Kingsgate Hotel Rotorua

... missed the last tour of the day. Apparantly there are only so many tours to the Shire because the access lane goes through some farmers land. There was one later private tour where I would be able to tag along, but it was'nt for another 3 hours... sod that. <br>Got back in the car and drove to Rotorua, a lovely town in the middle of the north island, which is surrounded by lakes and hot ...

... 3 days on the trot, we went and saw the All Blacks playing the Wallabies which was fantastic! Yes, we are the most jammy people on earth to get those tickets but we're not apologising!!<br>Kirsty and Stu waved us off a few days ago (I miss the electric blanket already) and pointed us in the direction of Ohkune, where Lou, another old (not that old) mate of Joss's, was awaiting to supply us with yet another hangover. As well as eating and drinking &amp; laughing ...

... able to go in one of them...Bilbo's hole Bag End. It was neat to know that I was standing where Gandalf had driven his cart into Hobbiton, and where Merry and Pippin set off the dragon at the party, and right under the party tree that is seen in the movie! Silly maybe, but it was fun! There are even rumors that the company will come back to that site to film the movie The Hobbit! <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

We spent a couple of uneventful days looking around Wellington before heading off to yet another wine region - Hawkes Bay. We arrived in Havelock in time for a late lunch at the first winery and to sample some of the local varieties grown in the renowned Gimblett Gravels including Syrah and some excellent Bordeaux varieties.<br><br> We ...

... up on books and Rachel bought a handbag. Then we walked toward the town park where there are 'thermal areas' which are basically small ponds and mudpools that are constantly bubbling away near boiling boint. As the sun was starting to set we decided to go to the Polynesian Spa which was conveniently located around the corner from our hostel and also on the shores of the picturesque Lake Rotorua. The spa was very relaxing with a choice of many pools of various ...

... falls not the big one of course ( during the big fall my head was in my knees and I was saying my prayers). What a totally awesome trip dudes highly recommended. Taupo - A short visit with a short stroll around the town and look at the lake. We looked in a cheap cd store and we all chose one to play in the car 3 cd's for $20 about £7. I thought I had made the best choice 80's classics, you can't go wrong but when it played it was a ...

... on a rain that was getting thicker by the mile. By the time we got to Tongariro National Park, a world heritage site supposedly with some breathtaking views of three huge volcanoes, we could barely see the highway; no chance of seeing the actual volcanoes! After waiting for a few hours, we've decided to move on and, hopefully, see the park on our way back. We've reached Wellington on Christmas Eve and, since Christmas was going to be followed by a 4-day ...

... the stones will supply the heat for cooking the food, so it is important to choose stones that do not crumble in the heating or shatter too readily. The best stones to use are those that have been tried by the local people. Igneous (volcanic) are better than metamorphic or sedimentary (e.g. sandstone) rocks. There are several types of rock suitable: Auckland Blue - this is a type of hard, brittle, blue- metal rock and black rock. Riverhead Rock - round loaf sized stones are ...

... in Rotorua the rain continued to pour, so we decided that rafting would be the best activity. The next two hours was spent hurtling down some grade 4-5 rapids with the highlight being taking on the biggest commercial waterfall in the southern hemisphere. Out of the two rafts that tackled this monster, it was our raft that managed not to lose any members. The link below gives you an idea as to its size. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2WhJRD zYk&feature=related