3 Go Global

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Lake Taupo lies in the middle of the north island and the scenery around it is beautiful, hills, greenery and of course a massive lake. Taupo is the centre of sky diving and I must admit I was itching to try it but Josh had a heart attack at the mention of me jumping out of a plane. Maybe I can sneak out at night…………………..

Tent up at the holiday park in record time and off to explore the town. The first stop was watching the bungy jumpers just down the road. The wooden platform juts out over the cliff with a wicked view of the river below. There was actually a queue waiting to fling themselves off and we had fun talking to the families who were watching their loved ones take the plunge. I don’t know who was worse – the spectators or the jumpers! Most dipped their heads in the water below and all the women instinctively reached up to grab their tee shirts as soon as they jumped off (you can imagine being upside down your clothing reveals more than you might want). O reckons it’s not for her, she would prefer to jump out of a plane.

A bit less adrenaline filled was the walk to Huka falls. A very narrow gap in the river means the water that falls is fast and fun to watch. After we got there O said is that it – the drop is only 10 metres – I think she was expecting Niagara Falls. I suppose when you have seen the big ones it’s hard to get excited. I loved listening and watching the water and could have stayed there all afternoon but the kids were hungry so it was back to the supermarket to get something to throw on the Barbie. I love this country! The holiday park also has a “jumping pillow” which sounded intriguing enough to check out – it’s a huge air filled pocket (about 50m) that’s like a trampoline. Something to tire out the kids before bed – fantastic.

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

Onto Rotorua today – I am sad to be packing up the tent and leaving our idyllic scenery. Yes I say I as the kids have no problem helping me to put it up (they like banging things with the hammer) but when it comes to putting it down – they disappear…………..same thing happens with washing up.

I have been warned about the smell of the town – it’s the sulphur – but was pleasantly surprised. There was a faint whiff but nothing as bad as I expected. We found a site just out of town and wow – it is right by the side of a huge lake (and no smell at all). People here on holiday seem to have boats which looks fun, there’s even a slide in the lake and one of those platforms you swim up to! The lake is surrounded by pine trees (I think) and ferns and it really is stunning. I can’t wait to go for a walk tonight.

Steak on the Barbie for tea – well it is hard work driving and putting up the tent! The kids have run off to explore the facilities which seem to include ping pong and a pool table. There are loads of kids here so I am sure they will be able to keep themselves amused.

January 4th – Moari Culture

Te Puia – home of the famous Pohutu geyser and bubbling mud pools and at last we had the stink to get used to. Bad eggs is an understatement – wow! The centre was a good walk around and we had fun watching the strange bubbling mud pools and geyser explode. The main event was watching the culture show with a traditional Moari welcome. A Texan named Joe volunteered from the crowd to be our chief, well I say volunteered – no-one else got a chance. It was almost satisfying later to see him slightly intimidated by the Haka. The traditional war dance – seen more often on the rugby playing fields was really amazing up close and all the tongue sticking out and protruding eyes made you want to look away. Josh was well into it and reckons he knows the opening bit so he’s going to keep practising to scare his sister.

From Moari culture to NZ latter day culture. O has been bugging me about this since we landed in the country so we made a trip out to the zorbing centre. For those of you who are unsure, a zorb is a huge inflated golf ball (see through) with another smaller ball attached inside. You sit inside the inner ball and roll down a hill – aka zorbing. It was invented in this country and seemed only fitting to test it here. The kids opted for zorbit – both in the orb with water added for an extra splash. The ball went so fast down the hill it went up again the other side. They had a blast and are still talking about it tonight. Me – I chickened out. I must be getting old as I really did not fancy getting wet and preferred to watch. Apparently my pension is in the post.

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Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

Ventured into town to do some food shopping and to see the national bird at the Kiwi House. It was bigger than expected but good to see. The site also had loads of ducks, birds and lizards. Funny how feeding the ducks is still fun – even when the kids are teenagers, they fed out of O’s hand and there were little chicks to coo over too. Thanks to Lonely Planet on the way back we discovered we were just in time for the show at The Shearing Shed – just up the road from the campsite. Only – it’s not sheep – it was Angora rabbits that get the haircut. This poor fluffy white rabbit was put on something which resembled a toture rack and was shaved with the old sheep shearing gear. It’s not painful to the rabbit, just really humiliating in front of a crowd! The amount of wool (fur?) that came off was amazing, they need a shave every 3 months. Needless to say we could not be tempted by the range of Possum and Angora goodies in the shop afterwards.

