Day 1: Mangee - COME BACK!!!!
Bex was half an hour late picking us up the following morning and we took a dislike to her pretty much as soon as she started talking. There was no apology for being late. Instead, we were all spoken to like we were about 5 years old as she dictated how she wanted certain accommodation and activities sheets to be filled out, threatening to keep us locked on the bus if they weren't done correctly. When we reached our first break stop of the day, she then refused to allow people access to their bags, despite how cold it was. Seriously, it was really bad and prompted several of us to consider getting off the bus and filing a complaint about her. The difference between her and my other guides was night and day.
We didn't have too many days to kill though, which meant sticking with her for a couple of days at least. To make matters worse, this bus also had some really annoying, immature characters on it, which probably influenced the child-like treatment we had been subjected to that morning. It can only get better we thought.
Thankfully, it did as she chilled out slightly and just made do with annoying the hell out of us rather than treating us like kids (can you tell I didn't like her?). On our way towards River Valley, we made another stop, where we all enjoyed a nice, scenic walk, which was quite welcome. This took us just over an hour and included a nice waterfall and views of the surrounding mountains and volcanoes.
We arrived at River Valley early evening and checked into their cozy lodge accommodation. We then all put our names down for some White Water Rafting the following morning. I've done this a couple of times earlier in the trip and have mentioned that I'm still looking for one that's not so tame. River Valley is supposedly the place to do it in New Zealand though so fingers crossed.
A pretty chilled evening - no beers this time. I mostly sat around with Mark, Ross, James, Callum and Harriet (England) and we played some cards.
Day 2: Up bright and early the following morning to face the cold weather (and it was really cold) and all get suited up for our Rafting trip. I was beginning to regret wishing for an extreme trip because I could only imagine
how cold the water would be if we ended up in it. They gave us plenty of layers in preparation. We were all looking forward to it.
I was in a boat with Callum, James, Mark and an English girl called Kate, who they had been travelling with. Our boat guide was a guy called Derek - a French-Canadian dude who warned us that he would be going pretty hard on us until we were all doing it right and in sync.
He wasn't lying! For the first 10 minutes, we couldn't seem to get anything right (mostly Kate, Callum and James it has to be said) and Derek made us keep repeating things so we could show we could do what he asked. The river looked pretty extreme so it was important we got things right before it got too extreme. This included us all throwing ourselves out of the boat to be rescued by those left on it. Really fun but my god it was cold. Safe to say we would be trying our best to make sure that only happened in practice.
Eventually, Derek was happy with us in time for us to hit the hardcore sections of the river. It was fantastic and exactly the kind of Rafting I was hoping for. Level 4-5 rapids all the way down, which saw us navigating some pretty big drops and trying to avoid lots of rocks. The intense training he had put us through definately paid off though as we were all working in sync and managing to get our way down the river pretty well. The same couldn't be said for some of the other groups, who even had a few who fell in. It was pretty unforgiving if we weren't doing it right and hard work too. Awesome.
After a couple of hours Rafting, we made a brief stop to take on a big jump into the water off a side ledge. Freezing once again but Derek got us paddling pretty hard to get ourselves warmed up again.
And then, right near the end, he stitched us up by giving a command that made the boat completely flip over and send us all (including him) tumbling into the water once more. We had ended up stuck against this rock when he told one side to all pile over to the other. Given how he had been at the start, we were loathe to argue even though it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. Such a laugh though as we all fell in - exactly what I'd been hoping for. A quality morning of freezing cold fun.
We finished up early afternoon and boarded the bus with Bex having had a great time at our short stop at River Valley. If you're ever in New Zealand looking for somewhere to go White Water Rafting, this is the place to do it.
Back to Wellington for us. A couple of nights there before returning to the south island.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Taupo (Part 2)
Day 1: We left Te Puia and began making our way back down towards Taupo. On the way, we stopped for a walk around impressive Huka Falls, situated on the Waikato River. A picturesque little spot and the falls were worth the visit.
The afternoon, my intention was to go Skydiving again in Taupo. After doing it on the way up, the company offered a deal that allowed you to do it half price if you visited the same place within a month. Given how cheap this made it, I thought it would be rude not to.
Unfortunately, I was left disappointed as Mangee found out that the company were unable to offer Skydives after failing to get a necessary certificate in time. The others (who hadn't done one yet) were able to use an alternative company but they were unfortunately unwilling to give me the same half-price offer. A bit gutting but I've got to stop spending money at some point I suppose.
Instead, myself, Cahal and Alex headed for an afternoon of relaxation is some nearby hot springs that we could swim in this time. Whilst there, we also bumped into some others who I had met briefly in Auckland - Mark, Charlotte and Ross. I also met Callum and James, 2 other English lads, who would also be on our bus the following day.
That evening, we all headed out to the local pub for a quiz that they managed to drag out for around 3 hours. It was fun at first but the quizmaster killed it by making it take so long. Nice to have a few beers with Mangee though as we would now be moving ahead of him and on to someone else's bus. He had an extra day in Taupo. A fantastic guide and a good lad too so we were all going to miss him. The guides make a real difference because of the way that Kiwi Experience works.
River Valley the following morning with a new driver called Bex. She had lots to live up to.
The afternoon, my intention was to go Skydiving again in Taupo. After doing it on the way up, the company offered a deal that allowed you to do it half price if you visited the same place within a month. Given how cheap this made it, I thought it would be rude not to.
Unfortunately, I was left disappointed as Mangee found out that the company were unable to offer Skydives after failing to get a necessary certificate in time. The others (who hadn't done one yet) were able to use an alternative company but they were unfortunately unwilling to give me the same half-price offer. A bit gutting but I've got to stop spending money at some point I suppose.
Instead, myself, Cahal and Alex headed for an afternoon of relaxation is some nearby hot springs that we could swim in this time. Whilst there, we also bumped into some others who I had met briefly in Auckland - Mark, Charlotte and Ross. I also met Callum and James, 2 other English lads, who would also be on our bus the following day.
That evening, we all headed out to the local pub for a quiz that they managed to drag out for around 3 hours. It was fun at first but the quizmaster killed it by making it take so long. Nice to have a few beers with Mangee though as we would now be moving ahead of him and on to someone else's bus. He had an extra day in Taupo. A fantastic guide and a good lad too so we were all going to miss him. The guides make a real difference because of the way that Kiwi Experience works.
River Valley the following morning with a new driver called Bex. She had lots to live up to.
Rotorua
Day 1: Mangee got us on our way nice and early again as we continued south-bound through the North Island. Rotorua was the stop for today - an unusual town, known for its Maori culture and Geothermal activity. Amongst other nicknames, its called Sulphur City because of the gas that is created and the distinctive smell it gives off - Rotten Eggs basically. Nice!
Before reaching Rotorua, Mangee took us to Zorb headquarters, just outside of town. I've never tried Zorbing before and have heard got things so was keen to get involved. For those that don't know, it involved rolling down a hill in a giant inflatable ball. Simple fun but it looked great.
Also up for it were Erika, Courtnie and Will. Courtnie went for the dry option, which meant being strapped in for a pacey straight roll down the hill. Us 3 opted for the wet option, which meant no strapping in and plenty of dizziness along the zig-zag track.
Erika went first and drew some big laughs from myself and Will as she made her way down the hill. Will was up next and gave an equally funny attempt at seeing how long he could stay stood-up inside (imagine a Hamster in a ball, falling over after about 1.5 seconds). Very funny.
I went last and tried the same but I think I lasted even less time than him. After about 5 seconds of rolling, I was fairly sure I was going to throw up because it makes you insanely dizzy. Thankfully, I managed to adjust to it though and it was great fun rolling all the way to the bottom, whilst being thrown around like a rag-doll and getting thoroughly soaked. Zorbing is great fun if you've never tried it.
After checking in to the hostel, myself, Will, James, Kevin and Mangee himself (a legend by the way) made our way out of town to try some Luging. Not quite like the Olympic event but still pretty damn fast, this involves making your way down some skinny tracks in a tiny cart. Given that Mangee has been doing his Kiwi driver job for quite a few years and gets free activities everywhere, he seemed pretty confident he would put us all in our place.
To be fair, he was dead-on. We had to start on the beginners track but you wouldn't have thought so with the speeds we were reaching. Within seconds, Mangee was zooming past all of us, demostrating the weight-shifting technique that is apparently so key. To be honest, I was just trying to stay on for the first run - they go really fast.
