level in the cave was high and the current was strong...For 3 hours they take you through a winding maze of caves...You float around, jump off water falls and hike through the caves...At one point they have everyone turn off their lights and stare at the ceiling...It is covered with thousands of blue glow worms...It looks like the night sky...After rafting we headed to a sheep shearing show...I know what your thinking...WTF...But I absolutely loved it...They shear a sheep and then they show you how the sheep dogs herd...It's like a 3 ring circus...There are dogs running along on top of the sheep's back...After the show we got to play with baby lambs and ducks...From Waitomo we went to Lake Taupo...A friend of Elizabeth's family was gracious enough to let us borrow their house for a few days...So we have been loving it...The view of the lake is breath taking and it seems impossible to get out of bed because they are sooo comfortable...Today we got up early and went sky diving...It was the coolest thing we have done so far...We went up to 12,000 feet in a single prop plane...They open the door and then you free fall for 45 seconds...It was insane...I couldn't stop screaming...After the free fall, they open the shoot and you get to coast down to the ground for another few minutes...We both are thinking of doing it again tomorrow...hahaha...From there we drove out Napier (Driving on the wrong side of the road, has been a whole new experience) to see an abalone farm and then drove back to Taupo...New Zealand is super fun and we are absolutely loving it...Hope everyone is well!!! Love you all!!! K and E

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I want to see pictures. Where are they? kisses, -brown skin.