JetSetting Adventures

I really could have done with a lie in this morning, especially in such a nice bed, unfortunately the other 5 girls are all up at 6.30am to go on a tour. I make the most of being up early and go and sit on the beach to watch the early morning sun rise over the water. I walk into town and head to the information centre to find about a trip to Cape Reinga – the whole purpose of me coming up to Paihia. Whilst there I pick up a leaflet for the Gyunver boat and remember someone telling me along the way that is well worth a trip out on if you have time. So I decide to take the plunge, and as today are the best conditions forecast all week, I just have ... read more

Feeling fully refreshed after a good sleep and quiet night, I went for an early morning walk. I am back and ready with several others for the surf car which leaves at 10.30am. However, just as we are about to leave, so other girls arrive and want to join, and faff around for a while, so we eventually leave at 11.30am, with me driving the car to the beach. Luckily the journey isn’t very far as the car is rather old and with 5 of us in there and 5 surf boards on the roof, I was hoping it didn’t collapse on the way! Nether the less we arrive. There is large swell with 5ft waves and a strong onshore wind, so we all surf in the small broken waves, though I did manage to catch ... read more

The down side of taking buses, is that you are dictated by their times, and now being out of peak season, there is only one bus out of Waitomo everyday….at 6pm! So this leaves me the whole day to kill. I go for a run in the stunning morning sunshine, and then enjoy a leisurely shower before checking out at 10am. After this I sit on the outside terrace of the café section of hostel, using the internet, before it starts to rain. The rain continues all day, getting very heavy at times, so I am camped out if the café, sorting my photos and working on job applications until 5.30pm. As I am sitting in the café area all day, I decide to order lunch there, and enjoy a chicken wrap which comes with curly ... read more

Such a cute little hostel, newly refurbished and super friendly owners and atmosphere. On the first night we went from only 6 of us in the hostel, to 8 the second and then double figures to around 12 on my final night! But it was nice as majority if us congregated in the lounge/eating area in the evening, and sat around on the sofas chatting, watching tv, and some playing chess. First morning: I now understand why people warned me about the smell. When you open the window it’s like a slap in the face, especially first thing in the morning, when you senses are even more vulnerable! Rotorua is a heavily Māori populated area, and the first area I have really experienced this. The main thing that strikes me about this, is that the atmosphere ... read more

Early but leisurely start to the day. After breakfast Dave and I rented some mountain bikes and headed off to see what Taupo had to offer! We first headed up and rather (meaning very!) undulating dirt track to Huka falls, where 10,000 cubic metres of water falls a second! The waterfall isn’t very high but very powerful. From the falls we head up to the crators of the moon. We had no idea what to find here, but very pleasantly surprised. It’s a large geothermal area, with smoke rising from natural vents in the ground up all around you and bubbling mud pools. We spent over an hour wandering round and then stopped to have some lunch before hitting the mountain bike trails! With over 50 trails marked through trails through the forest it was hard ... read more