We then got the Cable Car back up to the top and had 4 more runs down the intermediate and then the fast track. We all got the hang of it eventually but were still no match for Mangee as we raced our way down. The tracks had some great tight corners, chicanes and even one part that lifted us all into the air. Such a good laugh and we all managed to finish without any broken necks and with all our skin intact.
Probably the most fun-filled day in New Zealand so far finished with a trip to Tamaki Maori Village that evening. The village was about an hour outside Rotorua, which gave us time to elect Will as our tribe leader for the evening. He would be encountering a Maori challenge upon arrival and would have to represent us all throughout the village.
When we arrived, we were greated with a fairly intimidating challenge from one of the Maoris, which Will and the other tribe leaders accepted. It was all good fun of course but we had to take it seriously and ensure that no-one was laughing or being disrespectful to any of the village members. To be honest, after the initial challenge, laughter was the last thing on my mind. It was pretty full-on.
We made our way inside the village to see numerous traditional Maori games, demonstrations and warrior training. Everyone got involved as we volunteered to be part of them and had good fun making ourselves look ridiculous. The first game I took part in, involved about 6 of us skipping over tightly-packed sticks with our hands on our hips, trying not to hit any. Needless to say, we failed miserably, much to the Maori's amusement. The village was very interactive and great fun walking around.
After visiting more stations and checking out some fine examples of trditional Sculpture and Weaving, it was time for 5 of us to learn the Haka - probably the most well-known Maori challenge, made famous by the All Blacks Rugby team. I'm a big fan of it and so instantly volunteered for the lesson. Josh, Ginge (Jack) and Sebastian also go involved.
To be fair, given the very limited tuition we got, we weren't half bad. There's lots of steps and stages to learn but the Maori teacher told us that if we forget any, just make our eyes bulge and poke our tongues out to cover them up. Once we knew this, it became much easier as we attempted the complete Haka in front of everyone. Again, a really good laugh that made for some funny videos and photos. I'm not sure we managed to make ourselves quite as intimidating as the All Blacks do though!
After trying the Haka, we made our way into the main performance room to observe some more traditional Maori dances and tribal routines. These were really fantastic to watch and everyone was fully engaged. The performances ended with a full Haka from all of the villagers that was absolutely amazing. I've seen the Rugby side do it on TV, but to be sat in the front row watching these guys doing it, you can really get a full appreciation of how intimidating and loud it actually is. It definately gets the message across - I thought a couple of the guys were going to lose some eyes from their sockets!. I'll let you all check out the video when I'm back. It's brilliant.
An awesome evening was rounded off with the best meal I'd had in New Zealand so far. It was a nice, social evening, which Mangee got involved with once again. The Maoris finished by thanking us all, particularly our tribe leaders. We then got the bus transfer back into Rotorua, which was filled up with some singing from all the nations on-board. Ginge stole the show, belting out the Welsh national anthem in a voice that would be fit for X-factor. We had no idea he could sing that well and Mangee was particularly gutted because he said he would have had him up the front of the Kiwi Bus on a regular basis had he known! After singing the anthem, he then went into overdrive with an irish number, followed by Tom Jones ''Dililah'', which nearly brought a tear to my eye (not really of course but I enjoyed winding him up). All-in-all, my best evening in New Zealand so far. The Maori village was well worth the visit.
Back in Rotorua, we headed down to the hostel bar for some Pool and Bar Games, which got us some free drinks and T-Shirts. And of course, pretty drunk in the process.
Day 2: The following morning, we headed to Te Puia, New Zealand's most well known Geothermal park. We had an awesome guide, who took us through the park to explore numerous examples of Maori Arts and Crafts. The park also had a Kiwi bird house, giving us all our first opportunity to see the national bird alive and kicking (bigger than I expected).
The rest of the park showcases the natural activity of the region and we took a walk around the boiling Mud Pools (far too hot for taking a dip) and Geysers. The rotten-egg smell was pretty potent walking around but it was fascinating checking out all the geothermal activity. The trip culminated with us being given some eggs, boiled in one of the park's hot springs - Not a bad little breakfast. Te Puia was great and I was glad we had time to visit.
I can't really fault New Zealand so far. Kiwi experience has been great, taking us to all the hot-spots and some incredible activities. Loving it here.
Before reaching Rotorua, Mangee took us to Zorb headquarters, just outside of town. I've never tried Zorbing before and have heard got things so was keen to get involved. For those that don't know, it involved rolling down a hill in a giant inflatable ball. Simple fun but it looked great.
Also up for it were Erika, Courtnie and Will. Courtnie went for the dry option, which meant being strapped in for a pacey straight roll down the hill. Us 3 opted for the wet option, which meant no strapping in and plenty of dizziness along the zig-zag track.
Erika went first and drew some big laughs from myself and Will as she made her way down the hill. Will was up next and gave an equally funny attempt at seeing how long he could stay stood-up inside (imagine a Hamster in a ball, falling over after about 1.5 seconds). Very funny.
I went last and tried the same but I think I lasted even less time than him. After about 5 seconds of rolling, I was fairly sure I was going to throw up because it makes you insanely dizzy. Thankfully, I managed to adjust to it though and it was great fun rolling all the way to the bottom, whilst being thrown around like a rag-doll and getting thoroughly soaked. Zorbing is great fun if you've never tried it.
After checking in to the hostel, myself, Will, James, Kevin and Mangee himself (a legend by the way) made our way out of town to try some Luging. Not quite like the Olympic event but still pretty damn fast, this involves making your way down some skinny tracks in a tiny cart. Given that Mangee has been doing his Kiwi driver job for quite a few years and gets free activities everywhere, he seemed pretty confident he would put us all in our place.
To be fair, he was dead-on. We had to start on the beginners track but you wouldn't have thought so with the speeds we were reaching. Within seconds, Mangee was zooming past all of us, demostrating the weight-shifting technique that is apparently so key. To be honest, I was just trying to stay on for the first run - they go really fast.
We then got the Cable Car back up to the top and had 4 more runs down the intermediate and then the fast track. We all got the hang of it eventually but were still no match for Mangee as we raced our way down. The tracks had some great tight corners, chicanes and even one part that lifted us all into the air. Such a good laugh and we all managed to finish without any broken necks and with all our skin intact.
Probably the most fun-filled day in New Zealand so far finished with a trip to Tamaki Maori Village that evening. The village was about an hour outside Rotorua, which gave us time to elect Will as our tribe leader for the evening. He would be encountering a Maori challenge upon arrival and would have to represent us all throughout the village.
When we arrived, we were greated with a fairly intimidating challenge from one of the Maoris, which Will and the other tribe leaders accepted. It was all good fun of course but we had to take it seriously and ensure that no-one was laughing or being disrespectful to any of the village members. To be honest, after the initial challenge, laughter was the last thing on my mind. It was pretty full-on.
We made our way inside the village to see numerous traditional Maori games, demonstrations and warrior training. Everyone got involved as we volunteered to be part of them and had good fun making ourselves look ridiculous. The first game I took part in, involved about 6 of us skipping over tightly-packed sticks with our hands on our hips, trying not to hit any. Needless to say, we failed miserably, much to the Maori's amusement. The village was very interactive and great fun walking around.
After visiting more stations and checking out some fine examples of trditional Sculpture and Weaving, it was time for 5 of us to learn the Haka - probably the most well-known Maori challenge, made famous by the All Blacks Rugby team. I'm a big fan of it and so instantly volunteered for the lesson. Josh, Ginge (Jack) and Sebastian also go involved.
To be fair, given the very limited tuition we got, we weren't half bad. There's lots of steps and stages to learn but the Maori teacher told us that if we forget any, just make our eyes bulge and poke our tongues out to cover them up. Once we knew this, it became much easier as we attempted the complete Haka in front of everyone. Again, a really good laugh that made for some funny videos and photos. I'm not sure we managed to make ourselves quite as intimidating as the All Blacks do though!
After trying the Haka, we made our way into the main performance room to observe some more traditional Maori dances and tribal routines. These were really fantastic to watch and everyone was fully engaged. The performances ended with a full Haka from all of the villagers that was absolutely amazing. I've seen the Rugby side do it on TV, but to be sat in the front row watching these guys doing it, you can really get a full appreciation of how intimidating and loud it actually is. It definately gets the message across - I thought a couple of the guys were going to lose some eyes from their sockets!. I'll let you all check out the video when I'm back. It's brilliant.
