Waitomo, Toupo, Rotorua & Matamata (Hobbiton)

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After thoroughly warming up from the chills of the canoe trip we decided to drive up to see what all the fuss with waitomo was about. Timing the fuel perfectly (of it's still running it's not empty!) we go to Waitomo caves and were ushered straight in to see the famed glow worms. It was very hyped up but still spectacular to see so many hanging from the roof, probably the most touristy activity I did in New Zealand.

Then we ate a gourmet lunch of cheese and ham sandwiches and went into the next cave to have a look at some limestone formations, which rocked.



In the afternoon we made the long drive down to Toupo, on the edge of the lake, and treated ourselves to "fush'n'chups" with a view of the lake. That evening we watched a really trippy film where Nicholas Cage plays twins.. very odd..

The following day I dropped my boots off to be repaired in toupo and went to Hukka Falls which were immensely powerful and relaxed in the hot water stream running down into the river.

After lunch we picked up my shoes from Toupo and drive up to Rotorua to spend the rest for the day exploring the thermal pools. Caro wanted to see some Maori church so she set off with the map to lead us there, not to be patronised by me asking to look and see if I could get us there she proceeded to take us further and further away from where we wanted to go, she finally relented when a woman stopped and asked us why we were over on this part of town, obviously tourists, and walking down a street chatting to kids with ankle tags on..

Eventually we found the church and went to find somewhere to park and sleep for the night. The holiday parks were being awkward about us sleeping in the car so we parked up round the back of BASE Toupo. Made friends while cooking dinner and hung out at the bar, cannot believe how much spirits were! feeling very poor.



In the morning we took a tour around the Maori Village of Tewhakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao, Whakarewarewa for short, or Whaka for tourists. Their ways of cooking using the higher that boiling water springs in the middle of the villages was very interesting and the display of dance and song was well worth seeing.

But everyone know the Maori aren't the original inhabitants of New Zealand, long before there were Orcs, Elves, Dwarves and, of course, Hobbits. So I took myself off for some real cultural learning to Matamata, better know as Hobbiton.

This probably rates as the most nerdy this I did in NZ but it was so awesome I couldn't care less. The whole mock village looked so natural you could really imagine people genuinely living here in the holes, sadly, the Green Dragon pub was not quite finished so even the brave and true couldn't the the only brew for them.

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