Jeni is still catching up with her incredibly awesome detailed posts about our travels but I figured I'd give a quick update of our status. We reached the final hotel and it's awesome. Queenstown is beautiful. Got some amazing photos today. Hotel is modern and has free (limited) wireless. (20 min or MBs a day). Even still we should be able to keep in contact. Cheers from Queenstown! Tomorrow we kayak and explore the area a bit more.
Dan
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
25/11/2010 Off to Greymouth and then Franz Josef
First off I want to say Happy Thanksgiving from the future. We celebrated it with a 4.5 hour scenic train ride through the South Island. We began in Christchurch (on the east coast) which is a relatively flat area. It very much reminded us of Illinois minus the absence of corn and soybean fields. It wasn't more than 30 mins and we began to see the mountains ahead. One thing i noted that was kinda cool was that at railway crossings people had to wait for us. It was neat to be the train that was holding things versus being in the car and waiting . During the trip we passed over a couple gorges and the first bridge was a little scary. The bridges are very small and this one was over a really large gorge. Dan and I were feeling hungry so we soon took our first trek on the train. It was interesting moving between the cars and we grabbed our breakfast and headed back to our seats. We spent awhile taking pictures and taking in the scenery.
The train came out of the mountains (Southern Alps) and into Greymouth. This city has now become world known because of the Pike River Mine disaster. There wasn't much movement downtown just a few paper headlines and one window sign. The mining disaster will be remembered on New Zealand for our lifetimes and it is so weird that Dan and I have been in the country since it occurred. Dan and I were a little tired of restaurant food and so we went to the grocery store and made deli sandwiches instead. It go our rental car a little dirty but it was a nice change from the same ole restaurant food. We ate our meal and programmer the GPS and got on our way. We had a 2.5 hour drive into Franz Josef.
This drive was nothing like the North Island. First off the roads are more narrow, there were large straight aways (in the beginning). Eventually once we got off the west coast we had to do some mountain driving. This consisted of steep gradients and sharp curves. Some were marked as 25 km/h which is super slow. Io tired to take photos so I hope they show the sharp curves. We both needed a bathroom break and luckily there was a small little off shoot to Lake Ianthe. Here we took a couple pictures of the very large mountain lake.
Continuing on we made it to Franz Josef around 5 pm or so. We got settled in and relaxed a bit. Then we decided to take a walk and see the town. It is very small. We walked from our hotel to the end in 5 mins or so. We found the Glacier guides building and so we confirmed our booking and they gave us our tickets. We also went inside this Kiwi House. Since Franz Josef isn't very big we thought we could go see some Kiwi's. The employees told us that it would be best around 8 pm because they are very active at that time. The Kiwi bird is a nocturnal and flightless bird. This place has a nocturnal house set opposite of our schedule so we can observe the Kiwi's. We decided to go back to our hotel and make use of the laundry facilities and to try and finish the movie we began in Christchurch while we wait until 8.
We walked back to see the kiwis at 8 pm. We got into there area and had to adjust to the low light. Then we heard a ruffle in the bites and sure enough there was our first kiwi sighting. There were four total chicks and it was fun watching them. We found the biggest one dancing in the corner and thought that was a delight. We also observed two scuffles. Kiwi are anti-social and so they don't like to be bothered. A smaller chick messed with the biggest kiwi and so he had to be taught. Overall it was fun to see them playing and scavenging for food. Unfortunately no photos could be taken of the chicks because they are Rowi Kiwi who are an endangered species (all kiwi species are endangered) and the conservation society takes the kiwi eggs and hatches the chicks and helps them develop. Then they release them onto a predator free island and eventually back into the wild so they can help to increase the population. The chicks we saw are spending 6 months or so here before being released onto the island. So they want them to remain as wild as possible and so no photos can be taken. Also it is so dark that you wouldn't be able to see much.
