Beard's on Tour: Our First Week in NZ!!!!

Hey everyone,

We are in Rotorua.. we have some good internet so below is what we have been upto for the last few days and our pics so far..

Monday February 20

We were up and out of the hostel by 7.25am and were picked up by the Magic Bus and headed for Pahia.It was a small bus that picked us up (similar to the ones that we toured Aus in) as only 10 of us were going North from Auckland..

We stopped at a cafe for some breakfast and then at a waterfall for a bit where me and Lucy walked to the bottom and got some good pics..

We got to the Bay of Islands at lunchtime and checked into our YHA.. we even had an ensuite in this oneooohhhhhhhh!!!!! we dumped our stuff and headed out for a wander about.. We stopped at a beachside bar for some lunch and then went to the supermarket and around the sovenuir shops...

In the afternoon we just chilled for a bit and then to a bbq in the evening at a local hostel with a
bar, just 12 bucks for some food and a beer...SWEET AS (something they seem to say a lot here)..

We got talking to our driver over dinner and it turns out the next place we are heading for is 5km from the nearest shops so we took another trip to the supermarket in the evening to stock up on some food for the next few days..

Tuesday February 21

We got up and had some breakfast and then got picked up at 8am.. we weren't going too far today.. just
90 mins up the road to a place called Hoikanga and we were staying at a place called Okopako Lodge..

The bus dropped us off by the side of the road and there was a bloke in a 4x4 waiting to pick us up.. We thought this place was in the middle of nowhere but 1.5km up a rough track was even more off the beaten track than we thought!!!

We got there and we checked into our caravan... our home for the next 2 nights.. yes that's right caravan no 2 on the top of a hill overlooking a beautiful view... rustic would definately be the word to describe it here (no electriity, kettle or toaster!!!) and very chilled out.. We got our stuff sorted and booked a combo deal of things to do, trhe footprints tour and bone carving..

We rustled up some fajitas for lunch and just spent the afternoon chilling and taking in the views.. at 5.30pm we got picked up for our footprints tour with a local Maori guide called Bill (not his real name we don't think).. This tour was the main reason we came to this area.. it's in the list of the Lonely Planet's 100 things to do before you die...

After picking up the 6 other people on the tour and a quick photostop at Hokianga Harbour we headed into the forest.. We did a 2 hour trek where our guide told us lots of things about the surroundings and the Maori culture and we went to see a 4000 year olf Cody Tree called the father of the forest... by the time we came out it was dark and very eerry. We then went to look at another tree called the Lord of the Forest and Bill told us some Maori stories...

The tour was totally different to what we expceted and we had a fablous time... we got back to our caravan about 10pm had a bite to eat and then just crashed..

Wednesday February 22

Up and out by 8.45am as were getting picked up to go Bone Carving.. Now basically we went to a local guys house where he has a bone carving studio right by the Hokianga Harbour.. his back garden faced the harbour, absolutely stunning views..

We had to put our own designs together, we all did something different and then we set about drawing the designs into the bone, drilling the design, sanding and polishing them.. this all took about 4 hours to do... It was actually very enjoyable and Lucy and Jane's designs look great, mine not so much, but at least I tried.....

This afternoon we are just chilling out at the Lodge... We leave tomorrow for another quick stop in Auckland before heading onto Rotorua and down the North Island... So far NZ is ace and it's good to be back here...

Thursday February 23

We got picked up from the Okopako Lodge about 9.30 and headed on the Magic Bus back towards Auckland taking in a few stops on the way.. Unfortunately the weather was rubbish and it was hammering it down.. we got into Auckland at about 3.30pm..

It took quite a while to check in to the hostel and we wondered what the hell was going on.. we had booked a single and a double room and we were told we had been allocated the apartment in the hostel.. time to get excited.. this place was like a full size flat which when you're staying in hostels and caravans is something to get worked up about..

Seeing as the weather wasn't so great and we had a whole kitchen to ourselves we got stuff to cook up a spag bol (plus wine!!!) and had a ball..

Friday February 24

Up and out early by 7.20am onto the bus for Rotorua.. We are now on the proper coaches and they are massive with a suprising amount of leg room which is good for Lee!!!!

We made a few stops on the way to Rotorua including lunch at the Hobbiton movie set... We then headed onto Rotorua and Jane went on the Hobbiton movie set tour... we got here about 3.30pm and after a quick tour of the place we checked into our YHA which is massive.. Got all the boring stuff out of the way, washing, supermarket forsupplies etc we went out to a pub called the Pig and Whistle for tea.. As the service and wine wasn't upto much we came back to the hostel for a drink...

PS - it smells of sulphur here, god knows how the locals get so used to it

Saturday February 25

We planned to get up early and have a look around town.. so we woke up at 10am lol... by the time we had breakfast etc we were ready for our pickup as we were heading to the Paradise Valley Spring wildlife park to see some baby lioncabs.. we got picked up bu our Grumpy shuttle!!!!

We took some packlunch with us and we had a great time... we fed goats, sheep, donkeys, limas, petted the lioncubs but without a doubt the highlight was the feeding of the lions.. the male lion Max look mental and we got some great pics below..

We got picked up about 4pm, got dropped off at the supermarket for some essential supplies (restock the wine we drank last night plus tea and coffee) and had a look around the sovenuir shops!!

We are eating at the hosel tonight and Jane is cooking so we may end up going out, lol only kidding Jane!!!!

Tomorrow we are off to Taupo and we get a layin yey, don't leave until 11.30am...

New Zealand Pics