Update Continued

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I'm back with some time, so here comes the continuation of the last post... hope you have that coffee still!

Monday August 6th - We left for Piahia and the Bay of Islands at 9am. It was going to be a long journey, so we set off early. We spent most of the day traveling and seeing the countryside, and finally arriving in the afternoon. There wasn't too much to do, so we went to a neighbouring city KeriKeri and checked out some of the scenery in the area, such as the oldest wood building and oldest stone building. We then came back, booked our bus and boat transportation for the next 2 days and relaxed for the evening playing some games. We almost forgot to turn on the provided electric blankets!!! Yes, we got into a nice and toasty bed!

Tuesday August 7th - We were picked up out front of our hotel at 7:10am, first on the coach. Today we were heading up to the most northern point on the Island, and driving along 90-mile beach. I was able to take the best seat on the bus, the front seat opposite the driver so there was nothing in my way. Our first stop of the day was the Puketi Kauri Forest. The forest contains some really old Kauri trees (native to New Zealand). I had seen this last time I came 4 years ago, so not much has changed! The second stop of the morning was at the Ancient Kauri Museum. We stopped for a snack, bought sandwiches for our lunch, and checked out the gift shop. Then it was back on the bus, and heading up the beach. It's a gorgeous beach that is 64 miles long (not 90 like the Maori's first thought way back in the day when they couldn't accurately measure). When we neared the end of the beach, we stopped near some quick-sand and walked across the water with our sand boogie boards. After a LONG climb up (you will see pictures eventually) it was a quick and fun ride down. Myself and a few others on the bus went up a second time and were totally out of breath. Back on the bus again and up North we continued. We reached Cape Reinga around 1:30pm and ate our lunch. At this point you can see where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. On most days they are different colours and you can see a distinct line. It had been raining and windy, so it wasn't too noticeable that day. Then it was back down, stopping at the Ancient Kauri Museum once again so the driver can clean the bus. We got back to the resort at 6pm and played cards once again. It was a great day!

Wednesday August 8th - Today was our boat trip to the Hole in the Rock. We had to meet at the Waterfront at 9:45am so we could get suited up (a picture is in the previous post). After getting dressed, and taking some pictures we departed at 10:30. We crossed the harbour and picked up a few more passengers from Russell and then headed out. This boat travels at 45 knots (fastest in the area) and sucks up 300 litres of fuel an HOUR. We checked out a few of the local islands as well as the hole, and then came back to Russell where we got off and walked around a bit. Russell was the first town in New Zealand. We went to the local church which was the first church in New Zealand where there are bullet holes from one of the World Wars. We came back on the Passenger Ferry (another picture in the previous post) and came back to the resort where some of us slept for a few hours. We had dinner and came back for more games!

Thursday August 9th - Time to head back home. We packed up the resort and left for home taking a longer route to check out some landmarks. We took a wrong turn so I became the co-pilot and got us back on track. We stopped to see the largest Kauri tree (over 2000 years old) which was HUGE. We stopped at a Kauri museum with lots of artifacts made of Kauri wood and the sap (gum) it produces. When we got home around 6pm I left to go to the local internet cafe to book my hostels for my trip down South in 2 weeks and then came home to pack for Rotorua the next morning.

Friday August 10th - Travel day once again! We left the house at 9am and traveled most of the day. We arrived in Rotorua around 2pm to find out our hotel room wasn't ready yet. Noticing the time, we remembered we had to pickup my cousin, Ria, at the airport by 3 so we went to the local airport to get her. We walked around town a bit, checking out all the shops, and came back to the hotel for a few drinks. We went and got dinner, then came back for some more drinks. We played Uno for a bit then headed to bed after a long traveling day.

Saturday August 11th - TODAY! Yay, I've caught up! This morning was an early morning for me as I was being picked up at 8:15am from the hotel to go to the Lord of the Rings site. I was up at 7am, went down at had breakfast with Ria who was nice enough to get up early to accompany me for breakfast. I then came back upstairs to the room and posted the last entry before rushing off to the lobby. The tour was great! Some really neet scenery and learned lots about behind the scenes of the movies. I can't wait to get back home and watch the movies over again to see some of the features they added in knowing all of this about the movies now. Everyone has been off for the day and will be back soon. Tonight we are going to Mi Tai which is a traditional Maori Hangi. We will learn a lot about their culture and have a great meal. Really looking forward to this. Tomorrow has some activities planned which I'm not going to talk about until they're done. One i've done before and I'm really looking forward to, and the other I never thought I'd get myself to do it... so I'm not going to say anything til it's done!

Again, thanks to all those who have commented so far, here are some responses for you!

Mom: Yes, I do know the temperatures on the South Island, its going to be cold, but a lot of fun from what I've heard from other travelers. Glad you liked the pictures!!

Concetta: Glad Dallas was fun, can't wait to hear all about it!! Hope you're able to get away camping sometime before summer is over!

Serena: Thanks for the message. Hope you're keeping the office strapped down, I'm having a great time so far, can't wait to show you all the photos!!! Send some hugs to Jacquie, and of course to you too! 😊

Next week we will just be around Auckland, so I should have plenty of time to provide updates for you all. Again, miss you, let me know how that side of the world is!!!

Much love!

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