North Island

14-05-2006
Day 75
Wellington, New Zealand

I left Auckland eventually!
At the beginning of last week I've bought a bus pass to travel the whole country getting on and off anywhere long the way. It's not as adventurous as my totally independent travelling through South America, but it's the only (and the cheapest) way to see everything here.
On the bus I've found few "flipfloppers": guys always wearing their brasilian sandals, everywhere, would it be raining or even snowing, walking in a city or climbing on a mountain; most of them are English, Australian or American.
On the first day we went up to the extinct volcano Mount Eden for one last look at the sights of the city before travelling east towards the Coromandel Peninsula via the "old" (120 years ago, ah ah) colonial town of Thames. Then, near Hahei, we walked in the rain forest to Cathedral Cove, one of the best beaches of the east coast.
The second day ventured to the world renowned Raglan surf beach; I went exploring the area with a walk in the jungle around Mt Karioi just before having an amazing bush sauna in our lodge near the beach.
On our way to Rotorua we stopped at the Waitomo caves, famous for black water rafting involving inner tubes and an underground river with the stunning glow-worms hanging from the ceiling.
The following day gave us the chance to look at boiling mud and to soak in the hot geothermal water of the Kerosene Creek river while drinking a cold beer in it...total relax, sweet as!
Then we drove around Lake Taupo which is the world's largest crater lake; I would have liked to go rafting and skydiving, but the weather was too bad unfortunately.
From Taupo we went to Whakapapa (a Maori word, pronounciation Facka-papa, for the English speakers' amusement) in a fantastic lodge with an outdoors spa overlooking at the scenically amazing volcanic plateau used as Mordor and Mt Doom in The Lord of the Rings movies.
Today down to Wellington under pouring rain, our bus broke down and we had to take a local bus to the city; tomorrow a three hour ferry trip will take me on the South Island...can't wait to be there!