Auckland to Rotorua

---

Auckland to Rotorua, 27th - 30th December

We both had a lot more energy this morning although we were sad it was our last day in the campervan. We headed to Waitomo Caves where you could see glow worms but then decided the novelty would probably wear off after 5 minutes so it wasn’t worth the expense. However the 39 cents (15p) avocados were so we indulged in one of those from a roadside market stall. We continued driving but as we were still unsure of what to do next we needed the internet to research a few possibilities. Every place we found with internet was either shut or the computers weren’t working. Just as we were about to give up hope we found another internet café that was shut but the owner was inside so let us come in and use the computers. We tried to come up with a plan but nothing seemed to be fitting into place so we left none the wiser about what we were doing next.

We carried on driving, returning the campervan safe and sound at about 4.30pm. We caught the bus into Auckland city centre and checked into our hostel, the Choice Plaza. The hostel wasn’t great, probably one of the worst we’ve stayed at so far as it had stuffy and smelly dorm rooms however it was in a good location. That eve we had a walk around Auckland taking a visit to the Sky Tower and then along the waterfront where there were some nice looking restaurants, huge boats and a great ice cream shop. After we were tired from all the walking we decided it was time to face our fears and try and sleep in the stuffy, smelly dorm room.

The 28th

We survived the night and it actually wasn’t too bad. After a few more deliberations we decided we wanted to go to the Bay of Plenty on the East Coast of the North Island. We looked into a number of public transport options but we had also seen a number of people hitch-hiking so that idea was also niggling at the back of our minds, so on a whim we decided to give it a go, with the first aim to get to Rotorua. Apparently you’re not allowed to hitch from Auckland so we caught a bus to Hamilton. We chose our spot, put our bags down and Doddy stuck out his thumb. In less than 2 minutes a huge Kenworth, American style lorry pulled over to offer us a lift. The guy was going to Wellington so could drop us half way so we climbed aboard. He was quite a character and told us all about his customised lorry of which there were only two of in New Zealand and of how he took on the small, hilly roads that separate the men from the boys with ease. Doddy was in his element as had always wanted to ride in a big American lorry.

After 45 minutes he dropped us off, I popped to the loo in a dog shaped tourist information office and we began to walk the 100 metres to the next junction to start hitching again. I was walking slightly ahead of Doddy and when I turned round he had stopped and was chatting to a lady. He beckoned for me to come back as he’d found us a lift to Rotorua. The lady had pulled over for a quick break and Doddy had asked her on the off chance if she was going to Rotorua and it turned it she was. Whilst she moved her things around we went and bought her a coffee and we were soon on the road again. She was a very nice lady and we had a good old chat putting the world to rights. When we arrived she unhitched her caravan at the holiday park where she worked and offered to take us to our final destination. She first gave us a tour of the town and then dropped us outside the Santa Maria Motel which was run by Emma and Jason who I was bridesmaid for when I was 4. They very kindly offered to let us stay with them and that evening Emma took us to the large Blue Lake. It was a lovely turquoise colour and we paddled in it in the rain and tried to teach their dog Fudge to swim, which gave us all a few laughs. We then went for a little walk to a small beachy area where we could paddle in the crystal clear, warm water. There was also supposed to be nice views of the Tarawera Volcano but as it was so misty we couldn’t see it. However it didn’t matter all that much as we still had great fun splashing around in the water. On the way back we stopped off at a totem pole which had been erected by the Maoris in remembrance to those who died when the Tarawera Volcano erupted. The Tarawera Volcano had erupted in 1886 causing great devastation burying the famous Pink Terraces which were silica deposits of previous volcanic activity and considered to be the 8th wonder of the world. The lava also buried a whole Maori village and the site is now a museum.

The 29th

Doddy writing now…

We decided we would see a little bit of what Rotorua had to offer and check out some of the many geothermals around the town. Rotorua sits slap bang on top of outlets of sulphur gases that release through the ground from a build up of pressure deep beneath the earth which causes bubbling water, mud and steam in the form of geysers and the not so pleasant smell of rotten eggs from the sulphur gases. Emma and Jason were kind enough to lend us a couple of their bikes, so with helmets fastened we set off to explore. We took a scenic route suggested to us by Jason which allowed us to see a number of geothermals along the way. As we followed the path following the river you could see steam lifting from it and in areas was even bubbling, it really did look quite eerie. Having reached the centre we decided to take a trip to the museum to learn a bit of its history (mind I’m not sure I like to tourist $12, locals free!) We then biked and walked around the Government Gardens which sat directly in front of the museum. They were really pretty especially the rose garden which was full of a variety of roses fully in bloom.

The next stop was the Fat Dog Café. The Fat Dog Café certainly derived its name from its portions sizes as the steak sandwich we ordered was huge and filled us both with ease, it was a good job we had only bought one to share. Once our food had settled we went back on our bikes and headed to one of the last remaining Maori villages of the area. We parked our bikes and made a donation then wandered around looking at all the different dwellings including a church made completely out of wood and carved completely inside with various Maori Carvings. They looked fantastic, so detailed and you could see that an immense amount of time had gone into them. We wandered a little more looking at some of the housing and other wooden carvings around the village and then saying our thank you’s ventured on to see some more geo-thermals. This time bubbling and oozing out of a large pond. We took our various snaps with the camera then having endured the eggy sulphur smells for long enough we set off for Emma and Jason’s where on route back Bowks spotted a stray $20 note that was blowing down the road which we promptly spent on a little on pic n mix.

Back at Emma and Jason’s we chilled for a while and sent a couple of emails, one to a distant cousin of mine Raewynn who lived in nearby Tauranga. We then decided that we would attempt to bike to the lake we were at the day before and have a swim but no sooner had we set off and headed up the steep hill we’d had enough biking for one day and headed to be greeted by the new arrival at the Edworthys, a little Labradoodle called Marley. That eve we enjoyed a curry and board game with Ellie and Emelie and then we were off to sleep.

The 30th

Next morning we were up early with our plans of heading to Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty which was said to have a beautiful coastline with sunny climates. Better still I managed to get in contact with my distant cousin Raewynn who lived there. Having such success with our last hitching efforts we were keen to try it again so with our sign made and our cheerio’s said to Emma and Jason, Ellie and Emelie and not to forget Fudge and Marley, we were back roadside with our sign and golden thumbs.

---