Disclaimer: while typing this Google thought I was typing in Veitnamese and kept trying to autocorrect, than I apologize for anything that got mixed up due to technology. Hopefully it's still decipherable ...
Auckland:
After the long flight over from Venezuela (Caracas to Panama City to LAX to I arrived at 7:00 am ready to start my first day in New Zealand! Wandering around exploring the city, I relished being in an English speaking country after struggling to pick Up Spanish ... Tuy nhiên, I did not appreciate the Increase in prices of EVERYTHING came along with transition Furniture Furniture, Especially coming from Venezuela: The Land of subsidy.
To get an overview of the city I figured the best place to go would be the tallest manmade construction
Taking the elevator up to the top and the observation deck, I was was Treated to magnificent views of the city AND BEAN BAG CHAIRS! Yes, NZ, it was love at first sight. bean bag chairs Who puts on an observation deck? New Zealand . Love it.
Picking out another tall peak in the area (Mount Eden), I decided to wander up there for a better view of downtown. Along the way I decided to stop and enjoy a refreshing Coca-Cola, just to compare the difference across countries of course . While delighted by the freshness, I was delighted by the $ 4NZ NOT price tag. Wow, guess I will not be drinking much soda in NZ.
Arriving at the top of Mt. Eden Toward dusk (pretty early, Considering it's winter and it's pretty far South), I was delighted to see some amazing views of the whole surrounding area, not just downtown. While I had to share the view with a tourist couple hundred of my closest friends, I was able to find some more remote places to relax and enjoy the view.
Also joining me on this leg of the trip was Andy Matange (see Peru - Chile posts ...), charcoal after climbing down from Mt. Eden, I went back to the hotel to grab a quick nap and wait for him to arrive from the airport. After arrival, feeling light Both having a delicious cold beverage, we stopped by a pub I had passed on the way to Mt. Eden, and enjoyed a nice barrel-aged stout and some fish and chips. Nothing like a hearty meal to cap off a long day.
Bredwardz and Rotorua:
Also joining this leg was the Bredwardz clan (Bridget and Justin). Compared after a good night's rest Andy and I grabbed some kebabs for "breakfast" (do not judge, it was the only place open near us ...) and headed off to the airport to meet up with the team Bredwardz. After talking with a couple of the People at the airport to find the rental car agency (we had to call the place, wait outside for Their van to come pick us up, and then be driven a solid 15 minutes to get to the off-site dealer!) we were finally united and had our transportation for the next week and a half.
Now we just had to conquer driving on the left hand side of the road ... our first stop was the sleepy little geothermal / Maori (pronounced Mao-re) - like the name of the Chinese Chairman - NOT (may-or-ee) town of Rotorua. The first thing to hit us was the overwhelming smell of the city, as most pleasantly space as fart smell. Getting in at dusk (again, it's pretty early), we decided to venture off to find a geothermally heated creek (Kerosene creek) That I had been turned onto by Marissa Noles, a friend and another classmate. Getting some vague sense of direction from our receptionist, we went forth in the dark to find this place.
After heading down the road for about a half an hour, we were about to give up on the search khi appeared on our left the road. Turning off the main road we were on a dirt track or Quickly unfortunately have said the park was not that sewing open only in the daytime ... oops. Also, this well worn dirt track certainly tested the limits of the shock-absorbers of our new ride, as we bounced along through the Trenches and pot holes.
Arriving at what we thought was the path beside the creek and were IMMEDIATELY and knew we were in the right place. Hearing the falls and seeing a pool, we knew we had finally made it! That said, the temperature was in the mid -40s and it took a lot of will power to strip down to the bathing suit and wade on in. .. .. .... But, once in the water, it was all worth it ... The warmth of the water was Buried amazing and when we hand our feet in the sand and the heat was almost too much to bear! Having done a little bit of research, I knew there was the potential for a deadly Furniture, brain-Destroying aemeoba if you put in the water Your Head below, as casually as Possible coal (trying not to freak everybody out), I let everybody know of the danger ... I'm not sure they were comforted.
Having our fill of the pools, we hopped back into the cold, as Quickly as Possible dried off and headed back to the parking lot, where we were greeted with a magnificent starscape. Getting back to town, we decided to shower off and call it a night, prepping for another day of travel in the morning.
Sorry y'all, unfortunately there are no pictures of this escapade ... It was too dark for the pool and we did not want to document anything illegal too ;)
The next morning we got up a little early, walked around the central park of Rotorua geothermal, and found a small area on the edge of the lake Furniture Looked like it was home to some of the native Maori people. Amazingly, since the whole town is a hot spot on Basically, there were pools of steaming water Throughout the neighboorhood, and pipes to siphon off the pressure caused by the water. Simply amazing how they've learned to deal with this phenomenon.
Heading back to the hostel, we stuck around to watch the US's tragic loss to Ghana (point extra time, ugh ...), packed up the car with some travel food, and headed South for Tongariro and Wellington.
Taupo and Tongariro:
Planning to drive all the way from Rotorua to Wellington, Furniture we knew we would have a lot of time in the car, but at Furniture we had a few places to see along the way.
Along the way down we:
Stopped in Wairakei, for some beautiful falls
Had lunch with some birds beside Lake Taupo
And had a sunset hike up part of a mountain in Tongariro National Park
Arriving in Wellington late, we were Treated some lovely cottages right in the heart of the city on Cuba street, and Settled in for a good night's rest.