Once we were done with the kiwis we decided we had better get some dinner. So we walked to a restaurant that Dan thought looked good only the kitchen was closed. It was only 9 pm and they already stopped serving. Seemed like a silly plan to me. So we went to the one other restaurant and thankfully it was open. We ordered a Hawaiian pizza and basket of fries. It should really be listed a mountain of fries because it was huge. We pigged out on those while mixing ketchup and mayo together. It was delicious. However we ate so many fries that when our pizza came I could only eat one piece. Dan stuffed three down and we took the rest home. We tried ( and I say tried) to finish our movie but it expired on us because stupid Apple only allows 24 hours to watch a movie and it never told us it was expiring so we thought this one was different. Partially stupid us and partially stupid Apple but oh well. We looked through the thumbnails of scenes and saw how The Karate Kid ended. Luckily we can get it from a Redbox for a dollar or from Netflix. So anyway that made us ready to sleep. We wanted to be nice and rested for our half day glacier hike.
The train came out of the mountains (Southern Alps) and into Greymouth. This city has now become world known because of the Pike River Mine disaster. There wasn't much movement downtown just a few paper headlines and one window sign. The mining disaster will be remembered on New Zealand for our lifetimes and it is so weird that Dan and I have been in the country since it occurred. Dan and I were a little tired of restaurant food and so we went to the grocery store and made deli sandwiches instead. It go our rental car a little dirty but it was a nice change from the same ole restaurant food. We ate our meal and programmer the GPS and got on our way. We had a 2.5 hour drive into Franz Josef.
This drive was nothing like the North Island. First off the roads are more narrow, there were large straight aways (in the beginning). Eventually once we got off the west coast we had to do some mountain driving. This consisted of steep gradients and sharp curves. Some were marked as 25 km/h which is super slow. Io tired to take photos so I hope they show the sharp curves. We both needed a bathroom break and luckily there was a small little off shoot to Lake Ianthe. Here we took a couple pictures of the very large mountain lake.
Continuing on we made it to Franz Josef around 5 pm or so. We got settled in and relaxed a bit. Then we decided to take a walk and see the town. It is very small. We walked from our hotel to the end in 5 mins or so. We found the Glacier guides building and so we confirmed our booking and they gave us our tickets. We also went inside this Kiwi House. Since Franz Josef isn't very big we thought we could go see some Kiwi's. The employees told us that it would be best around 8 pm because they are very active at that time. The Kiwi bird is a nocturnal and flightless bird. This place has a nocturnal house set opposite of our schedule so we can observe the Kiwi's. We decided to go back to our hotel and make use of the laundry facilities and to try and finish the movie we began in Christchurch while we wait until 8.
We walked back to see the kiwis at 8 pm. We got into there area and had to adjust to the low light. Then we heard a ruffle in the bites and sure enough there was our first kiwi sighting. There were four total chicks and it was fun watching them. We found the biggest one dancing in the corner and thought that was a delight. We also observed two scuffles. Kiwi are anti-social and so they don't like to be bothered. A smaller chick messed with the biggest kiwi and so he had to be taught. Overall it was fun to see them playing and scavenging for food. Unfortunately no photos could be taken of the chicks because they are Rowi Kiwi who are an endangered species (all kiwi species are endangered) and the conservation society takes the kiwi eggs and hatches the chicks and helps them develop. Then they release them onto a predator free island and eventually back into the wild so they can help to increase the population. The chicks we saw are spending 6 months or so here before being released onto the island. So they want them to remain as wild as possible and so no photos can be taken. Also it is so dark that you wouldn't be able to see much.
Once we were done with the kiwis we decided we had better get some dinner. So we walked to a restaurant that Dan thought looked good only the kitchen was closed. It was only 9 pm and they already stopped serving. Seemed like a silly plan to me. So we went to the one other restaurant and thankfully it was open. We ordered a Hawaiian pizza and basket of fries. It should really be listed a mountain of fries because it was huge. We pigged out on those while mixing ketchup and mayo together. It was delicious. However we ate so many fries that when our pizza came I could only eat one piece. Dan stuffed three down and we took the rest home. We tried ( and I say tried) to finish our movie but it expired on us because stupid Apple only allows 24 hours to watch a movie and it never told us it was expiring so we thought this one was different. Partially stupid us and partially stupid Apple but oh well. We looked through the thumbnails of scenes and saw how The Karate Kid ended. Luckily we can get it from a Redbox for a dollar or from Netflix. So anyway that made us ready to sleep. We wanted to be nice and rested for our half day glacier hike.
