week 31 (taupo)

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TUES - rang Dad to say happy birthday then went for pie with Ross and Dave - best mussel pie ever and so cheap!!! yay!! walked around the sulphurous lakes and got picked up at 1pm by Stray - again a bus load of great people and a cool driver Aerial aka Greg (Stray drivers get nicknames) stopped at a hot river on the way, was ooo nice 😊 then at some bubbling mudpools, just like iceland! and a final stop at Huka falls before getting to Taupo in the afternoon. the falls were amazing, so powerful and their colour was gorgeous - light turquoise. Got to Rainbow Lodge, met Will :D Dave appeared next, then Olly and Ross 😊 good times! Will took us on a walk around Taupo, checking outthe sites - like a scent garden - loads of herbs and smelly plants 😊 - and found the welsh cafe to say hi to Kate Jones' (vol from back in the day) uncle who owns the place. bought food - the lads got 2 massive steaks for $8!! they looked so ood and one thing lead to another and i ate some!! ....god it was good... steak!!! woopwoop!! :D now im confused as to whether i now eat meat or not, i cant be bothered to introduce myself to it slowly, so ill either go for it or not eat it, i reckon ill go for it!! yaaay! steak!! watched Team America and Pocohontus with a box of wine 😊 funfunfun 😊

WEDS - bye to Will in the morning 😞 and then went for a tiki tour (drive aorund) with dave today. drove all the way round lake taupo up through national park and tongariro and round Mt Ngauruhoe (aka MT Doom - lord of the rings) and then some, 5 hours driving! stunning scenery!!! mt tongariro is spectacular, have no words for it! back to the hostel, Dave cooked prawns and kumara chips mmm then me ross and Dave watched Blood Diamond (so good, heavy, hard hitting) and Dances with Wolves, bed by 1/2am! aah! tired!

THURS - went for a walk by Huka Falls with Dave and Ross, stopped off in the honey HIve to taste it mmmm yummy. River still breathtakingly powerful!! gorgeous. nice walk, beautiful autumn colours aswell - shame theyre not native! - got back and me and ross sneaked away from dave to buy him a birthday cake (bday sat) had food - dave cooked me fish mmmm - and then brought out the cake for him! he was so surprised and pleased 😊 yay, went out for a pint c/o ross 😊 then came back up to the hgostel, played cards and monopoly then watched The Island, not such a good film, bed by 3!!

FRI - up by 10 to say bye to ross and dave, Ross didnt leave unitl about 12 and Dave 1 in the end but it was a good morning with them 😊 then i went back to the hostel and sorted out my travel, turns out the travel desk sold me a pass whcih cant all be done at this time of year!!! so annoyed, shall ring them in the next few days and sort something out. caught up with facebook, emails and this now im starving, have been on the net for a while!!!

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