First stop - Aukland

Trip Start Apr 20, 2008
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Trip End Ongoing


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Where I stayed
Jo's Grandma's and Taupo Caravan Park
(Auckland hotels)

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Friday, April 25, 2008

So, after an uneventful 6 hour flight we arrived in Aukland, in the dark due to the 2.5 hour time difference. Jo's uncle had hired us a car which was waiting for us. With a map bigger than both of us we somehow managed to navigate from the airport down South, to the North Shore and we only got lost twice.. Aukland roads are crazy!! You look at the map of central Aukland and it looks like a roller coaster, roads going everywhere! This I can understand in somewhere like San Fran or a big city but Aukland's population is supposedly only the same size as Adelaide yet the traffic is phenomenal.
Finally arrived at Jo's Grandmas and had a feed. Monday the plan was to pick up Jo's cousin Patrick from the airport at 12 and then drop off the hire car. What we found out after driving round the airport for an hour was that the motor of Patrcick's plane had blown up and he wouldn't be in until 5. There was not a whole lot to do to kill time, we tried to find the waterfront but found a stinky swamp instead. The hire car had to be back so we ended up hiring another car, a teeny tiny little red thing that only cost $48 for two days Aukland
Aukland
 . After picking up Patrick there was not much to do but get some dinner and head back home.... a completely wasted day!!

Got up early on Tuesday and started driving South, drove to Corromandel which is along the North East Coast of the North Island. Saw some nice surfing beaches and then headed to Mount Maunganui which is a nice seaside town with a mountain right on the beach although quite commercialised. We climbed up to the summit for some nice views. Next we drove through Rotorua, where they have a lot of steaming bubbling sulphur pools and the whole town STINKS of rotten eggs! Didn't stay there too long but continued on to Taupo which is where Jo lived for many years. Stayed in the caravan park with one of Jo's uncles and some cousins that had driven up from Wellington.

Wednesday we visited Huka falls, which are some small falls but mainly just some fast fast moving water flowing down the Waikato river, quite impressive actually. Also went to a place called Craters of the Moon which was thermal park, lots of craters and steam and pretty cool. Saw Taupo Lake as well but didn't have a whole lot of time as it was a 4 hour drive back to Aukland. Went straight to the airport to catch our 7:30 flight to the US!
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