24/11/2010 Christchurch
I awoke this morning a little after 4 am. I was a little worried that we wouldn't have enough time before our flight left. I didn't want there to be any chance that we missed our 9 am flight and we had an hour between dropping off our car and getting through security. In case you are wondering how the Rotorua Airport operates I am here to be your guide. Though I will tell you that we were early. Not only a little early but a lot early. We arrived at the airport at 7:30. There was NO security check-in. In fact the door to the airplane was no more than 50 feet from the entrance to the airport. Super small airport and super trusting. I never flew before 9/11 and so I don't know anything other than the security in the states. We boarded the airplane and headed off to Christchurch.
We landed 1.5 hours later and found our waiting shuttle. After a short drive we arrived at our hotel. The hotel was very unique. It had huge roses bushes all around it too. Dan and I took a walk around the property. It was really beautiful and we understood why Christchurch is known as the garden city. My only complaint of this hotel was the location. It was quite a ways from the city center and so we had to take their free shuttle. I guess it wasn't that bad because they at least had shuttle. We took the 1 pm shuttle to the city center for lunch. We happened upon a swanky restaurant named Suede. Dan had a salad and I had a chicken sandwich. I
enjoyed my so much especially the avocado.
Once lunch was over we went to look around the city. We made it to the Cathedral Square but that was about it for the city. We decided that we would walk back. There was a botanical garden located in the park. It was fun to see so many big trees. The garden only had roses and a few shrubs for flowering plants. I think it was too soon for all the beautiful summer plants. We finished ti gardens after a bunch of photos and continued to our hotel. It was about a 30 min walk and by the time we got to our hotel Dan and I were quite tired. We spent a little while enjoying the free Internet and found a place for dinner.
Since we didn't have any mode of transportation we just spent the rest of the night at our hotel. Luckily we had a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine to drink so it wasn't half bad.
We landed 1.5 hours later and found our waiting shuttle. After a short drive we arrived at our hotel. The hotel was very unique. It had huge roses bushes all around it too. Dan and I took a walk around the property. It was really beautiful and we understood why Christchurch is known as the garden city. My only complaint of this hotel was the location. It was quite a ways from the city center and so we had to take their free shuttle. I guess it wasn't that bad because they at least had shuttle. We took the 1 pm shuttle to the city center for lunch. We happened upon a swanky restaurant named Suede. Dan had a salad and I had a chicken sandwich. I
enjoyed my so much especially the avocado.
Once lunch was over we went to look around the city. We made it to the Cathedral Square but that was about it for the city. We decided that we would walk back. There was a botanical garden located in the park. It was fun to see so many big trees. The garden only had roses and a few shrubs for flowering plants. I think it was too soon for all the beautiful summer plants. We finished ti gardens after a bunch of photos and continued to our hotel. It was about a 30 min walk and by the time we got to our hotel Dan and I were quite tired. We spent a little while enjoying the free Internet and found a place for dinner.
Since we didn't have any mode of transportation we just spent the rest of the night at our hotel. Luckily we had a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine to drink so it wasn't half bad.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Goodbye from Christchurch
We are departing Christchurch today and possibly wireless from awhile. We will try and update you from Franz Josef but we don't know how remote it is.
Much Love
Jeni and Dan
Sent from my iPad
Our Rotorua Adventure day
23/11/2010 Rotorua (full day)
We awoke super super early to make it on the road 25 kilometers or so back toward Taupo. The day before we saw all the steam vents and was very excited to see what it was all about. We looked up in a brochure and decided to get down there. We traveled and arrived right at the opening of the Wai-o-topu Thermal Wonderland. We had an ~75 min walk ahead of us and so we got to it. Dan was the photographer for the day (unless he is in the photo) and took charge. He also took some amazing photos. We saw hot springs that were bubbling at 100 degrees Celsius (boiling water), craters, and caves. There were lakes made by these hot springs and were colored by all the different metal oxides released from the volcanic activity below. On cool event was the simulated volcanic eruption followed by actual lava flow and with vigorous clapping we triggered an earthquake. Hehe just kidding if you couldn't tell. The park was completely natural and came with the Lady Knox Geyser erupting at 10:15 am sharp. Well this was artificially stimulated by releasing environmentally safe surfactants (soap) into the opening. Sure enough at 10:15 she blew her lid and it was cool. One of the best sites so far to see. Since she continued for an hour we were able to take some nice photos and even some fun ones. The photos should come soon. The only other thing to see in the park is the mud pools. Bubbly muddy goodness.
