Week 5: New Zealand- North Island

to South Island

A new day, a new country- we arrived in Auckland and saw our first rain for a good while. It was to carry on raining for the next week! We spent a nice relaxing day with my friend Chris from our student days in Bradford, his wife Tracy and their children, and then headed out to Rangitoto, a volcanic island in the bay....

...it was covered in lava, although it last erupted 600 years ago. The soil is very fertile, and the flora was varied and colourful. We got soaked again, but the view from the top of the island was worth the effort, especially looking into the crater.

Then to Waitomo, where we went cave tubing (jumping down holes into underground streams and rivers with a wetsuit and rubber ring) with Black Water Rafting - cool! We travelled to Rotorua via Hamilton, and visited our friends Jeanette and Ron, who invited us for lunch and showed us around the town. We got to Rotorua New Year's Eve, and spent the New Year at the Mardi Gras, a grand name for an ordinary fun fair- the fireworks were good though.

The hotel was positioned right next to the Wharawerawera Thermal Reserve- this mud pool was directly below our room, and a geyser just next to that- the best room with a view you could hope for. We visited the luge (left) which was great fun for big kids like us, and then headed out to the Waiotapu Thermal Area, which was full of mud pools and mineral terraces and hot springs etc..

The evening was spent at a Maori dinner and cultural show- these things are always at danger of appearing tacky, but I think they did as well as they could do to make it authentic- it must be hard for them to act like scary warriors, with a bus load of tourists clicking away with their cameras!

We experienced Zorbing (left)- that one coming down the hill has both of us in it- along with a bucket of water to keep us sliding around. A quick way to spend money, but great fun.

And this is me in a hot river, it's about the temperature of a hot bath- full of nasty bacteria, so you must never put your head in, but up to the chest is ok- as long as you don't mind the smell.

Then to Whakatane and the boat to White Island- New Zealand's most active volcano. Hard hats and gas masks were the order of the day, as the sulphurous smell was pretty nasty,and the risk of eruptions.... well I can't see the hard hat saving us- anyway.....

On the crater rim, and pure sulphur, below

At the rim above, and a last view of the island

Then it was south, with a stop at the Hidden Valley, left, and Taupo, overnight in Turangi, before heading down to Wellington.....

.... where we spent an afternoon and night exploring before taking the ferry  to the South Island.

Singapore-Melbourne                  Tasmania                     Sydney-Ayers Rock-Kings Canyon    (big cities and great coasts)     (devils, koalas and roos)       (operas, bridges and big rocks) Alice Springs-Cairns                 New Zealand North Island      NZ South Is. Kaikoura-Queenstown (reptiles and fishy stuff)           (big balls and gas masks)          (dolphins 'n' ice) Routeburn Track-Milford Sound         Honolulu-Hawaii Volcanoes NP      Maui-San Francisco (mountains, waterfalls and 4 wheels)  (Volcanoes and Active Lava Flow)   (beaches, bridges and prisons)