New Zealand

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Hi everybody

I know I havent posted a blog in a while so I thought I'd let you all know whats going on since Ive been in New Zealand.

Well I arrived in Auckland very early on the morning of May 2nd and I spent a few nights in Auckland looking around, now that its Autumn and soon into winter its starting to get quite cold and I havent had cold weather in nearly 14 months.

From Auckland I hitchhiked my way up to the bay of islands stopping overnight in the little village of Leigh where a very friendly German guy who picked me up recommended I stay, it was also the village he lived in and that evening he invited me to join him and his Kiwi wife to dinner in the next village which I gladly accepted. The next day I hitched my way to Paihia the main town in the Bay of Islands, I spent the afternoon looking around before booking a overnight boat tour on a boat called the 'Rock' which was leaving the next day.

The boat tour was a lot of fun and it was mainly younger people on board with a few backpackers also, we went fishing, night kayaking, night swimming (very cold) and a shooting competition at a target. That night we had a meal and I got to know a few of the people onboard over a few beers.

The next day we took more of a look around the Islands before ending the trip around 2PM. I had managed to arrange a lift with a backpacker called Carly who had a car to go back down south. I ended up getting dropped of near the village of Leigh again and Wilfred and Kaye had said if I was in the area that I should call and I was able to stay with them for a few nights.

The next day I did some log splitting to earn my keep and to thank Wilfred and Kaye for allowing me to stay sort of like a unofficial woofing.

From here I went on to tour around the Coromandel Peninsula where I saw some very nice scenery and had a go at doing some bone carving which was a lot of fun.

After 4 days in the Coromandel Peninsula area I decided to go the Rotorua and once in a very rainy Rotorua I booked myself onto a few tours. Firstly I went onto the luge run which is accessable by a cable car and has views over Lake Rotorua and once up the mountain did the luge and a cable swing!!

Next I went on a cultural Maori evening held in a nearby historical Maori village but unfortunately I found the show and the meal very commercialised so that was a bit dissapointing. The next day I went white water rafting where I rafted the highest commercaily rafted waterfall in the world! We had a photographer taking photos of us along the way and I bought a CD which youll all get to see photos of me soon.

From here I had arranged a WOOFING place in a town called Otororanga where I am now on a dairy farm with a couple called David and Alisa who are treating me very well and Alisa's cooking rivals mums! Unfortunaltely I arrived in the 2 months of the year when the cows are dry but luckily David knows another farmer who I met the other day who is milking and I arranged to spend 2 weeks with him once I had finished in Otororanga on 31st May.

After finishing my WOOFING around the 14th June I will go to the South of the North Island to Wellington for a few days before haeding down to Wanaka to go snowboarding!! (And hopefully beat the crowds) After this I will go to Queenstown for a few adrenaline packed days and explore more of the area before heading back to Auckland around the 9th of July to watch the All Blacks play against the Springboks in the tri-nations rugby competition!!

My last few days will be spent in Auckalnd before flying home and arriving in Manchester around 8AM on 17th July!

I will write again before I go home but until then I hope everything is ok and dont forget to leave a comment becuase I really enjoy reading them!

Groetjis

Geert

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Comments

[fam Visser]

Wow, what a life!
Lieve Geert, reading your stories it looks like watching one of those documentarys on National Geographic. You are doing so many interesting things, it's incredible. We're a bit envious, we're looking forward to al those photo's. I think it 'll take days to have a look at all of them. Enjoy yourselve, lots of love from all of us and take care!

[Rien]

Heyup, Sounds like you're getting everything out of your year over there, superb !!! can't believe you're going to see the all blacks on home turf, should be awsome, don't think the springboks will be a pushover, so should be a super game. Had our first barby of the year here (28 degrees in the UK can you believe it...) and mum's figured out some new deserts......amazing and defenitely worth coming back for at some point. Keep enjoying the ride and keep us posted kiddo LOL

[Oma]

Lieve Geert, Op het eind van je reis nog een berichtje van je oma. We lezen dat je heel veel vrienden maakt "on the road". Wij begrijpen dat wel because you are a friendly boy. Maar de laatste weken gaan altijd (helaas) zo snel voorbij dus geniet nog maar even van alle avonturen en wij hopen dat je op 17 july weer gezond en wel thuis zult komen en de familie kan genieten van je verhalen. We love you very much and greetings from Oma and Opa.