We headed from Wai-o-tapu and made our way to Agroventures ie. the Schweeb. I can describe the schweeb in one word AWESOME!! It was super fun and when we get home we will have a video waiting for us to view. As for who won it depends on who you ask. Dan came in at 1:07 and i made it in 1:18 which was below average for both sexes. Technically he beat me but i beat the average by more about 6 secs while he was only under by 3 secs. So we both won in a way. We also did the free fall extreme which we were pushed upwards by a large jet engine to simulate the feeling of free falling. Other than the fact that it was hard to get the hang of it, it was still fun. We have a video of that too. We decided since they didn't allow us to film the schweeb we should pay there super high price for the videos. Hopefully when we get back and watch them it will have been worth it.
Once we were done getting our extreme adventure on, we headed up the hill to the Agrodome. Here the have many many sheep, 19 different varieties actually. We got our tickets for the sheep show and waited around. We played with some baby sheep. They let you get into the pen and play with them. Since my friend Betsy's family used to have sheep I was not scared of them. In fact I quite enjoyed petting and picking them up. We took our front row seats (I wanted to be close). We meet a very cool Aussie family and had fun talking to them about New Zealand, Australia and the US. They have traveled around the west coast and have been to Hawai'i. When the show started Dan and I were amazed by all the sheep. The MC was very funny as well and it was a fun experience. We also got to see them shave a sheep bare and they had a dairy cow ready for milking. Audience members were asked to volunteer and I shot my hand hand up and got to milk the cow. I had previously not milked a cow but now I have. It was really fun and Dan got some good pictures. After the show we got to see how the wool was processed by carding and then spooling. All in all it was a good extra activity and one that I will remember for a long time.
One thing that our travel agent mentioned was having a Maori meal (hungi). I was hesitant then but we stopped by the Mital village to see what the food was. I wanted to make sure I could eat something. Sure enough they had Jeni types of food and we made our reservation. The Aussies recommended this village and so we were excited to have a chance to see and learn about the natives. The night began with introductions and the appointing of a chief. We were a tribe of 18 nations with our chief from Singapore. In fact no one volunteered to be chief (well no man did, I would have but no woman could be chief). So the Ukranian woman randomly picked the Singapore man. I think because he was alone and an easy target. Much to his chagrin he agreed to do it. Once that was over we got to see our food being cooked. Dan sorta misled you as to how it is cooked. We believe that was the ancient way with burying it under grow d because now they just have a big steam pit in the ground. Probably because it is more controllable and safer. We watt he'd their native welcome show complete with dance, a showing of their games, and some war calls. It was fun to see the cultural part of New Zealand and learn a little bit about the Maori. We had dinner after the show and we starving. It consisted of salads (lettuce and noodle), roasted potatoes, domed lamb or chicken and some garlic bread. They also provided dessert which was Triffle, tropical fruit and a chocolate log ( large Swiss Cake roll). The food overall was very tasty and it was nice not to have to choose what to eat. We ate our full and talked with a British couple during the entire meal. They we very nice and recommended some sites in the South Island. So we will have to see if we get a chance to see them. Once dinner was done we went on a nature hike to see their sacred waters surrounded by more glowworms. It was all a great experience and Dan and I are glad we got to have it. It is nice to see a different piece of New Zealand.
Time to retire to our room again and await the South Island in the morning.
We awoke super super early to make it on the road 25 kilometers or so back toward Taupo. The day before we saw all the steam vents and was very excited to see what it was all about. We looked up in a brochure and decided to get down there. We traveled and arrived right at the opening of the Wai-o-topu Thermal Wonderland. We had an ~75 min walk ahead of us and so we got to it. Dan was the photographer for the day (unless he is in the photo) and took charge. He also took some amazing photos. We saw hot springs that were bubbling at 100 degrees Celsius (boiling water), craters, and caves. There were lakes made by these hot springs and were colored by all the different metal oxides released from the volcanic activity below. On cool event was the simulated volcanic eruption followed by actual lava flow and with vigorous clapping we triggered an earthquake. Hehe just kidding if you couldn't tell. The park was completely natural and came with the Lady Knox Geyser erupting at 10:15 am sharp. Well this was artificially stimulated by releasing environmentally safe surfactants (soap) into the opening. Sure enough at 10:15 she blew her lid and it was cool. One of the best sites so far to see. Since she continued for an hour we were able to take some nice photos and even some fun ones. The photos should come soon. The only other thing to see in the park is the mud pools. Bubbly muddy goodness.
