AUCKLAND

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HELLOOO!!!!!
I have finally arrived in New Zealand and it is AMAZING!!!

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon after spending a good amount of time in customs. The customs here are out of control you are not allowed to bring in any type of fruit and if anything you own has dirt on it they remove it from your bag and wash it. They are insane about being clean but it is understandable once you get into the country because there is not a bug in site. We got into Auckland around 2pm and walked around the city for a little while and bought some kick-ass phones that look like they are from the 1980's. That night the program took us to a Tapas dinner at a restaurant in the city which was out of this world. Never been a big lamb fan but OH MY GOSH.... it is so yummmyyy.

Our first full day in Auckland we spent the morning hiking an old volcano that when we reached the top could see a 360* view of the city. Following that we made our way to a a museum to learn a little history about the North Island and the natives, and then enjoyed a wonderful bag of fish and chips. That afternoon we went to one of five black beaches and played a social game of touch rugby ( still love american football more). Finally we made our way to a rain forest where we hiked to the top where there was a massive waterfall.

On Friday we had our adventure day in Rotorua just three hours outside Auckland. Our first adventure was Zorbeing ( did that one for you Royal). I went in the wet Zorb (a big plastic ball) which is filled with hot water and then you are pushed down a zig-zag course. For something that sounds so simple it was one of the best times I have had. The whole way down I was just slipping and sliding everywhere and could not stop laughing. Our afternoon activity was white-water rafting, and I mean REAL white water rafting not that stuff I did in high school with the adventure club. The best part of rafting was making it to the end of the river when we got to go off a 7M (22 feet) waterfall After such a rough and draining day of adventure we made it to the natural hot springs that evening and took a dip in the spas under the stars to relax and recharge.

This morning we were allowed to sleep in and then headed back to Auckland. We arrived back around 230 and tonight we have our farewell dinner. Tomorrow we all split up and head to our respective schools.

P.S. Mom there are a lot of round-abouts here....Just a heads up!

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Comments

[Phin Tuthill]

Enjoy!
Hi Sarah. Thanks for the reminders of NZ. Have a great time & keep the blog going. Have a Remarkable time & Happy Sailing! PS Rugby will grow on you, as will cricket.