Final Few Days
Sadly it's all over and we're now back home suffering from jetlag and being hurled back into reality with the fact we're moving into our new house next week.
We spent our last week on the north island. We flew in to Rotorua which is famous for it's thermal reserves and volcanic activity. We visited a couple of thermal areas to look at hot spouting geysers, bubbling mud pools and boiling lakes. This was all enjoyed in the rain and haze of sulphurous odour - a combination of eggs and boiled gammon.
Whilst in Rotorou we were also able to immerse ourselves a bit in Maori history. One of the thermal reserves was a Maori village so we got a tour round by one of the villagers and learnt how they used the hot waters for cooking and bathing and learnt about their ancestors. We also went on the obligatory Maori meal and dance night, which was actually quite good. It was set in a reconstructed traditional Maori village in the woods so was very atmospheric. And of course we got to see the Maori Hakka being done.
We had intended on heading to the east coast for a few days of chilling out on beautiful beaches but because of the cyclone over the east we headed west instead. We booked a half day cave trip where we walked and floated down a river 25 metres underground to see the glow worms. We floated down on huge inflated inner tubes and had to jump backwards off waterfalls landing on our bums in the inner tube. It was a bit scary but good fun. The glow worms were really cool. It was like looking up into a starry sky.
After the caving we went to a Kiwi house to look at the kiwis and other native birds. Kiwis are really cute, though not as cute as penguins. They're from the emu / ostrich family but are much smaller, about the size of the chicken with very long beaks. They don't have any wings so look really funny scurrying about on their legs with their neck bobbing about. Being nocturnal their enclosure was in the dark, this means you'll have to use your imagination a bit when we show you all the dark photos.
We spent a day on the west coast at a surf town - Raglan. The highlight would have been tofu burgers if they hadn't already sold out.
Finally, we made it to Auckland to visit the rellies - Yvette's Uncle Peter (who looks a bit like Richard Briars), Aunty Heather and cousin Helen. Needless to say we were very well looked after. We spent one day on our own looking round Auckland city and another north west of Auckland walking by the coast in lovely hilly forests, or bush as the locals say. We saw the beach where they filmed the Piano, which is dark sand and soaring forested cliffs and ate chips and burgers at another lovely beach.
Mat got to have the longest birthday ever. We flew out on Mat's birthday - April 1st- and it was still his birthday some 30 odd hours later. We had five hours between flights in Sydney so left the airport to have a birthday meal down at the harbour with views of the opera house and harbour bridge. It seemed a bit odd to suddenly be in Australia, walking by the didgeridoo player and Aussie souvenir shops, but it was nice afternoon.
Then 11 films later (that's the number of films you'd have been able to watch if you'd watched them throughout the flight), we managed about 3 each, we were back at Heathrow. The chauffeur service back to Loughborough was worth every penny.
So that's it. We've had the most amazing holiday and will go back to NZ again one day to visit the bits that we didn't get to see this time.
We spent our last week on the north island. We flew in to Rotorua which is famous for it's thermal reserves and volcanic activity. We visited a couple of thermal areas to look at hot spouting geysers, bubbling mud pools and boiling lakes. This was all enjoyed in the rain and haze of sulphurous odour - a combination of eggs and boiled gammon.
Whilst in Rotorou we were also able to immerse ourselves a bit in Maori history. One of the thermal reserves was a Maori village so we got a tour round by one of the villagers and learnt how they used the hot waters for cooking and bathing and learnt about their ancestors. We also went on the obligatory Maori meal and dance night, which was actually quite good. It was set in a reconstructed traditional Maori village in the woods so was very atmospheric. And of course we got to see the Maori Hakka being done.
We had intended on heading to the east coast for a few days of chilling out on beautiful beaches but because of the cyclone over the east we headed west instead. We booked a half day cave trip where we walked and floated down a river 25 metres underground to see the glow worms. We floated down on huge inflated inner tubes and had to jump backwards off waterfalls landing on our bums in the inner tube. It was a bit scary but good fun. The glow worms were really cool. It was like looking up into a starry sky.
After the caving we went to a Kiwi house to look at the kiwis and other native birds. Kiwis are really cute, though not as cute as penguins. They're from the emu / ostrich family but are much smaller, about the size of the chicken with very long beaks. They don't have any wings so look really funny scurrying about on their legs with their neck bobbing about. Being nocturnal their enclosure was in the dark, this means you'll have to use your imagination a bit when we show you all the dark photos.
We spent a day on the west coast at a surf town - Raglan. The highlight would have been tofu burgers if they hadn't already sold out.
Finally, we made it to Auckland to visit the rellies - Yvette's Uncle Peter (who looks a bit like Richard Briars), Aunty Heather and cousin Helen. Needless to say we were very well looked after. We spent one day on our own looking round Auckland city and another north west of Auckland walking by the coast in lovely hilly forests, or bush as the locals say. We saw the beach where they filmed the Piano, which is dark sand and soaring forested cliffs and ate chips and burgers at another lovely beach.
Mat got to have the longest birthday ever. We flew out on Mat's birthday - April 1st- and it was still his birthday some 30 odd hours later. We had five hours between flights in Sydney so left the airport to have a birthday meal down at the harbour with views of the opera house and harbour bridge. It seemed a bit odd to suddenly be in Australia, walking by the didgeridoo player and Aussie souvenir shops, but it was nice afternoon.
Then 11 films later (that's the number of films you'd have been able to watch if you'd watched them throughout the flight), we managed about 3 each, we were back at Heathrow. The chauffeur service back to Loughborough was worth every penny.
So that's it. We've had the most amazing holiday and will go back to NZ again one day to visit the bits that we didn't get to see this time.
posted by Mat & Yvette at 5:45 PM
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