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Published: February 22nd 2011
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'Fresh' from a 15 hour delayed flight from Buenos Aires, we touched down into a very plush, award-winning Auckland airport and breathed a sigh of relief at returning to the developed world. Best of all, we would be spending the next week with my parents who were at the airport waiting to pick us up. In the car on the way back from the airport to my cousin Claire's house, where we would be spending the first and last nights of our New Zealand adventure, Dad took us through his meticulously prepared, extremely organised itinerary and we immediately knew that we were in for an action-packed week!
Having spent our first day in charming Auckland, the first stop on our New Zealand road trip was Paihia, a quaint little seaside town which was the perfect base from which to explore the beautiful Bay of Islands. On our first full day in the Bay, we went for an amazing boat ride which took us around a number of the different islands and most spectacular of all, allowed us to see at very close quarters a pod of extremely playful bottle-nosed dolphins. Unfortunately, there were baby dolphins within the pod which meant
that we could not swim with them. However, the experience of seeing the dolphins in their natural environment was nevertheless exhilerating. Other highlights of an extremely enjoyable day included a very scenic picnic on one of the islands and Mum coming embarrassingly close to losing her bikini bottoms whilst riding in a net being dragged along by the side of the boat (see pictures... sorry Mum!) Our other day in the Bay featured a brief stop at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where it would be fair to say, New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, did not get the friendliest of welcomes by the Mauri people; a drive over to Oponomi where the views were breathtaking and the cricket on the beach entertaining; and a visit to Tane Makuta, a very impressive giant Kauri Tree which may or may not have been 2000 years old!
The next day, we had a long drive from Paihia down to Tongariro, home of the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a 19km hike which is rumoured to be the most spectacular one day walk in the world. We were certainly not disappointed. Despite gloomy weather predictions from Callum, otherwise known as 'Owen' (our trek co-ordinator
who reminded us all very much of the actor Owen Wilson), within about an hour of walking, the sun burnt through the mist to reveal some absolutely breathtaking views. The most stunning of these were Mount Nguaruhue (or 'Mount Doom' to all of you Lord of the Rings fans), the Red Crater and the Emerald Lakes. The landscape of the walk could not have been more varied as one moment we were scrambling up mountains, the next trekking through deserts, before descending through dense forests. The walk ended up taking just under 7 hours and, afterwards, Alexa and I concluded that along with our Grand Canyon/Monument Valley excursion and the Inca Trail, it was among our top three experiences of our trip to date.
Tired but exhilerated following our walk, we drove to our next stop, Rotorua, known for its hot geysers and natural hot springs. We were staying at a quirky but very friendly establishment called 'Sandy's', where the owner, Sandy, could not have been more helpful, if a little eccentric! We only had one day in Rotorua but used it productively and managed to see some impressive hot geysers as well as going to a Mauri themed
event in the evening which involved being given an insight into the Mauri culture, including their dancing and, most enjoyable of all, their food! Unfortunately, and much to the amusement of both Alexa and my parents, I was nominated to be the chief for the evening. As such, my duties including meeting and greeting my tribe, giving a speech and touching noses with a rather fierce looking Mauri chief! I am pleased to report that Alexa did not completely escape any embarrassment as she was deemd to be my 'Miss-Chief' for the evening! I have no idea why I was chosen but am happy to speculate that it was because the Mauris saw great warrior potential in me! Later that evening, we saw glow worms in the forest which rounded off a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Our final day in New Zealand was spent back up in Auckland, where we had another walk around the lovely city before enjoying a wonderful last meal at the top of the very impressive Sky Tower. The twilight views over Auckland were stunning and it was truly a perfect way to end a perfect week. As Alexa and I departed for Adelaide and Mum
and Dad embarked on their journey down to the South Island of New Zealand, we all remarked how envious we were that cousin Claire lived in such a lovely place.
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Mum & Dad K
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Very Kind!!!!!!!!!
Thought the Blog\was wonderful and brought back fantastic memoriesXXXXXXXXXXX