The gloworm cave here is world famous and it’s reputation is well deserved. We took a late afternoon tour (after all the tour groups have gone) and walked through limestone caves with stalactites and stalagmites and were taken by boat through the largest section of the gloworm colony. No photos are allowed so I will try and describe it although no words could ever really give it it’s due. The gloworms are like little tiny bulbs on the ceiling, greeny blue in colour and there were thousands of them all hanging from the roof. As the ceiling had stalactites and was very even it looked like a Christmas grotto with thousands and thousands of tiny lights. I can’t even imagine what the Moari must have thought coming across the cave centuries ago – apparently they were in awe of the cave and rarely ventured in. You can understand why. There have also been concerts in the limestone part of the cave with Barbara Streisand, Sting, Dame Kiri etc due to the acoustics. I was singing “wake me up before you glo-glo” to O but she was not that impressed………………

Well – what can I say……….

We had a great time last night – spent the afternoon in the pool and I made a fire from twigs and wood in the barbecue pit and we cooked sausages, baked pots and garlic bread. It was accompanied by a bottle of NZ’s finest bubbly – great. There was a band playing at the next door pub which we could overhear and fireworks at midnight. Welcome 2008!

 Today the sun was up early and what a brilliant blue sky greeted us this morning. I was up and raring to go – the kids a bit more subdued after finding the huge bugs in the loos. We travelled to Raglan by the sea – a very chilled out town with lots going on and sand that is black and sparkly. We took a bag away to add to our collection. Families were all out having picnics on the beach – it just seems so alien for New Year’s Day.

Hamilton was supposed to be our overnight stop before going on to Waitomo but the only caravan park in town was catually shut for the day – ahhhh! Another small drive on through scenery straight out of Hobbiton and onto Waitomo. I keep trying to think in my head what it is like – yes it reminds me of the UK on the most glorious summer day but it’s more like a cross betweent Switzerland and the UK.

Waitomo is a tiny town and we have come here to see the gloworms in the caves. The campsite once again has fantastic facilities – swimming pool, trampolines, laundry, kitchen with deck…………..I find myself feeling a bit guilty for basking in the sun while the kids play – totally relaxed while everyone back home enjoys the rain and the prospect of returning to work for another year end! We are actually enjoying the camping and the views each morning are so amazing as is all the sounds of the birds, some I recognise some not.

New Zealand – December 28^th

Well we have already lost a whole day – we took off on Dec 27^th at 07.30 and landed 5 hours later on Dec 28^th at 12.30 – I suppose the budget can breathe a sigh of relief.

First impressions – warmer than I expected with bright blue skies. We had not pre-arranged a car having been advised that good deals could be got at the airport. The majority of rental car firms had no cars left so we ended up with a Hyundai Getz, guess it’s lucky I am used to small cars. The bags just fit in the back so we’ll manage. The tourist centre at the airport was very helpful and I would recommend anyone going through Auckland airport to pay a visit. After we were armed with about 3 tonnes of brochures and maps we set off. The roads are easy to drive, although knowing that car insurance is not compulsory in this country does make you more alert.

A spectacular drive through Auckland and over the harbour bridge is a great introduction to the country – the city is spectacular, dominated by the Sky Tower and surrounded by islands, beaches and marinas – it looks so clean. We drove north and had our first shock – the price of accommodation even in hostels is astronomical and everything is booked up. I know we are in the middle of summer but I really was expecting just to be able to at least find something. We drove to Goat’s Island past amazing scenery of pine trees and ferns, empty beaches that seemed to go on forever and roads that go up and down and round and round. Goat’s Island and the next town were full so after a stop at a fab pub in Puhoi to consider our options we ended up in a motel in Warkworth. Another shock, both motels and bed and breakfasts are both upmarket here – some b&b’s charge over $300 a night! The motel was very clean but we have already decided to buy a tent tomorrow to keep the budget down and also have more options as everywhere is full. We finished the day with a trip to the supermarket to admire the Vegemite row.