An awesome evening was rounded off with the best meal I'd had in New Zealand so far. It was a nice, social evening, which Mangee got involved with once again. The Maoris finished by thanking us all, particularly our tribe leaders. We then got the bus transfer back into Rotorua, which was filled up with some singing from all the nations on-board. Ginge stole the show, belting out the Welsh national anthem in a voice that would be fit for X-factor. We had no idea he could sing that well and Mangee was particularly gutted because he said he would have had him up the front of the Kiwi Bus on a regular basis had he known! After singing the anthem, he then went into overdrive with an irish number, followed by Tom Jones ''Dililah'', which nearly brought a tear to my eye (not really of course but I enjoyed winding him up). All-in-all, my best evening in New Zealand so far. The Maori village was well worth the visit.
Back in Rotorua, we headed down to the hostel bar for some Pool and Bar Games, which got us some free drinks and T-Shirts. And of course, pretty drunk in the process.
Day 2: The following morning, we headed to Te Puia, New Zealand's most well known Geothermal park. We had an awesome guide, who took us through the park to explore numerous examples of Maori Arts and Crafts. The park also had a Kiwi bird house, giving us all our first opportunity to see the national bird alive and kicking (bigger than I expected).
The rest of the park showcases the natural activity of the region and we took a walk around the boiling Mud Pools (far too hot for taking a dip) and Geysers. The rotten-egg smell was pretty potent walking around but it was fascinating checking out all the geothermal activity. The trip culminated with us being given some eggs, boiled in one of the park's hot springs - Not a bad little breakfast. Te Puia was great and I was glad we had time to visit.
I can't really fault New Zealand so far. Kiwi experience has been great, taking us to all the hot-spots and some incredible activities. Loving it here.
Waitomo
Day 1: Early departure from Hot Water Beach as we headed off towards Waitomo - famous for its Caves and Glowworms. Once again, it was a full morning of travel to get there, with a few scenic stops and bush walks along the way.
We arrived in the tiny village early afternoon to get checked into the hostel. After checking in, myself, James and the welsh lads headed to a nearby hotel, which is supposedly the most haunted place in New Zealand. I'm not a believer in that sort of stuff myself but we had some time to kill so went to check it out.
No Ghosts to report I'm afraid. We couldn't even get a proper look around the hotel to where they might be hiding so instead amused ourselves with a bit of Frisbee at the nearby park. Casey and Courtnie headed there after us though and got a bigger tour - they seemed a bit more convinced.
Late afternoon, myself, Casey, Courtnie, Erika, Sophie and Claire all go picked up to get involved with some Black Water Rafting, which is extremely popular around here and the main reason to visit Waitomo (Wai = Water, Tomo = Cave). The 6 of us went for the ''Abyss'' package, which involved some Abseiling, Zip-lining, Tubing and lots of climbing throughout the caves. It looked awesome.
A bit of a slow start to be honest - we got picked up at around 3.45pm and weren't actually all in the caves until past 6pm (mainly due to a huge safety briefing and some seriously slow girls abseiling down). Once we got in there though, it was quality. The initial abseil took us down about 40 metres deep into total darkness before Ziplining into the unknown. We then spent some time Tubing our way though the caves (and the VERY cold water), checking out the Stalagmites, Stalactites, Cave Coral and the thousands of Glowworms that perch themselves all around. It was a pretty awesome sight.
After wading our way through for a few hours, we finished the trip with some pretty nerve-wracking waterfall climbs to get ourselves out. This was the best part of the trip and unlike anything I've done on my previous cave experiences. After the final climb, it was so dark outside that none of us actually realised we had made it out of the cave! Another quality experience, despite the slow start. No cave I've seen compares to Kong Lor, Laos yet but this was easily the best trip for climbing through them. Well worth doing.
After some very welcome hot Soup and Bagels, the 6 of us returned to the hostel in Waitomo for the night. All the lads were down the local watching the Rugby so I made my way down there for a few Beers and a game of Poker. Another action-packed day in Kiwi land. Loving it out here.
We arrived in the tiny village early afternoon to get checked into the hostel. After checking in, myself, James and the welsh lads headed to a nearby hotel, which is supposedly the most haunted place in New Zealand. I'm not a believer in that sort of stuff myself but we had some time to kill so went to check it out.
No Ghosts to report I'm afraid. We couldn't even get a proper look around the hotel to where they might be hiding so instead amused ourselves with a bit of Frisbee at the nearby park. Casey and Courtnie headed there after us though and got a bigger tour - they seemed a bit more convinced.
Late afternoon, myself, Casey, Courtnie, Erika, Sophie and Claire all go picked up to get involved with some Black Water Rafting, which is extremely popular around here and the main reason to visit Waitomo (Wai = Water, Tomo = Cave). The 6 of us went for the ''Abyss'' package, which involved some Abseiling, Zip-lining, Tubing and lots of climbing throughout the caves. It looked awesome.
A bit of a slow start to be honest - we got picked up at around 3.45pm and weren't actually all in the caves until past 6pm (mainly due to a huge safety briefing and some seriously slow girls abseiling down). Once we got in there though, it was quality. The initial abseil took us down about 40 metres deep into total darkness before Ziplining into the unknown. We then spent some time Tubing our way though the caves (and the VERY cold water), checking out the Stalagmites, Stalactites, Cave Coral and the thousands of Glowworms that perch themselves all around. It was a pretty awesome sight.
After wading our way through for a few hours, we finished the trip with some pretty nerve-wracking waterfall climbs to get ourselves out. This was the best part of the trip and unlike anything I've done on my previous cave experiences. After the final climb, it was so dark outside that none of us actually realised we had made it out of the cave! Another quality experience, despite the slow start. No cave I've seen compares to Kong Lor, Laos yet but this was easily the best trip for climbing through them. Well worth doing.
After some very welcome hot Soup and Bagels, the 6 of us returned to the hostel in Waitomo for the night. All the lads were down the local watching the Rugby so I made my way down there for a few Beers and a game of Poker. Another action-packed day in Kiwi land. Loving it out here.
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Cathedral Cove & Hot Water Beach
Day 1: As I mentioned, most people doing the Kiwi Experience tend to start in Auckland, meaning this bus would likely be one that we would all stay with for a while. A nice early pick up again and we met our driver - Mangee, who instantly seemed like a really cool guy. So far so good with all the drivers.
There were loads of really nice people on board and we all got chatting as we made our way across the top of New Zealand towards Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. Mangee got us all playing this speed-dating style game, which seemed a bit stupid at first but then really did a good job of getting everyone chatting to each other.
Also on the bus were: Courtnie & Casey (Canada), Cahal, Kevin & Alex (England), Erika (US), Sam, Jack and Josh (Wales), Mollie and Ellie (England). There were loads more but these were the people I got chatting to initially.
Worth his own mention is a young guy called James, who I met during the speed dating game. Turns out we are both from Reading and he lives about 2 minutes away from the CResCent Centre, where I work. Even more bizarre is that fact that his mum attends one of the classes there. We were both pretty astounded upon first talking to each other. Talk about a small world.
Mangee then took us over to Cathedral Cove, where I signed up for an afternoon of Kayaking with some others from the bus - Antoine (Switzerland), Sophie and Claire (Wokingham - small world again). Everyone else on the bus elected for the inclusive walk with Mangee but I'd heard good things about this area and was keen to give the Kayaking a blast.
We met our guide and I then teamed up with Sophie in sharing a Kayak. The trip took around 3 hours around the coastline towards Cathedral Cove, which is a nice, scenic spot. Upon our arrival, the guide even served us up the coffee of our choice so we could drink it on the beach. The trip was pretty good, if a little over-priced. I think this might be my last bout of Kayaking on the trip.
After the Kayaking, the 4 of us headed up to Hot Water Beach to join the others. For those that don't know, this beach is so named because of the hot water springs that exist underneath it. Between low and high tide, these springs filter up through the sand, meaning it's possible to dig yourself a little bath and lie in them. Sounds good doesn't it?
The reality isn't quite that simple because the fluctuations between hot, warm and freezing cold are pretty frequent, meaning it's difficult to relax in there for too long. It was good fun though and unlike anything I've seen before. When you can manage to get it at the right temperature, it's really nice. We stayed there hanging out until it started getting dark, when we then headed back up to the hostel. No major burns thankfully but Sam did have a close call when going dangerously close to the hottest part of the pools. About 10 people shouting ''NO" did the trick of stopping him though. Haha.
That evening, Mangee cooked us up a huge Barbecue at the hostel, which we couldn't get round to finishing, despite having about 4 Burgers each. He said that no-one manages to finish his BBQs and I can believe it.
