Today is the day that Dan and I head out of Auckland and off to the countryside for lots of driving. After another delicious breakfast at Bella's (this place is amazing) we got ourselves ready to leave. We headed out of Auckland about 9:30 am. We were in a great location and the transition from downtown to the highway was very simple. Dan and I were really happy that the traffic was only bad going into the city very much unlike Chicago in which you are stuck no matter what direction or time of day. We got out in a jiffy. In fact due to the nature of the road system here a short distance on a map is still a long drive.
A few miles outside Auckland the road changed from a four lane divided highway to a two lane undivided highway. Now that we have driven a bunch we realize this is the norm. They do have the occasional passing lane and with the curves and constant speed changes these are nice to let the locals get around us. We were quite slow to begin with the speed limit is 100 km/ hr ( around 60 mph) and we were around 80-90. Once we got our bearings we were able to keep the speed up closer to the limit or admittedly a little fast as which our GPS would yell at us and we would slow down.
The road to Waitomo was quite long and we ended up on a very small country road. We followed the GPS and not until later did we realize there was a larger access road. The countryside was beautiful and it was nice to see all the farmland, cows, sheep and houses. With all the dairt cows it could have easily been a country drive in WI, well perhaps a little too hilly but still very similar. We rolled in to Waitomo around noon. Just a little too late for the noon tour so we opted to wait and eat some lunch. The cafe at the cave was good and I (per usual) had chickens strips and fries. It was nice to get something less fancy. Dan had a burger with some Ginger Beer, similar to Ginger ale but just a little stronger. He loved it while I did not. I had a good old American Sprite. :)
We made it for the 1pm tour and had a very nice experience. Unfortunately there was no pictures or video allowed and so we don't have anything to show but I can describe it. We walked into the cave and made our way down a little ways seeing stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. The guide told us the formations will form a column eventually when they grow together however at 1 cm growth a year no one will ever see it happen. The guide notified us that there was a lot of limestone which is formed when fossils, corral, and something else (can't remember) die and decay. Once we made it down 40 meters we were in an all black area. Dan and I were the first to reach this area to which the guide mentioned "Americans are always so trusting." Dan and I chuckled at this and hoped for the best. We were actually standing under the tallest part of the cave. They call it the cathedral and it is a site to see, dark or lit. The guide told us that the cathedral is used by recording artists who want to make use of the natural acoustics and that recently wedding are held there. I personally could't imagine the 40m descent in a big white wedding dress. It would be amazing though regardless. Once we made it through the cathedrals we had our first glimpse of glowworms. They were little twinkling lights on the side of the cave above the water. They have long stringy "fishing poles" that extend from them downward. These catch their food, primarily mosquitos. After this we loaded onto a boat and went through river cutout that was lit by THOUSANDS of these glowworms. We both really wish we could show you but we followed the direction and didn't take any pictures. We did pick up a couple postcards so we may post photos of those to give you an idea of what it was like.
Once we were done here at Waitomo we decided to go exploring a little bit. We made our way east heading to Lake Taupo. This is the largest lake in New Zealand the size roughly that of Singapore. It was a very big lake. We stopped along the shore and snapped a couple of photos and relaxed a bit after the drive. We tried some New Zealand snacks in the form of chips called Grain Waves. Dan also wanted to try a Bounty candy bar and so we shared that too. Once we were done taking in the lake we decided to try and find Huka Falls. We arrived at the park at 5:45 pm and the sign told us 6pm sharp it closed. So we hopped out of the car and ran to the falls site. Luckily it was close and we managed to leave with 5 or so mins remaining. After that we headed off to Rotorua.
While traveling on State Highway 5 (the thermal explorers highway) we noticed steam coming from the farm land. Spoiler alert: the next day we experienced the steam even more. Also on this drive and pretty close to Rotorua it began to rain. We happened upon a large hill with a rainbow. While I was trying to take photos Dan noticed that the hill was called Rainbow Mountain. Which of course is the perfect name and we are glad we got to see a rainbow.
We arrived in Rotorua around 7 pm checked in and opened our room. What? Two double beds, this can't be right? Luckily I spoke up and convinced Dan that we should inquire about a nicer room. Much to our surprise they had one available. It was not only a king bed but had it's very own Jacuzzi tub. Woot, I say and so Dan and I celebrated by taking a dip and enjoying our room. We were quite surprised that Rotorua was small and so we jut had dinner at the hotel and went to sleep. We had an early day ahead with sleep being necessary.
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