We headed from Wai-o-tapu and made our way to Agroventures ie. the Schweeb. I can describe the schweeb in one word AWESOME!! It was super fun and when we get home we will have a video waiting for us to view. As for who won it depends on who you ask. Dan came in at 1:07 and i made it in 1:18 which was below average for both sexes. Technically he beat me but i beat the average by more about 6 secs while he was only under by 3 secs. So we both won in a way. We also did the free fall extreme which we were pushed upwards by a large jet engine to simulate the feeling of free falling. Other than the fact that it was hard to get the hang of it, it was still fun. We have a video of that too. We decided since they didn't allow us to film the schweeb we should pay there super high price for the videos. Hopefully when we get back and watch them it will have been worth it.
Once we were done getting our extreme adventure on, we headed up the hill to the Agrodome. Here the have many many sheep, 19 different varieties actually. We got our tickets for the sheep show and waited around. We played with some baby sheep. They let you get into the pen and play with them. Since my friend Betsy's family used to have sheep I was not scared of them. In fact I quite enjoyed petting and picking them up. We took our front row seats (I wanted to be close). We meet a very cool Aussie family and had fun talking to them about New Zealand, Australia and the US. They have traveled around the west coast and have been to Hawai'i. When the show started Dan and I were amazed by all the sheep. The MC was very funny as well and it was a fun experience. We also got to see them shave a sheep bare and they had a dairy cow ready for milking. Audience members were asked to volunteer and I shot my hand hand up and got to milk the cow. I had previously not milked a cow but now I have. It was really fun and Dan got some good pictures. After the show we got to see how the wool was processed by carding and then spooling. All in all it was a good extra activity and one that I will remember for a long time.
One thing that our travel agent mentioned was having a Maori meal (hungi). I was hesitant then but we stopped by the Mital village to see what the food was. I wanted to make sure I could eat something. Sure enough they had Jeni types of food and we made our reservation. The Aussies recommended this village and so we were excited to have a chance to see and learn about the natives. The night began with introductions and the appointing of a chief. We were a tribe of 18 nations with our chief from Singapore. In fact no one volunteered to be chief (well no man did, I would have but no woman could be chief). So the Ukranian woman randomly picked the Singapore man. I think because he was alone and an easy target. Much to his chagrin he agreed to do it. Once that was over we got to see our food being cooked. Dan sorta misled you as to how it is cooked. We believe that was the ancient way with burying it under grow d because now they just have a big steam pit in the ground. Probably because it is more controllable and safer. We watt he'd their native welcome show complete with dance, a showing of their games, and some war calls. It was fun to see the cultural part of New Zealand and learn a little bit about the Maori. We had dinner after the show and we starving. It consisted of salads (lettuce and noodle), roasted potatoes, domed lamb or chicken and some garlic bread. They also provided dessert which was Triffle, tropical fruit and a chocolate log ( large Swiss Cake roll). The food overall was very tasty and it was nice not to have to choose what to eat. We ate our full and talked with a British couple during the entire meal. They we very nice and recommended some sites in the South Island. So we will have to see if we get a chance to see them. Once dinner was done we went on a nature hike to see their sacred waters surrounded by more glowworms. It was all a great experience and Dan and I are glad we got to have it. It is nice to see a different piece of New Zealand.
Time to retire to our room again and await the South Island in the morning.
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
See Below
I have posted two updates and working on finishing up yesterday's activities. It will be up tonight as well as more pictures. This is a big post day bc we have FREE Wifi access at our hotel. Keep an eye out for more updates.
Love Jeni
Sent from my iPad
Leaving for the Country
22/11/2010 On the Road
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.
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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