After dinner, I met a few others from the bus - Bev (Aus), Sasha (England), Michelle (Ireland) and Eleanor (US). We all spent the evening hanging out and had a really good laugh. It seemed we had landed ourselves a good bus of people.
There were loads of really nice people on board and we all got chatting as we made our way across the top of New Zealand towards Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. Mangee got us all playing this speed-dating style game, which seemed a bit stupid at first but then really did a good job of getting everyone chatting to each other.
Also on the bus were: Courtnie & Casey (Canada), Cahal, Kevin & Alex (England), Erika (US), Sam, Jack and Josh (Wales), Mollie and Ellie (England). There were loads more but these were the people I got chatting to initially.
Worth his own mention is a young guy called James, who I met during the speed dating game. Turns out we are both from Reading and he lives about 2 minutes away from the CResCent Centre, where I work. Even more bizarre is that fact that his mum attends one of the classes there. We were both pretty astounded upon first talking to each other. Talk about a small world.
Mangee then took us over to Cathedral Cove, where I signed up for an afternoon of Kayaking with some others from the bus - Antoine (Switzerland), Sophie and Claire (Wokingham - small world again). Everyone else on the bus elected for the inclusive walk with Mangee but I'd heard good things about this area and was keen to give the Kayaking a blast.
We met our guide and I then teamed up with Sophie in sharing a Kayak. The trip took around 3 hours around the coastline towards Cathedral Cove, which is a nice, scenic spot. Upon our arrival, the guide even served us up the coffee of our choice so we could drink it on the beach. The trip was pretty good, if a little over-priced. I think this might be my last bout of Kayaking on the trip.
After the Kayaking, the 4 of us headed up to Hot Water Beach to join the others. For those that don't know, this beach is so named because of the hot water springs that exist underneath it. Between low and high tide, these springs filter up through the sand, meaning it's possible to dig yourself a little bath and lie in them. Sounds good doesn't it?
The reality isn't quite that simple because the fluctuations between hot, warm and freezing cold are pretty frequent, meaning it's difficult to relax in there for too long. It was good fun though and unlike anything I've seen before. When you can manage to get it at the right temperature, it's really nice. We stayed there hanging out until it started getting dark, when we then headed back up to the hostel. No major burns thankfully but Sam did have a close call when going dangerously close to the hottest part of the pools. About 10 people shouting ''NO" did the trick of stopping him though. Haha.
That evening, Mangee cooked us up a huge Barbecue at the hostel, which we couldn't get round to finishing, despite having about 4 Burgers each. He said that no-one manages to finish his BBQs and I can believe it.
After dinner, I met a few others from the bus - Bev (Aus), Sasha (England), Michelle (Ireland) and Eleanor (US). We all spent the evening hanging out and had a really good laugh. It seemed we had landed ourselves a good bus of people.
Auckland
Day 1: I arrived late that evening and caught up with Danielle. I also met Mark and Charlotte, who were staying in my room before starting their own Kiwi Experience passes the following day. Most people start from Auckland.
Day 2: I took a walk around the city, checking out the Sky-tower, the Harbour Bridge and also taking a stroll along the rest of the Harbour. The sun even came out for the day -a rarity for this time of year in New Zealand.
That evening, Sam and Ali arrived from Taupo and we all headed to Eden Park for a Rugby match between Auckland Blues & Queensland Reds. Harrison had also arrived so we travelled up there with him and another guy called Ed.
I'm not a huge Rugby fan but the game was ok and saw Auckland get a bit of a pasting (something they are used to recently apparently). Coming away from the game, I had to get Harrison to run a few of the rules by me again as I'm not fully clued up on them all. Being a Queensland fan, he was basking in the glory of victory, especially since myself and the Canadians had got Auckland blue face-paint on prior to going to the match. I assured him that I would have chosen red had it been available.
When we got back into Auckland, we had a pretty big night on the Beers and Jagerbombs in the hostel bar and all ended up getting quite wasted. One of Danielle's friends even took on the challenge of eating a bowl of Dog food so he could win a bus-pass for the whole north island. It looked disgusting and him and his opponent were wretching from the outset. He managed to win the prize though. Not the sort of competition for me.
At the end of the night, I said goodbye to Sam, Ali and Danielle, who would be heading to Thailand in the next couple of days. Really cool girls and I'd had a good laugh travelling up the north island with them.
For me, it's time to start heading back down south.
Day 2: I took a walk around the city, checking out the Sky-tower, the Harbour Bridge and also taking a stroll along the rest of the Harbour. The sun even came out for the day -a rarity for this time of year in New Zealand.
That evening, Sam and Ali arrived from Taupo and we all headed to Eden Park for a Rugby match between Auckland Blues & Queensland Reds. Harrison had also arrived so we travelled up there with him and another guy called Ed.
I'm not a huge Rugby fan but the game was ok and saw Auckland get a bit of a pasting (something they are used to recently apparently). Coming away from the game, I had to get Harrison to run a few of the rules by me again as I'm not fully clued up on them all. Being a Queensland fan, he was basking in the glory of victory, especially since myself and the Canadians had got Auckland blue face-paint on prior to going to the match. I assured him that I would have chosen red had it been available.
When we got back into Auckland, we had a pretty big night on the Beers and Jagerbombs in the hostel bar and all ended up getting quite wasted. One of Danielle's friends even took on the challenge of eating a bowl of Dog food so he could win a bus-pass for the whole north island. It looked disgusting and him and his opponent were wretching from the outset. He managed to win the prize though. Not the sort of competition for me.
At the end of the night, I said goodbye to Sam, Ali and Danielle, who would be heading to Thailand in the next couple of days. Really cool girls and I'd had a good laugh travelling up the north island with them.
For me, it's time to start heading back down south.
Matamata
Day 1: Our new driver, Bods, picked us up that morning and we set off towards Auckland - New Zealand's largest city.
On the way, he told us we would be taking a lunch break at a small town called Matamata. This wasn't somewhere I'd heard of and I had no intention of staying there. That is, until Bods told us this was the place from where we would access Hobbiton - The Hobbit village from the films. Being a huge Lord of the Rings fan myself (in case you hadn't guessed), I was well up for going there so I decided to hop off the Kiwi Bus for the afternoon and pay it a visit.
Along Matamata's main street, there is also a sculpture of Gollum, which we all got our pictures taken by (despite the fact it looks nothing like him). Early afternoon, the bus then came into town to take us up to Hobbiton.
The guide, Carolyn, was really good and gave us all the information about how and why this site was chosen by Peter Jackson and where they stationed themselves during filming. Basically, the farm owner and his family were given an all-expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world they wanted for 3 months, thus allowing Jackson and some others to live in their house. Not a bad deal eh!
The tour took a few hours and was fantastic. It allowed us to see all the Hobbit-Holes, including those inhabited by Samwise Gamgee and Bilbo Baggins in the films. She also showed us some other key areas, where famous scenes have taken place and we also got a glimpse of some other buildings that are to be used in the upcoming ''The Hobbit'' films. Sadly, we couldn't visit these as they weren't completed yet but they look even more impressive.
After the tour, we got our bus transfer back into Matamata, where I then had to catch another bus to take me up to Auckland. A really cool tour that was well worth jumping off the bus for. It's not every day you get to visit a film set as famous as that.
On the way, he told us we would be taking a lunch break at a small town called Matamata. This wasn't somewhere I'd heard of and I had no intention of staying there. That is, until Bods told us this was the place from where we would access Hobbiton - The Hobbit village from the films. Being a huge Lord of the Rings fan myself (in case you hadn't guessed), I was well up for going there so I decided to hop off the Kiwi Bus for the afternoon and pay it a visit.
Along Matamata's main street, there is also a sculpture of Gollum, which we all got our pictures taken by (despite the fact it looks nothing like him). Early afternoon, the bus then came into town to take us up to Hobbiton.
The guide, Carolyn, was really good and gave us all the information about how and why this site was chosen by Peter Jackson and where they stationed themselves during filming. Basically, the farm owner and his family were given an all-expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world they wanted for 3 months, thus allowing Jackson and some others to live in their house. Not a bad deal eh!
The tour took a few hours and was fantastic. It allowed us to see all the Hobbit-Holes, including those inhabited by Samwise Gamgee and Bilbo Baggins in the films. She also showed us some other key areas, where famous scenes have taken place and we also got a glimpse of some other buildings that are to be used in the upcoming ''The Hobbit'' films. Sadly, we couldn't visit these as they weren't completed yet but they look even more impressive.
