Accolades Boutique Hotel Rotorua

... in the North Island and smells like eggs due to the natural springs emitting sulphur.<br><br>We stopped at Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park where Frisbee got us our own cabin which was kind of weird with four single bunks and a little kitchenette area. We took a dip in the Thermal Springs before getting a taxi into town which didn't turn up for ages so we ended up sharing a minibus with a group of drunken students down from Auckland for ...

... then, you have these crazy 60 seconds of freefalling which are basically undescribeable and totally amazing, and then the parachute opens and you get these amazing views of Lake Taupo and the surrounding area to enjoy whilst you float down slowly to the ground. We both absolutely loved it although, sadly we couldnt afford the DVD + photos to go with it, so all we have is our memories!<br> <br><br>That night we celebrated with a visit pub and a ...

... br><br>I cruised out of town past kiwi orchards and farms. It was great to be back on the road enjoying the flatish first 30km to Kiwi360, where I stopped to marvel at teh giant kiwi fruit, kiwi fruit themed shop and to get a cofee (it had been a late night and a early start). <br><br>The ladies in teh shop were even more excited about my trip than me, quizing me ...

... throat and is quite painful. This is all most amusing to the female abseiling partner. But I'll say nothing of her monkey climb over the rocks in the cave.....:) At the bottom, you can look up and take it all in. We explore the cave proper - none of this Mitchelstown cave type lights and kitsch entertainment here - its just us, a dark cave, silence and a bunch of glow in the dark worms on the ceiling of the cave with rushing water - we're in ...

... South Island, then driving through the picturesque vineyards to Nelson and our two days in Abel Tasman. The natural beauty was beyond words and the hiking/kayaking trip and meeting the folks at Torrent Bay lodge was a highlight. Overall, the most special memory ...

... everything American is all around. The Smeigal statue is across the street from a Subway (which smells like every other Subway in the world). The tabloids in the stores tell me that Chris Brown and Rihanna are actually married now. When I see that stuff in America I go "Who cares," but really, who in NEW ZEALAND cares? Our guide was discussing Brad and Angelina with the four Irish girls in the seats in front of us ...

... his duty, never stopped working, and never stopped being friendly and open to us either. He had a family, a new born girl and often spoke fondly of getting to see them soon. You could tell that his size came largely from the amount of warmth that he gave off. I had a lot of fun and am not encouraged to build my own adobe house back in California. In fact, I am working out plans and how I could build it completely out of local ...

... blew a great gap in the rim, which is used as a landing stage by the visiting boats. We landed right inside the volcano's crater but we weren't the only ones there. There was another helicopter already there and a boat was just landing it's visitors as we landed. As the other groups headed off towards the main steam spout and the lake, Kerry our pilot , decided we would work round in the reverse direction so as to keep away from everyone else. We started by ...

... we went back to the caving center to get a hot shower, change back into our regular clothes and have some hot tomato soup. We then got back on the bus and made it to our next locatoin which was right up the road. We stopped at a rabbit farm. At this farm, they have 15 or so Angora rabbits and this is the only place in the country that they have these rabbits. These rabbits are special because they have an extremely thick coat that needs to be cut four times a ...

... New Zealand via her tales, as they are doing a similar trip as we were, only backwards. So our car is retracing its steps, going full circle. <br> Still in Rotorua, we attended a traditional Maori cultural evening with song, dance and a hangi, a traditionally cooked meal in an earth oven. Very touristy, but worth it as we had never been invited to a Maori marae (gathering) during our time in Invercargill. Rotorua is a very traditional region with a large Maori ...