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Published: September 25th 2004
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Auckland vs Taranaki
We went to this game on our second night in Auckland - Auckland won. We’ve been in New Zealand for a week now and there’s lots to tell… I’m not sure where to start…
First impressions of NZ are good. Auckland is a nice city, very culturally diverse (it has the biggest Polynesian population outside the islands, and lots of people from SE Asia live here too) and very friendly. Even the people at passport control in the airport are friendly! After our introduction to Auckland nightlife on the day we arrived we had a low-key weekend, apart from finding a flat that is. We ended up flat-hunting by accident on Sunday (it’s a long story!) and found one we really like - very central, one bedroom, comes with Sky TV included, and is on the 9th floor with views of the city and the ocean. Oh, and did I mention the private gym and swimming pool in the building?! And all at a fraction of the price you would pay in Glasgow J We thought about it for a day or two then decided to go for it.
We left Auckland on Tuesday for a wee jaunt down south to visit Graeme’s friend Dunny (a Kiwi who played rugby at Irvine with
Craters of the Moon
This is an area of geothermal activity, where steam escapes from the ground. Much of it has been harnessed for geothermal power stations, but this is one of the places where you can see the steam coming out of the ground. There are also bubbling mud pools. Graeme a couple of years ago). We got a bus to a place called Hamilton, two hours south of Auckland, where Dunny and his folks picked us up. We then drove to a place called Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty, which is where Dunny used to live. His folks had various things to do there, so we spent a night in Tauranga. It’s a nice town by the sea, would be gorgeous in summer. We climbed a small hill and got lovely views out to sea. At night, predictably, we hit the ‘strand’ which is where the pubs are. We came a dismal last in a pub quiz (but got free potato wedges for entering!) and met a couple of Dunny’s friends. The next day we left Tauranga for Taupo, a town in central North Island, and close to where Dunny’s folks live. We went via a place called Rotorua, an area of thermal activity where they have mineral pools and spas, and it stinks of sulpher. I’m planning on going back for some pampering at some point. No pampering on this trip - we collected Ashley, a Canadian rugby playing girl that Dunny knows, and headed for the
Dunny, Jo & Ashley at Huka Falls
This is near Taupo. The falls were pretty spectacular, but I had a stinking cold that day and wasn't at my best... ‘luge’, a kind of bobsleigh on concrete tracks. You get into a go-cart that’s about as sturdy as a tea tray and throw yourself down the mountain. ‘People have died doing this’ Dunny told us afterwards! It was great fun!
We got back to Dunny’s house late that night - they live in a wee village called Kinloch on the banks of Lake Taupo (NZ’s biggest inland lake), it’s a very pretty spot. I went to bed with a stinking cold, trying to prepare myself for a day of sightseeing and beer drinking the next day. After a good night’s sleep we headed out at the crack of midday and went to some nice waterfalls (Huka Falls), watched (yes, that’s watched) some people throwing themselves off the Taupo Bungee (Graeme was slightly tempted and Dunny tried to talk him into it but he decided not to, quite right I thought!), and wandered round Taupo for a bit. Dunny’s mum cooked us a spectacular tea, then we headed into town for a bit night out. It ended up with Ashley and I dancing to all sorts of cheesy numbers at 2.30 AM and then falling into a taxi home…
Mt Manganui
This is where Dunny used to live. Friday we drove back to Hamilton and took in an NPC rugby game - great atmosphere but the home team lost - apparently it was an important game but you’d have to ask Graeme about it. We had a few beers in Hamilton but we weren’t really up for it, still recovering from the previous night. Graeme and I came back up to Auckland today, back to the backpackers, and we get into our flat on Tuesday or Wednesday - yay! I can’t wait to kick back, make a cup of tea and watch some TV for a bit. We’ve seen a lot of the north island in a few days and it’s whetted our appetite for more, but we’re exhausted and need to stay in one place for a wee while. Next week we plan to see a bit more of Auckland, as well as seriously job hunt.
For anyone who’s interested, there are more pictures on a website called www.photobucket.com The album name is joannethomson and the password is jopictures Enjoy!
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