Karaka Cottage Taupo

We are just in Taupo at the mo, pretty big town especially compared to where we stayed last night.

Before we left Rotorua we went to Te Puia, which is where you can see all the hot springs, boiling mud pools and geysers, as Rotorua is the 3rd most volcanically active place in the world. Our guide was Maori and was really passionate about the culture and traditions surrounding the area, so it was really interesting ...

... geholfen. Das war ziemlich lustig.Sogar das Radio war da! Ueberhaupt isses schoen einfach mal ne Aufgabe zu haben und das Gefuehl zu haben dass man gebraucht wird. Mal schauen wie lange wir hier bleiben.

Now we are in Taupo again where we work for accomodation and food for a young woman with 2 small kids who has just been left by her husband and is therefore a little ...

... islands. The tour is through a company called Stray and was recommended to me by Heather. It's absolutely fantastic and I would suggest it to anyone looking to see the country, especially if travelling alone.

The people on the tour are all great, with the age range being 20 to 30, although most are between about 23 and 29 (so I'm not the oldest!). We've already racked up a fair number of miles, and in the past two days I have been trekking ...

Today I did very little mainly due to the heavy rain. A little bit of shopping and bought a souvenir t-shirt. Big news today was Michael Jackson passing away, which I heard whilst in the shop. After makuing some sandwiches in the kitchen, I met Karen (from Paihia) again, she arrived today. I then went for a walk past a nearby lake and strolled around town, getting caught in a bad downpour. The evening was spent watching films (40 year old virgin, cool running, 16 blocks and Jarhead).

... the sight of the next rapid gets me in there fairly sharpish. Worthy incentive. Jumpin'? Dried off and we're whisked back on the bus. Sadly this is where Naomi, Lizzy and a couple of other english are leaving - they're hopping off the Stray Bus and spending time in Rotorua - home to many sulphurous springs. One of the smelliest places on earth - but home to fun treks. I may come back if I've enough time at the end of the ...

... do there whether you have a specialize skill or not. I was tempted and just ask her casually if they are hiring and she immediately give me their contact and her name as reference without hesitation. Well these really tempted me to extend my stay here or I could be in for another trip soon. Just thoughts and will see how things work out. We proceed with the Ridge walk which last for 40 min and offered a great ...

... attracted to human things. Thankfully, we were in a big enough campsite that they had plenty of other tents and cars to pick at and our stuff stayed in one piece. I could have watched these birds for hours though, they got up to so much mischief! Next on the list was Nelson and Abel Tasman National Park. Nelson is, apparently, the most "live-able" city in NZ. And it was quite nice. Close to some very nice beaches and the center of town had lots of ...

... than 3 hours to get to the carpark. We start freaking a little. Luckly for me i'm only going as far as the hut which cuts out 2 hours of hiking. Amanda makes it but she wasn't happy since we couldn't really enjoy the surroundings. Kiwi time begins to take on a whole new meaning. It's like island time and there is usually very little consensus on how long it takes to go from Point A to B. It's hard to explain. I'll let Amanda discuss this more. So I stayed at the hut ...

... being driven away from the east face by the wind, and although they were replaced from the west it was by white fluffy clouds. I turned up the road to the mountain, arriving eventually at an enormous gravel car park - enough for several thousand skiers, but totally empty. I took a few pictures, but it was obviously too windy, snowy and late to go far up the mountain. Then to New ...

... and luckily the weather was going to change so we had to change our plans which meant that we would not be spending the day with Darren tomorrow anymore!!! he was fully gutted though and had a right go at me, Tara, Rhiannon, and Lisa about us leaving him on his own, doing the Huka jet... hahaha loser! We had drinks in the evening in some Irish bar then headed back to the hostel for a very early night - as we had a very early start in the morning. xxx