Journey South, forever South and a little east, but mainly South

---

We left Auckland at 9am yesterday and headed to the KiwiExperience office to book busses for onward travel. We were able to knock out all of our buses and get them all booked, so we now have the security of knowing that we have a place on the bus on the day we want! Which rocks my socks!

After doing all the boring admin, we headed up Mt Eden to get the best view of Auckland! (although i would say the best view of Auckland is out of your rear view mirror...) We could see the low capcity stadium that is to be the home of the Rugby World Cup 11.

We hit the motorway heading south and out! According to our driver this was the number one attraction in Auckland, i.e getting out. Easily understandable trust me. We were on the road for some time arriving in Thames at lunch time, and after a quick munchie we were heading along the Coromandel Peninsula, where most Aucklanders have holiday homes/manisons/castles for a fortnight a year...

We arrived at our next port of call, a small beach near Cathedral Cove. Cathedral Cove is constructed naturally from Limestone that has been eroded away over the years creating some breathtaking arches and solitary rocks as well as a beautifully secluded and hidden beach, accesible only by a long walk. If the Cove doesn't take your breath away, the walks bloody well will!

After this we were due for Whitianga and Turtle Cove Backpackers. We arrived and were greeted by the staff and it just went shooting up from there. It was a well clean and tidy hostel, friendly staff and for 7 bucks they would could you dinner and wash your dishes. We had SpagBol. As all the bus was staying here, it was a great oppurtinity to meet some new people and have a chill out with a few cold ones at the onsite bar, very cheap! I got a pool tournie going with two Yanks, Jerry and Neil, a Brazillian called Henrique and a German girl and a Austrian girl toyed with the idea, but gave up after one game. Needless to say by the end of the night i had steamed ahead and one the competeition!

Bloody early start this morning, 6.45 am we woke so we could leave the backpackers at 7.30. There was a bit of confusion beacuse there shouldn;t have been a spare seat, and there was, and Henrique was told he couldn't get a bus until four days times. With a spare seat, we woke him and got him on the bus with us.

We stopped for a gorge walk after maybe two hours on the road. The gorge was disected down the centre by a river and we walked along a narrow ledge towards the cave. The cave was pitch black and i could not see my hand in front of my face. I walked along it, using my hands against the walls of the cave to guide me. Turns out this area used to be a goldmining hub, but was exhausted long ago, and the cave was actaully a mine, which we soon discovered when we stepped on the rails that nearly sent us flying.

For lunch we were at Matamata, home of Hobbiton. However, we couldn;t see any hobbit holes. This is beacuse of the jack bastard capitalist farmer who owned the land before Hobbiton was built and ergo is laying claim to it and charging extortionate prices to see it. As if to piss him off, obviously he wouldn;t know but we felt like we dealt hime a blow, we bought our lunch for less than three bucks at a small local cafe.

We were straight through then to Rotorua, translated, Lake Two. The second lake to be discovered by the Maori. They were as imaginitive as Captain Cook at naming things! This is the home to Tamaki, an Maori village in the bush, where people act out how life was like before the colonisation. We are doing that later, and having traditional dinner and more, so more about that in the next blog.

We had the option to go zorbing, rolling down a hill in a big ball, lugeing, rolling down a hill in a cart with no brakes (something i have already done, to some extent with devestating consequenes...) or chilling out at the pool and natural geothermal pools in the hostel. Now despite the fact the geothermal pool stinks and therefore when you get out you stink too they are quite pleasent, and it was good to have a nice swim too.

This whole town stinks of egg, because of the sulphur in the air from the geo thermal pools, which are all over the place, steaming out of the ground!

Anyway, that whats happened over the last two days. Tonight we will be spending the evening with the Maori and tomorrow we head to Waitomo, home fo the glow-worm caves and blackwater rafting.

Peace out for now!

---