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Published: October 19th 2005
Hello again!!! I haven't been able to write in a while because the internet at the hostels has been expensive and busy. Right now I am in the city of Taupo which is situated on the largest lake in New Zealand, lake Taupo, funny how that works. Anyway, things are going really well. Last Friday I jumped on a Kiwi Experience bus. My pass is from Auckland to Christchurch, but the bus is a neat way to get around the country because it does not go on a direct route, it zig-zags all over the place. On Friday we went to Cathederal Cove on the east coast of the country where we were treated to beautiful views of the ocean. We spent the night in a small town called Whitianga (pronounced Fitianga) and stayed at this really small hostel that had clearly been converted from a house. That night I went out to the local pub where they were showing a rugby match and I ended up talking to locals the entire night, it was a lot of fun. The next morning we headed to Rotorua which is situated around a bunch of thermal activty, geysers and the like. That night a group of us went to a Maori concert and hangi. They danced, sang, and preformed an extended version of the Haka for us and then we ate a meal that had been cooked underground, it was quite delicious. The next morning we went to the thermal fields in Rotorua and then proceeded on to Waitomo which is famous for the underground caves they have there. On Monday morning I went through the caves on an intertube which was fun, but frightening at parts because of the proximity of my head to the ceiling of the cave. We then headed onward to Taupo. Yesterday I went on the Tongariro crossing, a 10 mile trek across volcanos and craters. Mt. Tongariro is Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings. The views from the top were amazing, it is hard to put it into words. Today I went skydiving from 12,000ft which is one of the best things I have ever done. It was really scary, but so worth it, I want to do it again. On the bus there are a bunch of really fun people. There are two girls I have been hanging out with the most because they are also traveling alone. One is called Laura and she is from Ireland and the other is Isabel and she is from Germany. They are both great company and we are now kind of traveling together, in a way. Everyone on the bus has created this bond and some of us are leaving tomorrow while some are staying and it is kind of sad. The scenery everywhere is beautiful and there are a lot of sheep and also a lot of cows. Well, I am still trying to figure out a way to put pictures on this site, I promise I will get some up as soon as possible. I tried on this computer I am on now, but it didn't work for some reason. Anyway, tomorrow I am off to River Valley and then on to Wellington. I will try and write again when I make it to Wellington where I will make another attempt at the pictures.
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Elaine
non-member comment
wow
dang lisa, sky diving in new zealand, talking with the locals and seeing the haka live, im jealous. sounds like youre having a great time. i want to come visit!