After the tour, we got our bus transfer back into Matamata, where I then had to catch another bus to take me up to Auckland. A really cool tour that was well worth jumping off the bus for. It's not every day you get to visit a film set as famous as that.
Taupo
Day 1: Back onto Toddy's bus early doors for the trip further up the north island towards Taupo. It was just a night in Wellington for me because I'm having to move pretty quick and will be stopping off there again on the way back down south. The Canadians were spending that extra day though so we said goodbye before hopefully meeting up again in Taupo.
As we headed north, the clipboard came round the bus for us to sign up for a Skydive that very afternoon. I've done one previously when back in the U.K and was really looking forward to doing it again so I signed up along with about 10 others on the coach. Early afternoon, Toddy dropped us off at the site.
Of those that had put their names down, I was the only one to have done one previously so the staff asked me to tell the others what it was like. ''Awesome'' was my description, although I'm not sure it helped to calm all the obvious nerves that were apparent in the room. Having done it previously, I felt pretty calm.
After the briefing, we all chose the package we wanted. In my case, it was a 15,000 ft Skydive with the video footage to go with it. The package also included interviews with me before, on the plane and after the jump. After signing up, we met our instructors and the guy I had looked exactly like Tom Cruise, which was pretty funny. We then boarded the plane in preparation for the jump. Also onboard were Sam and David - 2 lads I had met on the bus earlier in the day.
The jump istelf was incredible and a lot more enjoyable than the first Skydive I did. Whereas with that one, I had trouble breathing against all the wind resistance, with this jump I knew fully what to expect and was therefore able to take it all in and enjoy it even more. The 15,000 ft option meant we were free-falling for around 1 minute before the chute comes out. During this, the camera guy and me were grabbing hold of each other and just basically messing around mid-air. It was awesome and looks really good on the DVD, which I'll be happy to show you all when I'm back home.
After what seemed like a very fast minute, the chute came out and we spent the next 5 minutes slowly descending towards the ground. The instructor (actual name Andrew but I was still calling him Tom) let me take over the chute controls and spin us in circles as we made our way back down, which was really fun. I just kept telling him that I wanted to get straight back up there and do it again. An incredible experience, which I would recommend to anyone.
Safely back on the ground, we all compared our jumps before watching everyone's DVDs in the cinema room. We then got escorted into Taupo in some style - a Limo no less. A great afternoon and again, one of the best things I've ever done.
It was then a pretty chilled evening at the hostel as I was getting up at 5.30 the next morning for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing - voted the best hike in New Zealand and one of the top 10 walks anywhere in the world. I met an aussie guy called Harrison and an irish girl called Linda and we just hung out in the communal area.
Day 2: I managed to get up ok and was joined on the transfer over to Tongariro National Park by Kent (US), Anna (Germany) and David (from the skydive). The transfer took about an hour and a half so we were ready to start the hike just after 7am.
The hike itself is 20km long and was expected to take between 7-8 hours. Prior to departing, our driver told us the deadline for getting finished and also gave us a number to ring in case we would be late or any of us got lost, as has happened many times apparently. The crossing has even claimed a few lives according to her so it was a good job the weather was pretty decent, if quite chilly to begin with.
The walk was brilliant. It's quite tricky and demanding at times because of the unstable volcanic rocks and some of the steep hills we had to navigate. The track took us all the way across the National Park and provided some incredible views of the surrounding Mountains, Volcanoes and Lakes. Many of the scenes from the Lord of the Rings films were shot here as well, including Mt Doom, which we had the opportunity to hike up if we wanted. This added another 3 hours to the hike and we were feeling the pace anyway so we gave it a miss (apart from Kent who took it on). We also wanted to make sure we got it all done in time for our transfer back to Taupo.
We finished the hike at about 3pm, all feeling pretty shattered. It was an incredible walk though and an absolute must-do for anyone in this part of New Zealand. Unbelievably, Kent joined us at the finish about 15 minutes later, which we couldn't believe considering the extra mountain climb he had added in (he was a machine). After a thoroughly enjoyable, if demanding day, the 4 of us then got the bus transfer back to Taupo.
Arriving back at the hostel, I bumped into Sam, Ali and Danielle, who had got the bus up from Wellington that day. Sam and Ali had booked to do the crossing the following morning so I filled them in on what they had to look forward to. Danielle decided to give it a miss and would therefore be joining me on the bus up to Auckland the next day. The 4 of us, along with David, spent the evening hanging out at the hostel.
As we headed north, the clipboard came round the bus for us to sign up for a Skydive that very afternoon. I've done one previously when back in the U.K and was really looking forward to doing it again so I signed up along with about 10 others on the coach. Early afternoon, Toddy dropped us off at the site.
Of those that had put their names down, I was the only one to have done one previously so the staff asked me to tell the others what it was like. ''Awesome'' was my description, although I'm not sure it helped to calm all the obvious nerves that were apparent in the room. Having done it previously, I felt pretty calm.
After the briefing, we all chose the package we wanted. In my case, it was a 15,000 ft Skydive with the video footage to go with it. The package also included interviews with me before, on the plane and after the jump. After signing up, we met our instructors and the guy I had looked exactly like Tom Cruise, which was pretty funny. We then boarded the plane in preparation for the jump. Also onboard were Sam and David - 2 lads I had met on the bus earlier in the day.
The jump istelf was incredible and a lot more enjoyable than the first Skydive I did. Whereas with that one, I had trouble breathing against all the wind resistance, with this jump I knew fully what to expect and was therefore able to take it all in and enjoy it even more. The 15,000 ft option meant we were free-falling for around 1 minute before the chute comes out. During this, the camera guy and me were grabbing hold of each other and just basically messing around mid-air. It was awesome and looks really good on the DVD, which I'll be happy to show you all when I'm back home.
After what seemed like a very fast minute, the chute came out and we spent the next 5 minutes slowly descending towards the ground. The instructor (actual name Andrew but I was still calling him Tom) let me take over the chute controls and spin us in circles as we made our way back down, which was really fun. I just kept telling him that I wanted to get straight back up there and do it again. An incredible experience, which I would recommend to anyone.
Safely back on the ground, we all compared our jumps before watching everyone's DVDs in the cinema room. We then got escorted into Taupo in some style - a Limo no less. A great afternoon and again, one of the best things I've ever done.
It was then a pretty chilled evening at the hostel as I was getting up at 5.30 the next morning for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing - voted the best hike in New Zealand and one of the top 10 walks anywhere in the world. I met an aussie guy called Harrison and an irish girl called Linda and we just hung out in the communal area.
Day 2: I managed to get up ok and was joined on the transfer over to Tongariro National Park by Kent (US), Anna (Germany) and David (from the skydive). The transfer took about an hour and a half so we were ready to start the hike just after 7am.
The hike itself is 20km long and was expected to take between 7-8 hours. Prior to departing, our driver told us the deadline for getting finished and also gave us a number to ring in case we would be late or any of us got lost, as has happened many times apparently. The crossing has even claimed a few lives according to her so it was a good job the weather was pretty decent, if quite chilly to begin with.
The walk was brilliant. It's quite tricky and demanding at times because of the unstable volcanic rocks and some of the steep hills we had to navigate. The track took us all the way across the National Park and provided some incredible views of the surrounding Mountains, Volcanoes and Lakes. Many of the scenes from the Lord of the Rings films were shot here as well, including Mt Doom, which we had the opportunity to hike up if we wanted. This added another 3 hours to the hike and we were feeling the pace anyway so we gave it a miss (apart from Kent who took it on). We also wanted to make sure we got it all done in time for our transfer back to Taupo.
We finished the hike at about 3pm, all feeling pretty shattered. It was an incredible walk though and an absolute must-do for anyone in this part of New Zealand. Unbelievably, Kent joined us at the finish about 15 minutes later, which we couldn't believe considering the extra mountain climb he had added in (he was a machine). After a thoroughly enjoyable, if demanding day, the 4 of us then got the bus transfer back to Taupo.
Arriving back at the hostel, I bumped into Sam, Ali and Danielle, who had got the bus up from Wellington that day. Sam and Ali had booked to do the crossing the following morning so I filled them in on what they had to look forward to. Danielle decided to give it a miss and would therefore be joining me on the bus up to Auckland the next day. The 4 of us, along with David, spent the evening hanging out at the hostel.
Wellington
Day 1: Early morning pick up for the bus and then ferry onto the north island heading towards New Zealand's capital city - Wellington. Our driver was a cool guy called Toddy. Not quite as crazy as Dillon had been but still full of enthusiasm and energy, which does a good job of waking everyone up on the early bus journeys. My early impressions of the Kiwi drivers were good.
