Taupo-Rotorua-Waitomo

Hey everyone! I just wanted to write about my latest adventure which included us travelling down to Taupo, New Zealand and to other places. The bus ride from Auckland to Taupo took about 6 hours but it was totally worth it! We got there and the water was beautiful and the landscape was just breathtaking! We checked into our hostel and walked to the hot springs which were amazing! We got to sit in the river which was as warm as a bath! Then we continued our really long hike to Huka Falls which was incredible! The water was a color I've never seen before! The next day we woke up and Ashley and I went for a run down by Lake Taupo (the largest lake in Australasia). It was beautiful! Then we just went to the beach and a nearby park and spent the day walking around and exploring. On Thursday morning, we boarded a bus to take us to Rotorua. It smells like sulfur there because of the geothermal activity in the town. We walked around and saw Redwood trees and some hot springs that were literally steaming. It was so cool! Then today we went to the Waitomo Caves. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had! The Waitomo Caves are the only place in the world where you can see glowworms so it's amazing! We took a tour called the Abyss which was pretty physically demanding. We got all suited up in wet suits and helmets and began our tour! First, we got to abseil down into the cave. It was about 9 stories deep so it was pretty scary to have to repel that far down into the cave. Once everyone got to the bottom, we walked through the caves for a while and then got to go on a zip line through the dark caves! It was pitch black and we were sailing through the caves! Then we continued walking until we got to the tubes. We jumped 15 feet off a cliff into the water in the caves. I didn't really like that part because it hurt when you hit the water but it was definitely interesting. Then we got to black water raft down the river and then we came back to where we started. We put our tubes back and started walking through the water. Since you couldn't see the bottom and the ground was uneven, we all fell a few times until we decided that it would be a better idea to swim through it. There were parts that we went through where there was only a foot of space between the water and the rocks that we had to squeeze through. Since there was a lot of rain today, the water level was extremely high. It was amazing! We got to stop for some hot chocolate that the guide had brought with him because it was freezing down there! We spent the rest of our time swimming through the glowworm caves and sliding down waterfalls. At the end of the tour, we got to rockclimb up two waterfalls. This was my favorite part because I enjoy rockclimbing. It was really hard though because the water was so forceful and was pushing against me as I was trying to climb up. When I got to the top of the second waterfall, I was all alone in the cave because my friend Mike had already exited the cave and everyone else hadn't climbed yet. That part was pretty scary because I didn't like being alone! When I exited the cave, there was just a beautiful sight waiting for me. Everything was so green and the rain just made it so much prettier! It was, by far, the best experience I've ever had in my life! We have pictures but I can't put them on here just yet because I don't have my laptop with me. Tomorrow we're going to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Park to view a geyser, some mudpools, and other geothermal activity. It's going to be great! Then, were heading back to Auckland tomorrow afternoon to start orientation on Monday! I'll write more soon!

I'm Finally Here!

Hey everyone! I arrived in New Zealand on Tuesday here which is Monday there. I haven't had time to write because we just got internet in our flat today unfortuntely. But anyway, I have been having an amazing time here already! On Tuesday when we got here, our orientation leaders picked us up at the airport and drove us to our hotel. Since it was 7 Am, we couldn't check into the hotel room yet so we got access to showers and then went to the cellphone store. After that, we went to the Auckland museum and saw a Maori cultural performance. I am going to try to post a video of that on my blog. After the museum, we went back to the hotel and then on a walking tour of Auckland until we got to dinner in the harbor. It was absolutely beautiful! In the morning, we got up and had breakfast and an orienation session where we learned about cultural differences. Then, we took a ferry across the harbor to Devonport. It reminded me of being in Harbor Springs, Michigan. We climbed a mountain and when we got to the top, the view was incredible! We could see the city of Auckland and even some dormant volcanoes! We hiked back down and had lunch in the city and then took the ferry back to Auckland. After we got back to the hotel, we boarded a bus and headed for Paihia which is in the Bay of Islands. The scenery on the way there kept me awake despite the fact that I was jet-lagged. When we got there, we checked into the Bay Adventurer Hostel and went for a walk around Paihia. It is a really small town but it is so beautiful! We went out to dinner after that and then just headed back to the hostel because we knew we had a long day ahead of us! The next morning, we woke up early and went dolphin watching! We were supposed to be able to swim with them but NZ has a law that you cannot swim with any pods that have children with them. We saw about 50 or 60 dolphins but they were travelling with babies so we could not get in the water. Even though I was a little disappointed, seeing the dolphins was unlike anything I've ever seen. They were beautiful and you could hear them making noise! If you waved your hand infront of their face slowly, they would look at you and make a noise! It was incredible. The dolphin boat then transported us to a huge catamaran to sail around on! We could sit on little trampolines on the front and just enjoy the sailing. We had lunch and then stopped at an island to swim around. I got in the water to go snorkelling but then someone saw a stingray and that's all it took for me to freak out! I got out of the water right away. The captain of the boat had to reassure me that they won't bother you if you don't bother them. So I got back in and started snorkelling with my roommates Ashley and Kelsey! I saw beautiful fish and coral reef. It was incredible! The shells were beautiful and the water was so clear. I swam to shore and got in a kayak and kayaked around the Bay of Islands (which is 144 islands in a bay...it is huge!). After that we got back on the catamaran and went back to shore. We then showered off and went to a kayaking place to kayak to a vineyard for a wine tasting! The kayaking was hard because the wind was so strong but we had a private wine tasting at the vineyard on a little island on top of a huge hill. It was amazing! The next day, we got up and took the bus back to Auckland where we had our final orientation session and went out for a nice dinner in Ponsonby at the restaurant Estasi. After that, we just hung out at the hotel and said goodbye to everyone because the next day we were transported to our individual schools (most of the people from my orientation are not studying at my university). On Saturday morning, a van picked us up and took me, Kelsey and Ashley to our housing at 14 Whitaker Place. I was really sad when we were moving in because I was used to everyone being around but then they were all gone. It was weird to get used to. But after we unpacked everything, we went to the grocery store and got even more settled. By that time, I was feeling a lot better. On Sunday, we spent the day planning our upcoming trip and going shopping at a place called Warehouse but it resembles a Wal-Mart. Today, which is Monday here but Sunday back home, Ashley and I went for a run around the city. We ran down by the harbor and through Victoria Park. It was wonderful! We just have to get used to running up the huge hills in Auckland! Then we went over to the University of Auckland and got our classes set up and our ID cards. It was good to see the campus and find out where everything is. Tomorrow we are going to Taupo Lake to see what it is like down there. Then we're off to Rotorua to see the mudpools and then off to Waitomo to see the glow worm caves! It's going to be amazing! I will write more the next time I have access to a computer! I miss you all!

Before departing...

It is 48 hours before I am set to depart for New Zealand and I wanted to test out my blog site to make sure everyone will be able to follow along. I am leaving from Los Angeles on Sunday night and will arrive in Auckland at 5 AM on Tuesday (that is New Zealand time). I am not as nervous as I was before I came out to Arizona but that is probably only because I am already packed and am just waiting to go. I get to swim with the dolphins when I get there! I know I'm going to have a great time! I will write more when I get there :)