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Published: October 25th 2008
Hi everyone!!
We're updating again as our last blog was purely sky-diving, and although that was incredible fun there was far more to tell you about the North Island!! We began in Aukland but really only spent one night there getting over jet-lag and didn't even get a chance to venture into the town! We picked up our van and headed to the glow-worm filled caves of Waitomo for our black water rafting trip! We slipped into our wetsuits and walked down towards the caves. The water was absolutely freezing and we spent 3 hours in the caves floating along on massive rubber rings with only our headlamps (and the light of the glow-worms) to guide us! At some points we were told to shut off our lights and we were in the pitch back, and we also had to jump off waterfalls backwards and try to land on our tubes... Let's just say, an experience and lots of fun.
After Waitomo, we headed to Rotorua - the stinkiest city we've ever been to! Due to the thermal activity in the area, the whole place smelt of sulphur (rotten eggs) although we enjoyed a trip to the Polynesian Spa
(us and hundreds of Japenese tourists...!) and the Wai-o-tapa thermal springs and geysers, but were pleased to leave the area and the smell... Next was Taupo and you all know what happened there...Our best experience of the trip so far. As well as sky-diving, Taupo is also famous for trout fishing so Albert rented out all the fly-fishing kit and headed half an hour south to the Tongariro River to try his hand at catching us some dinner. Unfortunately, despite much determination, dinner was pasta...again...!!
Our next stop was the town of Napier in the Hawke's Bay wine region, and we walked around the beautiful vineyards sampling produce at the Church Road and Mission wineries... We got a taste for New Zealand's wine country, so next (after a nights sleep...) we moved onto Martinborough for more wine tasting. Again, we walked around, deciding to save booking an organised tour until Marlborough on the South Island- the most famous and largest wine district in New Zealand!
We drove on to Wellington - New Zealand's capital, and stopped off at the Ta Papa museum before boarding the ferry across the the South Island for two more weeks touring the South
Island. The South is supposed to be even better, and we were advised to get to South before running out of time. However, we loved what we saw of the North Island and could have definitely spent more time there... In some ways, the journeys between each place we visited were even more enjoyable than actually getting there. We never seem to get bored of the beautiful screnery, mountains, lakes, sheep etc which is why travelling the country in a campervan is definitely the best way to do it!!
We are now safely in the South Island and have already enjoyed the wonders of the Malborough wine trail..! We are now in Kaikora - whale watching capital of the world and have booked ourselves onto a boat trip tomorrow so will (hopefully) bring you fantastic wildlife photos with our next blog. We also have glacier walking, skiing and tramping through Milford Sound all still to come - will update again soon.
Loads of love to one and all!!
A and A xxxx
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Dirta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I love the picture with you and all your new friends. Classic! Miss you and Amy tons. Love you both!