Auckland:
After the long flight over from Venezuela (Caracas to Panama City to LAX to I arrived at 7:00 am ready to start my first day in New Zealand! Wandering around exploring the city, I relished being in an English speaking country after struggling to pick Up Spanish ... Tuy nhiên, I did not appreciate the Increase in prices of EVERYTHING came along with transition Furniture Furniture, Especially coming from Venezuela: The Land of subsidy.
To get an overview of the city I figured the best place to go would be the tallest manmade construction
(skytower from Auckland)
Taking the elevator up to the top and the observation deck, I was was Treated to magnificent views of the city AND BEAN BAG CHAIRS! Yes, NZ, it was love at first sight. bean bag chairs Who puts on an observation deck? New Zealand . Love it.
(Bean bag chairs!!!!)
Picking out another tall peak in the area (Mount Eden), I decided to wander up there for a better view of downtown. Along the way I decided to stop and enjoy a refreshing Coca-Cola, just to compare the difference across countries of course . While delighted by the freshness, I was delighted by the $ 4NZ NOT price tag. Wow, guess I will not be drinking much soda in NZ.
Arriving at the top of Mt. Eden Toward dusk (pretty early, Considering it's winter and it's pretty far South), I was delighted to see some amazing views of the whole surrounding area, not just downtown. While I had to share the view with a tourist couple hundred of my closest friends, I was able to find some more remote places to relax and enjoy the view.
(Mt. Eden Volcanic Crater with downtown)
(just a bench and some grass, NBD)
Also joining me on this leg of the trip was Andy Matange (see Peru - Chile posts ...), charcoal after climbing down from Mt. Eden, I went back to the hotel to grab a quick nap and wait for him to arrive from the airport. After arrival, feeling light Both having a delicious cold beverage, we stopped by a pub I had passed on the way to Mt. Eden, and enjoyed a nice barrel-aged stout and some fish and chips. Nothing like a hearty meal to cap off a long day.
Bredwardz and Rotorua:
Also joining this leg was the Bredwardz clan (Bridget and Justin). Compared after a good night's rest Andy and I grabbed some kebabs for "breakfast" (do not judge, it was the only place open near us ...) and headed off to the airport to meet up with the team Bredwardz. After talking with a couple of the People at the airport to find the rental car agency (we had to call the place, wait outside for Their van to come pick us up, and then be driven a solid 15 minutes to get to the off-site dealer!) we were finally united and had our transportation for the next week and a half.
Now we just had to conquer driving on the left hand side of the road ... our first stop was the sleepy little geothermal / Maori (pronounced Mao-re) - like the name of the Chinese Chairman - NOT (may-or-ee) town of Rotorua. The first thing to hit us was the overwhelming smell of the city, as most pleasantly space as fart smell. Getting in at dusk (again, it's pretty early), we decided to venture off to find a geothermally heated creek (Kerosene creek) That I had been turned onto by Marissa Noles, a friend and another classmate. Getting some vague sense of direction from our receptionist, we went forth in the dark to find this place.
(Keresene Creek, stock photo)
After heading down the road for about a half an hour, we were about to give up on the search khi appeared on our left the road. Turning off the main road we were on a dirt track or Quickly unfortunately have said the park was not that sewing open only in the daytime ... oops. Also, this well worn dirt track certainly tested the limits of the shock-absorbers of our new ride, as we bounced along through the Trenches and pot holes.
Arriving at what we thought was the path beside the creek and were IMMEDIATELY and knew we were in the right place. Hearing the falls and seeing a pool, we knew we had finally made it! That said, the temperature was in the mid -40s and it took a lot of will power to strip down to the bathing suit and wade on in. .. .. .... But, once in the water, it was all worth it ... The warmth of the water was Buried amazing and when we hand our feet in the sand and the heat was almost too much to bear! Having done a little bit of research, I knew there was the potential for a deadly Furniture, brain-Destroying aemeoba if you put in the water Your Head below, as casually as Possible coal (trying not to freak everybody out), I let everybody know of the danger ... I'm not sure they were comforted.
Having our fill of the pools, we hopped back into the cold, as Quickly as Possible dried off and headed back to the parking lot, where we were greeted with a magnificent starscape. Getting back to town, we decided to shower off and call it a night, prepping for another day of travel in the morning.
Sorry y'all, unfortunately there are no pictures of this escapade ... It was too dark for the pool and we did not want to document anything illegal too ;)
The next morning we got up a little early, walked around the central park of Rotorua geothermal, and found a small area on the edge of the lake Furniture Looked like it was home to some of the native Maori people. Amazingly, since the whole town is a hot spot on Basically, there were pools of steaming water Throughout the neighboorhood, and pipes to siphon off the pressure caused by the water. Simply amazing how they've learned to deal with this phenomenon.
(Steamy...)
Heading back to the hostel, we stuck around to watch the US's tragic loss to Ghana (point extra time, ugh ...), packed up the car with some travel food, and headed South for Tongariro and Wellington.
Taupo and Tongariro:
Planning to drive all the way from Rotorua to Wellington, Furniture we knew we would have a lot of time in the car, but at Furniture we had a few places to see along the way.
Along the way down we:
Stopped in Wairakei, for some beautiful falls
(Look! Some educational information!)
Had lunch with some birds beside Lake Taupo
(Picnic lunch on the lake!)
(lunch guest)
And had a sunset hike up part of a mountain in Tongariro National Park
(before the hike)
(Sunset in the park)
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