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Published: June 27th 2006
Wellington
The highest point in Wellington...Wellington
After finishing our South Island adventures, George, Tom, Ally & I took the Inter Islander ferry UP to the North Island. This was a rocky three hour ride to the capital of New Zealand, Wellington.
Wellington was a groovy, bustling place, big on Arts, cafe/food culture, and New Zealands film culture resides here, especially Lord of the bloody Rings! If fact every shop in NZ will sell preciously cheap LOTR takk, to expensive Elvish rings like the one in the film! nice...
We stayed for three nights at Base hostel - which is a big chain in hostels, fairly cheap, over used kitchens & tv area, etc...We had a wicked night out at Shooters bar where we partied with Mouri's (or
nutters!!)
After a few lazy days we hiked up to the highest point of Wellington, this provided us with beautiful views of the city, which was spread around a series of fresh and salt water lakes and mountains! lush.
Wellington to Taupo....
Our next stop was Taupo, we had hoped to get a cheap 'Intercity' coach, but as it was the Queen Liz's birthday (national day off in NZ, Ozz, but not UK???)
George, Tom, someone else, & Nick
A tree in Taupo National Park, on our way to the hot springs... the fairs where very expensive. So, after seeing a notice on the Hostel notice board saying: "Ride to Taupo" we decided to persue it!! It turned out that a Film/TV director called Racheal was driving to Taupo that day, and was offering a lift for $30 each ($80 cheaper than the coach!) Racheal was a really cool women who had lived and worked just about everywhere, she arrived in a small yellow sports car, which i drove the whole 5 hours through desert, mountains, etc...as she was tired!! I loved it!!
Taupo & Rotorua.....
Taupo is the first place you hit from the South that has masses of Volcanic activity. We stayed in a cool hostel called Rainbow Lodge, which wasn't full of Brits (rare!) The next day we walked to the natural hot springs - it was a 2-3hr walk through a gorgeous National Park where you can dive in the lake, and chill out in sulphuric pools!!
From Taupo, Ally and I hitch hiked to Rotorua - as our NZ budget was running low. Hitch Hiking in New Zealand is considered a safe method of transport, and it was! An English girl and Ozzy bloke
Hitch Hiking to Rotorua
It took longer to make the sign, we were picked up 3 secs after the photo!! picked us up and took us all the way, and even dropped us off at the hostel for FREE & it took us longer to write the sign!!! Rotorua is the capital of natural Volcanic activity in NZ, the place proper stank mind! Stinky sulphuric gases leak from the ground, in parks, car parks, streets, everywhere!! We didn't particularly do much here, as we were skint and counting down the days until Australia!
From Taupo we hitched a ride on the Kiwi Experience bus to Auckland, where Ally got a Mouri Tatoo (to cover the flying ant....flying ant?).. We stayed up till 4am to watch Germany with a German called Martin, i think this may be the only occurrence of English and Germans cheering together during the World Cup EVER!! Part from that we did bugger all, as Ozzy awaits us!!
Love you All big time massive,
Roooooooooooooooooooooooonneeyyyyyyyyyyyy
Nick & Ally
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Katie
non-member comment
FLYING ANT???
Get a pic of the Maori tattoo Ally to show us. Can't beat the flying ant surely ??