On our way to the ferry terminal, Toddy pulled the bus over so we could get a glimpse of a huge Seal colony, chilling out on the rocks just offshore. After all getting some pictures, it was back on the bus to continue the scenic drive along the east coast towards the ferry terminal at Picton.
The views were just as good as we set off through the Marlborough Sounds to embark on the 3-hour journey over to the north island. We arrived mid-afternoon and then just had a short drive over to our accommodation in Wellington.
The canadian girls had checked into the same hostel so the 4 of us headed into Wellington for the evening to have a look around and go to the cinema to see ''21 Jump Street''. Pretty funny and worth and look if you haven't seen it.
On our way to the ferry terminal, Toddy pulled the bus over so we could get a glimpse of a huge Seal colony, chilling out on the rocks just offshore. After all getting some pictures, it was back on the bus to continue the scenic drive along the east coast towards the ferry terminal at Picton.
The views were just as good as we set off through the Marlborough Sounds to embark on the 3-hour journey over to the north island. We arrived mid-afternoon and then just had a short drive over to our accommodation in Wellington.
The canadian girls had checked into the same hostel so the 4 of us headed into Wellington for the evening to have a look around and go to the cinema to see ''21 Jump Street''. Pretty funny and worth and look if you haven't seen it.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Kaikoura
Day 1: My Kiwi Experience got under way early the next afternoon as we were picked up by our first driver - Dillon, who has several screws loose and is one of the craziest, funniest blokes I've ever met. He literally says everything he is thinking out loud, no matter how outrageous those thoughts may be. Eventually, he gave us an introduction to the bus and explained how Kiwi Experience works. Lots more activities included than OZ Experience and I'd only heard good things so we were all itching to get started.
Also onboard were: Nathan (Manchester), Ben & Jamie (Carlisle) and Dan & Ally (London) and we all got chatting on the trip up the east coast towards Kaikoura, famous for it's Dolphin swimming and Whale watching. The journey took most of the day and we arrived at the hostel early evening.
After checking in, myself, Nathan, Dan and Ally headed into the small town for a few beers and to watch the Rugby game that was on that evening - Australia vs New Zealand no less. Australia won, which didn't go down too well in the pub. What did go down well though was my first pint of Speights, the national beer recommended by a kiwi friend of mine (cheers David). Very tasty and I'm sure it won't be the last.
Day 2: Nathan and I were up early for some Dolphin swimming. We checked into HQ and then boarded the boat wondering how many we would get the chance to swim with. As we set off, we got our answer - LOTS. There were pods of Dolphins all over the place, reaching numbers into the thousands according to the crew members (Owen & Mike). They were swimming alongside and flipping up either side of the boat as we kept going in search of even bigger pods. An amazing sight.
Finally, we settled on a pod and all gingerly got into the freezing cold ocean (and I mean freezing - it took my breath away at first). We soon swam around and warmed up though as the Dolphins came closer to us.
All wearing snorkels, the tip from the crew was to each make as much noise as possible to get the Dolphins attention and swimming near to you. All feeling pretty stupid at first, we soon got the rewards as they swam close enough for us to touch, look them in the eyes and swim in circles with them. It was incredible. The more Dolphins that came close, the more noise everyone made and it really did the trick as we ended up being surrounded by about 100 of them - a brilliant experience.
Eventually, their numbers decreased so we re-boarded the boat in search of other pods, which weren't difficult to find. Then it was back in the water for more stupid Monkey and Seal noises to once again get their attention. It really works and swimming that close to so many Dolphins is without doubt one of the best things I've ever done. Absolutely amazing.
That afternoon, my day got even better as I signed up to go Sperm Whale Watching. Upon checking in, my question to the girl on reception was one I think she gets a lot - ''What if we don't see any?''. If this happened, I would be able to go out again for free the next day and then get an 80% refund if we still had no joy. Pretty reasonable I thought. Fingers crossed.
Once we boarded the boat, the crew members told us they had got word of a sighting from earlier in the day so we headed straight for the same spot, which took about 20 minutes to reach. We were instantly rewarded with a sight of a Sperm Whale just as it was about to dive back into the water. They tend to come up to the surface for around 20 minutes, where they just hang around spurting water out. After that time, they dive back down to the bottom, only to return back to the surface after another half an hour. Given they return to the surface within approx a mile radius of where they dived, this is how the crew are so good at finding them.
Given we only got a brief glimpse of this Sperm Whale, we headed off in search of others before he returned to the surface. I was quite astounded when one of the crew claimed he had caught sight of one about 2 miles away, claiming it was sleeping before diving back down. No-one else on the boat could see it, that's for sure. The crew decided not to head over.
They then spent a little while trying to find others using their eagle-eyed sight and some equipment that can hear the Whales underwater. With no luck, we headed back to the first sight just in time for him to return to the surface so we could get a proper look. Simply amazing - huge creatures. They just hang out at the surface, meaning we could only see the top of him but it was still an incredible sight. However, the best bit was when he dived back down, allowing us to get some great views of the huge tails they are so famous for.
After some more unsuccessful searching around, we returned to the same sight once more and caught sight of the Whale for a third time - not bad for an afternoon's work. If there is anywhere you are pretty much guaranteed to see a Whale, I reckon it's in Kaikoura. We all felt pretty lucky.
Heading back to the shore, we then caught sight of even more Dolphins than had been on show that morning. No swimming this time but the boat did stop for us to get a view of their aerobatic skills. We also got to see a few Seals and about 10 huge Pelicans chilling out on the surface. What a day.
That evening, myself and Nathan met some nice canadian girls that were staying at our hostel - Danielle, Ali and Sam. We spent the evening hanging out with them before heading back into the town for a few more pints of Speights, whilst watching the footy.
Day 3: There was no Kiwi bus for us to catch, meaning we were left with a day to kill in Kaikoura. Aside from the Dolphins and Whales, there's not a huge amount else to see but myself and Nathan managed to amuse ourselves with a few rounds of mini-golf and games of Chess. Nathan then caught a bus back to Christchurch in the afternoon. A really nice guy and we had a good laugh together for those few days.
That evening, I hung out with the canadians again as we chilled at the hostel. They were heading to Thailand in a few days time so I was happy to pass on some advice.
Also onboard were: Nathan (Manchester), Ben & Jamie (Carlisle) and Dan & Ally (London) and we all got chatting on the trip up the east coast towards Kaikoura, famous for it's Dolphin swimming and Whale watching. The journey took most of the day and we arrived at the hostel early evening.
After checking in, myself, Nathan, Dan and Ally headed into the small town for a few beers and to watch the Rugby game that was on that evening - Australia vs New Zealand no less. Australia won, which didn't go down too well in the pub. What did go down well though was my first pint of Speights, the national beer recommended by a kiwi friend of mine (cheers David). Very tasty and I'm sure it won't be the last.
Day 2: Nathan and I were up early for some Dolphin swimming. We checked into HQ and then boarded the boat wondering how many we would get the chance to swim with. As we set off, we got our answer - LOTS. There were pods of Dolphins all over the place, reaching numbers into the thousands according to the crew members (Owen & Mike). They were swimming alongside and flipping up either side of the boat as we kept going in search of even bigger pods. An amazing sight.
Finally, we settled on a pod and all gingerly got into the freezing cold ocean (and I mean freezing - it took my breath away at first). We soon swam around and warmed up though as the Dolphins came closer to us.
All wearing snorkels, the tip from the crew was to each make as much noise as possible to get the Dolphins attention and swimming near to you. All feeling pretty stupid at first, we soon got the rewards as they swam close enough for us to touch, look them in the eyes and swim in circles with them. It was incredible. The more Dolphins that came close, the more noise everyone made and it really did the trick as we ended up being surrounded by about 100 of them - a brilliant experience.
Eventually, their numbers decreased so we re-boarded the boat in search of other pods, which weren't difficult to find. Then it was back in the water for more stupid Monkey and Seal noises to once again get their attention. It really works and swimming that close to so many Dolphins is without doubt one of the best things I've ever done. Absolutely amazing.
That afternoon, my day got even better as I signed up to go Sperm Whale Watching. Upon checking in, my question to the girl on reception was one I think she gets a lot - ''What if we don't see any?''. If this happened, I would be able to go out again for free the next day and then get an 80% refund if we still had no joy. Pretty reasonable I thought. Fingers crossed.
