Collingwood Gables Motel Rotorua

Taupo
Adventure capital of the north island and cheapest place in New Zealand to do a skydive due to the airspace only being used by skydive companies - it seemed only fair to go and throw ourselves out of a plane!! So we headed to the tourist information centre to ask about booking. The only trouble was that, it was really cloudy, and all dives were on hold until the cloud cleared. This might be in a couple of hours but might not be for days! We ...

... explained and the Maori women presented their songs and dances also. The dinner was cooked underground and was delicious. We also went to a sheep show. It was fascinating learning all about the different types of sheep in NZ. The part where the dogs herded the sheep was fun to see. We will move further north for the next week before making our way to Australia. More later...

... photos pour voir ce que c'est... ;o) c'est sympatique mais un peu trop touristique a mon gout, on a meme droit a un masque de boue... Le soir nous arrivons a Maketu ou une famille Maori nous acceuille. Ils sont vraiment adorables. Nous passerons la soiree avec eux ou ils nous feront une demonstration de leur dances et chansons Maori. Et puis apres c'est notre tour! J'apprends a dancer et chanter une chanson Maori avec le Poy (petite boule au bout d'une corde ...

... with a traditional Hangi meal - cooked in steam in the ground. We then went on a guided tour and learned about the site of the village on the thermally active ground. There are lots of steaming hot pools, where we saw them cooking corn cobs in a big string bag. We were also shown the holes dug in the hot earth which they cover with wood to made a big pressure cooker. They also use the natural hot water for ...

... more entertaining. We certainly got very wet going under water at the 7 metre drop. The bad part for me was having to carry the canoe up the hill at the end. By the middle of the night I had a sore neck and sore muscles (yes it seems I do have some) across both arms. Kept me up most of the night but it is all good now and I'm ready for my next adventure. Be back with you soon. William

... Street. It's a million miles apart the Duxton in Adelaide, sadly. It's a case of one extreme to the other . I have gone for a single room rather than a dorm, so some would think just doing that was luxurious. There's a bed, wardrobe, chair and mirror oh, and a waste bin. So these must be considered the essentials. You can rent a towel for two dollars, and you get one back when you hand the towel back in. This afternoon I've indulged ...

After leaving Napier, we headed north towards Rotorua, where we'd meet up with our friends Shannon and Paul again. This time, Jeremy drove so I got to spend my time yelling at him to stay in the left lane and not veer into the shoulder. On the way, we stopped by at Lake Taupo. After Rotorua, this is the spot for adventure activities, but since we planned on doing everything with Paul and Shannon, we didn't stay long. We did see ...

... ke oli jub* s*j*nd t*g*si tuntud kui veekeskuselinn. Kül*st*sime ühte neist: Polynesi*n Sp*, mid* oli küll pisut renoveeritud j* p**r uut b*sseini ehit*tud, kuid üldmulje oli v*n* j* väsinud, kuigi üll*tuslikult oli see *rv*tud kolme viim*se **st* m**ilm* top 10 sp* hulg*s! Tegemist polnud mitte t*v*lise sp*'g*, v*id käi* s*i k*hekümne seitsmes erinev*s b*sseinis, mille veetemper*tuur oli s*muti erinev. Vesi on h*ppeline ning vool*s b ...

... Wai-o-tapu so you can find whatever temperature you prefer depending on where you plonk yourself, then there's Kerosene Creek and Butcher's Pool. You might also remember me telling you of the Welcome Flat springs on the Copland track in the southern Alps near Fox. These were definitely the ...