Our New Zealand trip however was beyond amazing and it was a great way to end all our trips that we have done while being here. It started in Saturday, April 6th when we flew out of Gold Coast at about 7 pm. We didn't land in Auckland until about 1am because of the time difference. We ended up bargaining with the taxi driver to drive us to our hostel for about half the price it would of cost and we got there at about 2:30am. We drank the bottle of New Zealand wine that we got in duty free in our hostel and then went to bed.
The next day we woke up early and walked around the city of Auckland. We went to Queens Street Wharf Harbor in the morning and then went to the art gallery in the afternoon. We then went to Imperial Lane for lunch and had these amazing gourmet hot dogs. After our day in Auckland we got on the train and went to go pick up our SPACESHIP. The spaceship was going to my our humble abode for the next 3 nights. That night we drove about 3 hours toward Rotoura. We found the most amazing camp sight to stay at that night call Lake Okareka. There were no lights around and it was extremely peaceful. Sara, Hayley and I just laid in the back of our spaceship and gazed at the stars. It was crystal clear. You could see the galaxy so well and we must of seen about 5-6 shooting stars.
That night in the spaceship was very interesting. We couldn't figure out how things worked, we had no water, and we were starving. We all fell asleep and around 1am we all woke up again because it was not comfortable sleeping 3 girls in 1 bed. We rearranged ourselves and ended up sleeping the rest of the night. That next morning we woke up and got dressed. We had to brush our teeth and wash our faces with the lake water. Boy was the interesting! After we were all set we drove to The Lord of the Rings tour outside of Rotoura. That tour was so awesome and so much fun. After that we went to a geothermal activity area. We saw a volcano, craters, and geysers. It was so cool!
After that was over we drove towards Lake Taupo. On our way we saw possibly the most beautilful sunset ever. The sky changed some many colors from blue to orange to yellow. It looked so nice with the moutains silhouetted in the background. We were all speechless. That night we stayed at a more popular camp sight. It had a kitchen, running water, toilets, showers. It was like a castle compared to the first camp sight. When we got there we cooked ourselves some dinner. We had grilled cheese and pasta. (Basically we lived off carbs) After dinner we had some wine and played some cards. We then finally went to bed, but that night it was it freezing. When we woke up the next morning, we finally showered for the first time in a long time. It was by far the best shower I have ever had. After the shower and we headed up the mountains to the skiing lodge located on an active volcano. We had some coffee and sat at the window looking out into the most beautiful scenery. It was so gorgeous and peaceful.
When we all finished our coffee we got back into our spaceship and went into the town of Taupo. Taupo was such a beautiful town. It had the lake in the center and the water was such a pretty blue and green color. We ended up going to Hukka Falls, but before we saw the falls, we ate lunch in our spaceship. Hukka Falls was so pretty. The colors were amazing and it was such a beautiful day out. After we saw the falls and soaked up some sun we went to Lake Taupo Bungy. Bungy jumping was definitely the highlight of the trip.
When we got to a Taupo Bungy we filled out the paperwork and did all the necessary things before hand. After that we got in line and quickly after that we all were ready to jump. I was the first to go. I was so anxious-nervous but super excited at the same time. We could not have picked a better place to jump at. The surrounding area was beautiful and it was over the Lake. Once I was all strapped in and the bungy cord was attached, I wasted no time. The guy counted down from 3 and with no hesitation time at all I jumped when he said "go". I went plummeting downward right into the lake. I got dunked under and went bouncing right back up. It was really an amazing feeling that is indescribable. Once we all got to the bottom we had to walk back up the hill. We viewed our pictures and videos, purchased what we wanted and then headed back to the spaceship.
That night after being in Taupo we drove towards Waitomo. We stayed at this very dodgy camp ground in Te Kuiti. We figured since we were 3 of the 4 girls in the whole camp sight, the only way to get through the night would be to drink. So we ended up going to the bottle shop and got some bottles of wine. We went back, ate dinner, and drank in our spaceship. That was the most fun night that we had on the trip. After finishing 4 bottles of wine and playing every game we could possibly think of we headed off to bed.
The next morning we woke up and went to see the glow worm caves. This cave was so unique. We toured the cave and finished off the tour with a boat ride through the darkest part to see the glow worms all lit up. After that tour was done we were decided instead of heading back to Auckland, we would go to a beach. We found a beach on the way back to Auckland and called Ocean Beach. (Original right?) This beach was stunning. The mountains were in the background, the sun was shinning on the water, and the sand was black. Black sand beaches are something that are unique to New Zealand, and we got to see one. We ate lunch when we go to the beach and set up our spaceship bed. We all laid in the back relaxing and just enjoying our last few hours in the spaceship.
Finally we had to pack up and head back into Auckland. It took about 2 hours to get there and when we did we had to first drop off the spaceship. Once we were done with that we hopped on the train and went back into the city. We checked into our hostel, put our bags down, and went exploring the nighttime in Auckland. We found this really neat bar right on the harbor. There was where we tried 5 different samplings of New Zealand beers. Some of them were very good, while others not so much. At around 10:30 we were exhausted and headed back to our hostel and went to bed shortly after.
The next morning we woke up at about 3:30 and checked out. We had to catch the bus to the airport. While we were waiting for the bus, a taxi came by and offered to drive us. We told him that we did not want to pay $70-$80 like they would normally charge so he gave us the same price it would of been for the bus to take us. Once we got to the airport we had to go through security and border protections. We got on the plane and we all pretty much slept the entire ride home.
When we landed in the Gold Coast, our friend Katie came and picked us up. We all came back, showered and went back to sleep for a few hours. New Zealand was such an amazing trip and a great way to end all the exploring. The scenery was absolutely amazing and breath taking. It was so green and so many rolling hills. I am so thankful that I was able to experience New Zealand. I now understand why it is on so many people's bucket list of places to see.
I can't believe I am heading home! Scary how time goes by so quickly. I can remember clear as day, the first day I arrived in Australia. Wow have things changed. This was the most amazing thing I have done in my life and I hope that I can some day return to Australia, but if I can't, at least I can say I was there.
Well I still have a few hours left in Australia, so I am going to do what Australians do best...DRINK!!! Might as well enjoy the last few hours and go out with a bang!!
Cheers!!
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