Once we boarded the boat, the crew members told us they had got word of a sighting from earlier in the day so we headed straight for the same spot, which took about 20 minutes to reach. We were instantly rewarded with a sight of a Sperm Whale just as it was about to dive back into the water. They tend to come up to the surface for around 20 minutes, where they just hang around spurting water out. After that time, they dive back down to the bottom, only to return back to the surface after another half an hour. Given they return to the surface within approx a mile radius of where they dived, this is how the crew are so good at finding them.
Given we only got a brief glimpse of this Sperm Whale, we headed off in search of others before he returned to the surface. I was quite astounded when one of the crew claimed he had caught sight of one about 2 miles away, claiming it was sleeping before diving back down. No-one else on the boat could see it, that's for sure. The crew decided not to head over.
They then spent a little while trying to find others using their eagle-eyed sight and some equipment that can hear the Whales underwater. With no luck, we headed back to the first sight just in time for him to return to the surface so we could get a proper look. Simply amazing - huge creatures. They just hang out at the surface, meaning we could only see the top of him but it was still an incredible sight. However, the best bit was when he dived back down, allowing us to get some great views of the huge tails they are so famous for.
After some more unsuccessful searching around, we returned to the same sight once more and caught sight of the Whale for a third time - not bad for an afternoon's work. If there is anywhere you are pretty much guaranteed to see a Whale, I reckon it's in Kaikoura. We all felt pretty lucky.
Heading back to the shore, we then caught sight of even more Dolphins than had been on show that morning. No swimming this time but the boat did stop for us to get a view of their aerobatic skills. We also got to see a few Seals and about 10 huge Pelicans chilling out on the surface. What a day.
That evening, myself and Nathan met some nice canadian girls that were staying at our hostel - Danielle, Ali and Sam. We spent the evening hanging out with them before heading back into the town for a few more pints of Speights, whilst watching the footy.
Day 3: There was no Kiwi bus for us to catch, meaning we were left with a day to kill in Kaikoura. Aside from the Dolphins and Whales, there's not a huge amount else to see but myself and Nathan managed to amuse ourselves with a few rounds of mini-golf and games of Chess. Nathan then caught a bus back to Christchurch in the afternoon. A really nice guy and we had a good laugh together for those few days.
That evening, I hung out with the canadians again as we chilled at the hostel. They were heading to Thailand in a few days time so I was happy to pass on some advice.
Christchurch
Day 1: A relatively short flight from Sydney saw me arrive into Christchurch mid-afternoon. At the airport, I arranged for my Kiwi Experience pass to start the following morning and also booked some accommodation for that night. Whereas in most cities, accommodation choices have been quite plentiful, the earthquakes that have affected Christchurch so badly mean they are now pretty few and far between in this city. I managed to get one arranged though and caught the shuttle straight there.
The majority of the hostels and guesthouses I've stayed in throughout the trip are pretty similar to each other. However, ''Jailhouse'' in Christchurch is definately worth a mention and is probably the coolest place I've stayed in so far. It was a fully operational Jail until the mid-ninetees, when it was shut down and then converted into a hostel. However, they haven't changed it very much, meaning it still has a prison look and feel about it. Pretty cool.
After checking in and getting some pics ahead of my night in Jail, I took a walk around Christchurch. A few travellers had warned me that there wasn't much to see after all the earthquakes and I'm afraid they were right. Nothing much going on and a few areas are still fully inaccessible.
I chilled out in the hostel for the rest of the day and met a couple of other English lads - Chris and Sam, who had also not long arrived.
The majority of the hostels and guesthouses I've stayed in throughout the trip are pretty similar to each other. However, ''Jailhouse'' in Christchurch is definately worth a mention and is probably the coolest place I've stayed in so far. It was a fully operational Jail until the mid-ninetees, when it was shut down and then converted into a hostel. However, they haven't changed it very much, meaning it still has a prison look and feel about it. Pretty cool.
After checking in and getting some pics ahead of my night in Jail, I took a walk around Christchurch. A few travellers had warned me that there wasn't much to see after all the earthquakes and I'm afraid they were right. Nothing much going on and a few areas are still fully inaccessible.
I chilled out in the hostel for the rest of the day and met a couple of other English lads - Chris and Sam, who had also not long arrived.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Sydney
Day 1: Overnight bus from Byron Bay to Sydney and I arrived in the city centre late morning. Having had hardly any sleep on the bus, my intention was to spend a good portion of the day doing just that. However, it wasn't happening so I decided to go explore the city instead.
First, I took a walk through the Botanical Gardens, which are situated close to the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. They are really nice and even had lots of Flying Foxes hanging out at the top of the trees for us to have a look at. The weather was good as well so it was a nice walk.
Afterwards, I headed down to check out the Opera House. When we had driven into the city over the bridge, we caught a glimpse of it and innitially, I was wondering what all the fuss was about. However, when I got down there and saw it up close, I could fully appreciate it. It's such a nice building with really impressive architecture that makes you want to get photos from all angles possible. I've never seen a building anything like it and it looks pretty incredible perched on the Harbour.
After walking around for a while and getting some good pictures, I bumped into Kelly - a girl I had met a few times down the coast. She had just finished the tour of the Opera House and highly recommended it so I booked onto the next one. I wasn't disappointed! We had a fantastic, enthusiastic guide who gave us all the background to the building, including the fact that the initial architect never got to actually see the finished version - pretty sad. The tour took us throughout most of the performance rooms and it's just as impressive inside as it is outside. A great tour.
Upon leaving the Opera House, I stopped to check out some of the street performers who operate nearby. The guy I started watching claimed to be the only chainsaw juggler in the world and I even got roped into helping out with his performance. After successfully juggling the chainsaw (a bit too close to me I might add), myself and 3 others then had to hold onto 4 different ropes to support him while he was about 5 metres off the ground, balancing on a BMX and juggling a knife, bowling pin and an apple, which he took bites out of each throw. It was pretty amazing and certainly drew in the crowds. Thankfully, we managed to avoid dropping him as well.
Afterwards, I took a walk across the Harbour Bridge, which gave some even better views across the city and of the Opera House from a bit further away. The whole Harbour area is pretty spectacular and a great place to spend the afternoon just walking around, especially with the weather to match.
That evening, I met some nice people staying at my hostel - Veronica (Argentina), Michelle and Rick (US). The 4 of us then spent a few hours hanging out at the local bar for a few drinks.
Day 2: A full night's sleep behind me, I decided to take the bus to Bondi and spend the day down there. Bondi Beach is probably one of the most famous beaches in Australia so I didn't really want to leave Sydney without checking it out. Upon arrival, I could see what all the fuss was about - a really nice beach that was jam-packed with people. I took a long walk along the sea-front between Bondi and Bronte beaches before settling down for an afternoon in the sun.
That evening, I met up with Kat, the girl from Sheffield who I had travelled most of the coast with. She had been in Sydney for a few days and was heading back to the UK the following morning so the 2 of us headed out for some drinks and to watch the FA Cup semi-final. Both being Liverpool fans, we were pretty pleased with the outcome and ended up getting quite pissed in celebration.
Day 3: I went to check out Australia Museum, which was just a short walk away from my hostel. As museums go, this one is pretty impressive and I spent a good few hours walking around. It has hundreds of interesting animal skeletons on display, as well as just about every insect, reptile and bird you can imagine. There was also a cool section on aboriginal history and art. The highlight is the Dinosaur exhibition though, which has loads of them stood up in life-like poses. Something I'd never seen before so I thought it was pretty cool.
Day 4: I took a day trip to the Blue Mountains, which are situated a few hours drive outside of Sydney. We had a really good guide - Jeff, whose enthusiasm did the job of waking everyone up after the early pick-up. Also on the bus were a couple of English girls - Amanda and Hayley, who I got chatting with on the way.
Upon arrival, we all piled into the huge Cable Car, which took us across for some great views of the mountains and the ''Three Sisters'' rock formation, which is one the most famous attractions in the whole region.
After taking a walk around the sight and being given loads of information on the area by Jeff, we then boarded the steepest railway in the world. It's a 415m decent (or ascent as it was it our case) and lies at an angle of 52 degrees. It's pretty cool although not so comfortable for tall people such as myself. The train took us backwards up the hill, where we got back on the bus to go check out some other significant sites in the area.
Unfortunately, the weather then took a turn for the worse, meaning we couldn't get to see Wentworth Falls, which was supposed to be our next stop. Pretty heavy rain and fog meant there wasn't much to see so we stopped off in the local town for lunch instead.
