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NZ: Day Six: One Doesn't Simply Walk Into Mordor

It really was a painfully early morning, with the alarm going off at 4.45am. I jumped out of bed, preventing the desire to snuggle under the duvet for a bit longer, and thought about my priorities. Tea. That would wake me up, and start the day right. I also grabbed a cereal bar, had to get the carbs in for our long hike! We were picked up by the shuttle bang on 5:20, and not long after we'd found a seat we were both zonked out. An hour and a bit later, we had arrived at the Mangatepopo carpark, and the beginning of the Tongariro Crossing. First we had to sign in, providing phone numbers, and all the emergency contact details - glad this bit was thorough and that we weren't on our own out there. The team then checked that we had everything we needed, and offered the chance to hire some hiking equipment. We both knew that Ben's trusty-but-kind-of-falling-apart Vans might not make the journey, he opted to hire a pair of boots.  This was it, after months of going back and forth
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NZ: Day Five: I Can't Do It

Once again, we were both awake before the alarm and had to quietly get changed so as not to disturb anyone. Packing up our belongings, we managed a quick breakfast and last minute look under beds before checking out. We were on our way to Taupo today, and were both excited for more adventures south. It was a busy coach and we were not sitting together, but it was a short journey and we were surprised to find it came with air-con and free Wi-Fi! Sometimes it's the little luxuries. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) one of these luxuries was not a toilet, and when we arrived in Taupo our first challenge was to find one! It was a bit of a trek, but turned out not to be the hardest challenge of the day. We were booked in at The Haka Lodge, and were very happy to find that although we were too early to check-in, we could leave our bags and get freshened up. It was looking like a warm day, so on came the shorts and vests for both of us! We then had some chill
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NZ: Day Four: Following The Chief

With our alarms buzzing early, I was glad to find that I had actually slept rather well. We quickly and quietly scrambled into a few layers and met Hazel in reception. The town seemed so still and peaceful as we walked to the lake. The only sound was the glorious morning chorus. Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake on the North Island - we couldn't even see the other side! We watched in awe as the sun illuminated the day, throwing splashes of colour into view. The reflections in the lake were stunning and we stayed to enjoy the show until the slow hum of the town grew and a steady flow of people passed us by. You could spot the locals; they barely even glanced up to enjoy the beauty around them. I could never imagine being so blasé. Back to the hostel for breakfast, I was coerced into eating my very first hard boiled egg. Can't say I'll be doing it again soon! We had big plans to explore the geothermic activities available in town before our evening at the Tamaki Maori
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NZ: Day Three: Learning From Damian

I was up bright and early ready for our big day of sightseeing, not only were we going to visit The Shire, we were heading south to Rotorua via the Waitomo Caves. It’s safe to say we were both feeling a little giddy as we packed our stuff, met Hazel for a quick breakfast and checked out.   I was glad it was only a short walk to the bus stop, I seemed to have accumulated a lot of extra weight – must be the snacks! After filling out water bottles, we were surprised to find that we were also provided snacks (chocolate cookies) and a bottle of water from the tour company. With our luggage safely stored below, we climbed on up and chose our seats towards the back of the bus.   With all 52 people finally onboard, our driver introduced himself and explained our itinerary as we rattled down the highway. Damian was incredible, I could have listened to him talk all day about nonsense, his voice was like honey. As it was, he actually had so many interesting things to tell us about the history of
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NZ: Day Two: I Wanna Be Where The People Are

Woke up happy after a much needed deep-sleep, Ben slept in longer than me - we both hoped this would help fix his jet lag! This morning we had a bit of admin to do before we set off to explore Auckland. We had decided it would be easier for us to get new SIM cards as, despite what I was told in Oz, my phone did not work over here. Cue a walk down to Vodafone, where I was actually served by someone from Northampton?! I could not believe it; the chances must be so slim!   Once we were all sorted, it was time for a wander down to the harbour to find a good spot for food. It was a glorious day and after a slow walk admiring the deep green sea, and awfully expensive boats, we found Dr Rubi’s Rooftop Brewing Company. It had an amazing view, and we timed it exactly right to get seats together on the terrace overlooking the quay. Hazel and I both ordered the ‘Bang Bang Chicken’, Ben had a pizza and we threw in extra fries to share. Odd things to eat so early, but hey, we were on holiday. A
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