New Zealand

Over the long weekend Clare and I went to New Zealand! We traveled to Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula and Rotorua. We had decided to rent a car and drive around which really allowed us to see a lot of the country side. The weather was cold though and it poured on our last morning. It didn't stop us from doing anything but it made for an uncomfortable morning walking around. I put this first picture of me in because I want you all to see how much I took with me. 1 backpack = everything I needed for 4 days. I was really impressed with how well I packed for this trip and it made it a lot easier getting in and out of the airports. By the way the immigration guy in Australia looked at my passport and me multiple times before he told me I looked like Jennifer Aniston. I just burst out laughing because I was nervous that something was wrong with my visa and he was thinking I was someone famous.


Hot Water Beach was in the Coromandel Peninsula and is a beach that has 2 specific hot spots that are heated by the earth. The volcanic activity below actually heats the sand. People had dug tons of holes all over the beach and were sitting in there little hot tub. The ocean was absolutely freezing, but when the water filled up in the hole, it got so warm it literally was boiling. I think this was one of my favorite things to see and had so much fun walking from pool to pool and talking to people.

Cathedral Cove is below and was also in Coromandel. We had wanted to kayak around this area, but the waves were too high that day and they canceled the trip. We still enjoyed walking around and just went on a hike through the woods instead.

Driving back to Auckland, this was our view for about an hour and a half. We took the coastal highway and were able to drive by the ocean back to Auckland.

The Auckland Skytower. Our hotel was right next to this spot.

In Rotorua we saw more of the geysers and got a bit of culture. We walked through Hell's Gate and saw a number of different hot and mud pools. People come to this area to for the special mud that comes from the hot pools. It doesn't smell very good in these areas because of the sulphur but really was cool to see. After we went through Hell's Gate we had a cultural dinner experience called a Hangi. We learned about the Maori culture and a hangi is where you cook your food over volcanic stones. After dinner we experienced cultural dances and songs by some locals.

I just had to show you what originated in Rotorua. You can Zorb down a hill. I swear that they got this idea from the balls that we put hamsters in because all they do is put you in this ball and then push you down a hill. If you really want to be extreme they will throw some water in with you as well. On the morning that we were going to Zorb, it was pouring and we just didn't want to bother with it. The things they think of in New Zealand...

Anyway, we had a great time and were exhausted when we got back home. It was a really weird feeling for me to leave New Zealand and know that I wasn't going back home to the states. Usually when your vacation is over you head home but heading to Sydney was just weird because for the next few months this is my home. I've been volunteering these last two weeks and am really enjoying it. I'll post more as things come up!