December 29th – 3 Go Camping

Lonely Planet recommended a few places near so we did what any self respecting Brit would do and visited Sheepworld. It looked very quiet and the kids were a bit nervous about going into ghostown but after seeing the mammoth slide with inflated tyres they were persuaded. We were treated to a sheep shearing show and as visiting Poms had the mickey taken out of us all morning – “sweet as – eh”. I spent a while talking to the lady on reception – her Devon accent gave her away – she emigrated 3 years ago so it was good to hear what it had been like for her.

A small honey café was our next stop – glass fronted hives, honey tasting and the best ice cream ever – yum. We also managed to find a shopping centre and bought a tent and 3 sleeping bags. By the time we leave here it should have easily paid for itself, it remains to be seen how much the cost on my nerves will be! The first excitement about camping is still there as it is new – again adding something different to our trip. We found a Top 10 holiday park outside Auckland, the facilities are excellent and it’s like a little community with camper vans, caravans and tents.

It took about an hour to work out how to put up the “easy” tent and finish it. No swearing but it still looked a little wonky and I prayed for no strong winds. It wasn’t as bad as I thought and was very cosy inside but job for tomorrow – sleeping mats.

December 30^th – Auckland

Well here we are again – we decided that we couldn’t miss seeing this beautiful city so we spent  the day exploring. Glorious sunshine again – we seem to be lucky with the weather. The city was not at all busy (even for a Sunday) and not stressful to drive around. We visited the Sky Tower observatory – the tallest building in the southern hemisphere and crawled towards the windows to look down at the amazing views. They have viewing glass on the floor which I actually plucked up the courage to walk across and felt my stomach tighten to the sixe of a pea. To make matters worse you can “jump” from the tower attached to a wire to a red target mark below. 2 kids of about 14/15 did it while we watched. O said she would prefer jumping out of a plane – code for no way in hell would I jump off the tower! Josh just stuck to the back and tried to guess what nationality a huge group of men in Navy uniforms was – we ended up guessing Russian as they also had those weird hats on.

An afternoon scenic drive around the city (ok so we did get a little bit lost) but we found our way in time to catch the view from the top of Mount Eden. It is one of about 50 volcanoes in Auckland and the view sweeps across a city whose pastel coloured suburbs seem to go on forever. I have no idea why but I was reminded of being at Bristol downs.

2^nd night camping and after a game of Frisbee and adjusting the guy ropes on the tent (after looking at other people’s tents Josh worked out what we have done wrong) we got talking to a Swiss girl who has already toured the islands in her little VW camper van. We have worked out that camping is definitely cheaper, with the additional rental fees of the camper you still have to pay to “overnight” it in a holiday park. Still can’t believe that you pay per person for a tent/camper van, not per site and the kids class as adults. I wonder if Oz is cheaper?

New Year’s Eve

We are one of the first to get the New Year here and although I have never been a big fan (it always feels like a bit of a let down) I am rather excited. I am writing this in the tent surrounded by bugs all over the top of the tent outside and watching the last sun of 2007 gradually set. We will be lighting the barbecue soon and have spent the afternoon at Waingaro Hot Springs which also has a caravan park. There are trees all around, I can hear the birds, sheep and even see a deer from our site. It feels a million miles from home. The pools are hot and there were huge slides for the kids to play on and motorised donut things so I just basked in the sunshine and read my book – bliss.

We have decided that the tent looks far too boring so after scouring the supermarket for some permanent markers have all started to decorate the tent. Doodles of places we have been will hopefully one day cover the dull grey and blue. For now we have Auckland tower, sheep and a kiwi – no mistaking it’s our tent now.

I know that this will not hit our blog for a while but I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and let’s hope it’s a good one – for me as great as 2007 was. To all those who are travelling in 2008 – it’s this year – not long to go now!!!

Arriving at nearly midnight to a country with humidity so high my hair grew in volume by about 3 inches was not a great start. I had to phone our pension so they would come and pick us up – mobile did not want to work at all on the island, no coin phones so had to buy a phone card from the bar – ahhhh! At least we are here.