Waitomo Lodge Te Kuiti

... any birds but plenty of their nesting sites above the high tide line. Conservation groups had erected a number of informational placards about the birds, their breeding, feeding and migratory cycle as well as how important it was to keep a good distance from the birds. There were actually roped off areas to help people know where not to walk. We got just as wet and wind battered here as on the cape but did managed to stay out for a short time on the ...

... quickly. I followed and when I reached the bottom so much water was hitting me that I didn’t know where to walk. Laura grabbed me and said hey come stand over here. The next 20 minutes was more tight squeezes and how can this get any crazier moments. The pinnacle of these moments was when we got to a tiny cave opening and I really didn’t see where we were going at all. The guide points to a tiny crack that is only slight ...

... seen it all!
Really – these caves were nothing compared to the colors and height
of the Caverns. It made us feel good in a way – that we had
something so close to home that would put these NZ caves to shame.
So maybe we were bored also because we had already learned about
stalagmites and stalactites.



One thing we did learn was that
although they are commonly referred to as glow worms, they actually
belong to the ...

... down afterwards, even though white tigers are extinct in the wild & there's not many in captivity either. I thought that was the most heartless & cruel thing about the incident. It's a tiger - they're not tame, so I felt that although it was devastating for the ranger's family, he was to blame in the situation, not the cat. Not surprisingly, this wasn't the sort of rant the reporter was after, so she soon left me alone & Laura & I carried on up to the Bay of Islands.

Jack: We did the Tongariro Alpine Crossing today 19 km through volcanoes and ice. Yvette broke her leg, but luckily it was the left leg which is not required for driving an automatic. For lunch we had left over sausage sandwiches and cheese and ham sandwiches sat at the last hut on the trail I also found a hat but nobody waiting at the end wanted it Not even the ambulance men. Yvette: Jack is lying, I didn't break ...

... them.....I do'nt like it dark!!! Stayed the next night in port Waikato and watched our last New Zealand sunset. Last night we were in a cabin in Auckland so we could clean Shelley for the Reid family when they come to take her away at Easter. We were really sad to be leaving but we will be back next year. And we have Hawaii to look forward to.

With a map drawn to help us and a little help from Andrews's amazingly clear memory we made our way up to Andrews Aunt Lins where he had spent many a childhood Christmas. Lin and Husband Don welcomed us in with open arms and a full menu. Most impressive were the largest and juiciest beefsteak tomatoes picked fresh from the garden outside, they were as large as grapefruits and equally juicy. Our time at Aunt Lins was spent eating fantastically prepared ...

Had a fantabuloso adventurous day in one of the many Waitomo Caves. I caught the bus from Rotorua to arrive there around 9.30, meet my guide and fellow adventurers and head towards the cave without sparing the horses. We got kitted out in our wetsuits, gum boots (that's Southern Hemisphere speak for wellies) and lovely purple thermal trousers - I looked tres demure darling. Plus a safety helmet with a funky headlight attached (they're all the rage) and a sexy ...

Fiund the most amazing bakery after work today! It sold slices... like caramel slices, and choc fudge slices etc etc, and donuts adn cream donuts etc etc all for $NZ1 which is liek 38p and they were pretty big. It also sold really good hot pies like ...

Got down to Waitomo late in the evening...i had the first driving stint, and so was able to sleep in the van for the rest of the way down, only waking for a pit-stop at McDonalds! Woke up when the guys climbed into the back to sleep. I needed the toilet, and decided i couldn't be bothered to walk up the hill, and so jumped behind thew wheel of Betty. Roared off up the hill, with Dave and Sam falling about in their sleeping bags in the back, struggling ...