Hamster balls and rotten eggs

Trip Start Nov 07, 2005
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Trip End Nov 04, 2006


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Wednesday, May 3, 2006

Simon and I had a trial separation after Napier, in preparation for the big split in June. He hitchiked to Gisborne, whilst I took the bus to Rotorua.

I'd been starting to get quite...'blah' is the only word I can think of...about New Zealand, especially now the winter's rearing it's miserable head, but I met a guy from Fiji whilst waiting for my bus who snapped me out of it ever so slightly. He'd never been abroad and was amazed at how green NZ is. Looking out of the window on the bus I started to re-appreciate its beauty. Rolling green hills after rolling green hills, capped with mist and dotted with hundreds of sheep. I had a horrified thought that maybe I had been spoiled and was taking my travel for granted, or, as one of Simon's friend's suggested, becoming desensitised to travel after a certain amount of time. But I decided it wasn't that. The scenery is amazing and I can appreciate it, but the country just doesn't do it for me Colourful mud
Colourful mud
 .

My next stop was Rotorua, Egg City.

I'm not a big fan of eggs. Least of all the smell they make when they're rotting. So why would I choose to spend the next couple of days in a city that smells like that 24/7...? To roll down a hill in a huge hamster ball filled with water of course.
Rotorua is where Zorbing was invented. You can do it dry, where you're harnessed into the ball, or wet, where you slide around and try unsuccessfully to stand up. A cross between a rollercoaster and a waterslide is how its described.
I was slightly nervous about it due to my weak stomach as I really didn't want to be the person who vomited in the zorb and rolled around in her own sick. Thankfully that didn't happen. I took the zig zag route which was meant to be more hardcore than the straight roll, and it was great, but please do not try this with your hamster.

I also went to Wai O Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Drawn in by the colourful posters and promises of an "artist's palate" of different coloured sulphur pools, I was mildly disappointed as it was very misty so my photos were crap.

I've never sneezed so much in my life as when I was in Rotorua; I don't think my nose will ever be the same again.
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