Afterwards, it improved slightly so we headed down to Featherdale Wildlife park, where we were lucky enough to see 2 big Kangaroos hopping around at quite some speed. Jeff then took us to a couple more waterfalls and viewpoints, which were pretty nice.
The trip finished with a boat cruise back along the River to take us back into Sydney. We said goodbye to Jeff, who had been a fantastic guide determined to make our day enjoyable despite the bad weather. The cruise was really nice too and allowed us to view the Opera House and Harbour Bridge by night. Upon arrival back in the city, the weather switched again, meaning we had a rather damp walk back to the hostel. An enjoyable day all-in-all though, which showed once more what a difference a good guide can make.
That evening, myself, Rick and Veronica headed down to the hostel bar for a game of ''Inappropriate Bingo'', which was a really good laugh. It was basically just normal Bingo but with lots of free drinks and prizes to be won. In my case, I managed to win a $10 Meal Voucher after having my raffle ticket selected and then having to spin a wheel of fortune. However, the guy running the Bingo wasn't impressed with my initial spin and offered me another one for free if I was willing to sacrifice the voucher. Not thinking, I took the bait and ended up with a nice boobie prize instead - a packet of Spaghetti! The meal voucher was probably the best prize on there as well so I should have stuck to my guns. Oh well, all good fun.
Day 5: Final day in Sydney and a nice hangover to go with it. I didn't get up to much other than walking around the city and all the way across the Harbour Bridge to see what was happening the other side. There was a small theme park, which I took a walk through before getting some more snaps of the Opera House from a different viewpoint. Walking back to the hostel, I checked out some of the amazing street artists that were hard at work and there was also a really good singer who had drawn in the crowds. Always seems to be lots going on in Sydney, no matter where you go.
That evening, I met up with some friends from home - Luke, Emily and Lee, who are all now living in Sydney. It was Lee's girlfriend's birthday so we all tagged along and I had a great evening catching up with them over some more beverages. Nice to see some familar faces.
Early start the next day to catch my flight to New Zealand. Australia has been my favourite country so far and I really enjoyed my time in Sydney (despite the fact that it rained pretty much solidly for my last 3 days there). A really cool city and one I would definately like to come back to.
New Zealand, here I come...
First, I took a walk through the Botanical Gardens, which are situated close to the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. They are really nice and even had lots of Flying Foxes hanging out at the top of the trees for us to have a look at. The weather was good as well so it was a nice walk.
Afterwards, I headed down to check out the Opera House. When we had driven into the city over the bridge, we caught a glimpse of it and innitially, I was wondering what all the fuss was about. However, when I got down there and saw it up close, I could fully appreciate it. It's such a nice building with really impressive architecture that makes you want to get photos from all angles possible. I've never seen a building anything like it and it looks pretty incredible perched on the Harbour.
After walking around for a while and getting some good pictures, I bumped into Kelly - a girl I had met a few times down the coast. She had just finished the tour of the Opera House and highly recommended it so I booked onto the next one. I wasn't disappointed! We had a fantastic, enthusiastic guide who gave us all the background to the building, including the fact that the initial architect never got to actually see the finished version - pretty sad. The tour took us throughout most of the performance rooms and it's just as impressive inside as it is outside. A great tour.
Upon leaving the Opera House, I stopped to check out some of the street performers who operate nearby. The guy I started watching claimed to be the only chainsaw juggler in the world and I even got roped into helping out with his performance. After successfully juggling the chainsaw (a bit too close to me I might add), myself and 3 others then had to hold onto 4 different ropes to support him while he was about 5 metres off the ground, balancing on a BMX and juggling a knife, bowling pin and an apple, which he took bites out of each throw. It was pretty amazing and certainly drew in the crowds. Thankfully, we managed to avoid dropping him as well.
Afterwards, I took a walk across the Harbour Bridge, which gave some even better views across the city and of the Opera House from a bit further away. The whole Harbour area is pretty spectacular and a great place to spend the afternoon just walking around, especially with the weather to match.
That evening, I met some nice people staying at my hostel - Veronica (Argentina), Michelle and Rick (US). The 4 of us then spent a few hours hanging out at the local bar for a few drinks.
Day 2: A full night's sleep behind me, I decided to take the bus to Bondi and spend the day down there. Bondi Beach is probably one of the most famous beaches in Australia so I didn't really want to leave Sydney without checking it out. Upon arrival, I could see what all the fuss was about - a really nice beach that was jam-packed with people. I took a long walk along the sea-front between Bondi and Bronte beaches before settling down for an afternoon in the sun.
That evening, I met up with Kat, the girl from Sheffield who I had travelled most of the coast with. She had been in Sydney for a few days and was heading back to the UK the following morning so the 2 of us headed out for some drinks and to watch the FA Cup semi-final. Both being Liverpool fans, we were pretty pleased with the outcome and ended up getting quite pissed in celebration.
Day 3: I went to check out Australia Museum, which was just a short walk away from my hostel. As museums go, this one is pretty impressive and I spent a good few hours walking around. It has hundreds of interesting animal skeletons on display, as well as just about every insect, reptile and bird you can imagine. There was also a cool section on aboriginal history and art. The highlight is the Dinosaur exhibition though, which has loads of them stood up in life-like poses. Something I'd never seen before so I thought it was pretty cool.
Day 4: I took a day trip to the Blue Mountains, which are situated a few hours drive outside of Sydney. We had a really good guide - Jeff, whose enthusiasm did the job of waking everyone up after the early pick-up. Also on the bus were a couple of English girls - Amanda and Hayley, who I got chatting with on the way.
Upon arrival, we all piled into the huge Cable Car, which took us across for some great views of the mountains and the ''Three Sisters'' rock formation, which is one the most famous attractions in the whole region.
After taking a walk around the sight and being given loads of information on the area by Jeff, we then boarded the steepest railway in the world. It's a 415m decent (or ascent as it was it our case) and lies at an angle of 52 degrees. It's pretty cool although not so comfortable for tall people such as myself. The train took us backwards up the hill, where we got back on the bus to go check out some other significant sites in the area.
Unfortunately, the weather then took a turn for the worse, meaning we couldn't get to see Wentworth Falls, which was supposed to be our next stop. Pretty heavy rain and fog meant there wasn't much to see so we stopped off in the local town for lunch instead.
Afterwards, it improved slightly so we headed down to Featherdale Wildlife park, where we were lucky enough to see 2 big Kangaroos hopping around at quite some speed. Jeff then took us to a couple more waterfalls and viewpoints, which were pretty nice.
The trip finished with a boat cruise back along the River to take us back into Sydney. We said goodbye to Jeff, who had been a fantastic guide determined to make our day enjoyable despite the bad weather. The cruise was really nice too and allowed us to view the Opera House and Harbour Bridge by night. Upon arrival back in the city, the weather switched again, meaning we had a rather damp walk back to the hostel. An enjoyable day all-in-all though, which showed once more what a difference a good guide can make.
That evening, myself, Rick and Veronica headed down to the hostel bar for a game of ''Inappropriate Bingo'', which was a really good laugh. It was basically just normal Bingo but with lots of free drinks and prizes to be won. In my case, I managed to win a $10 Meal Voucher after having my raffle ticket selected and then having to spin a wheel of fortune. However, the guy running the Bingo wasn't impressed with my initial spin and offered me another one for free if I was willing to sacrifice the voucher. Not thinking, I took the bait and ended up with a nice boobie prize instead - a packet of Spaghetti! The meal voucher was probably the best prize on there as well so I should have stuck to my guns. Oh well, all good fun.
Day 5: Final day in Sydney and a nice hangover to go with it. I didn't get up to much other than walking around the city and all the way across the Harbour Bridge to see what was happening the other side. There was a small theme park, which I took a walk through before getting some more snaps of the Opera House from a different viewpoint. Walking back to the hostel, I checked out some of the amazing street artists that were hard at work and there was also a really good singer who had drawn in the crowds. Always seems to be lots going on in Sydney, no matter where you go.
That evening, I met up with some friends from home - Luke, Emily and Lee, who are all now living in Sydney. It was Lee's girlfriend's birthday so we all tagged along and I had a great evening catching up with them over some more beverages. Nice to see some familar faces.
Early start the next day to catch my flight to New Zealand. Australia has been my favourite country so far and I really enjoyed my time in Sydney (despite the fact that it rained pretty much solidly for my last 3 days there). A really cool city and one I would definately like to come back to.
New Zealand, here I come...
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