Travel Story «The Roadtrip Begins»

New Zealand | 0 Comments 26 November 2006 - Last Update 29 January 2007

 So early Sunday morning with our luggage in tow we checked out of hostel and packed up on passion wagon! Well no quite so much passion there is alot of love in the car though, i would like to say it was like Thelma and Louise but it is more like if they didn't jump off the cliff and went back to husbands and had a kid each! We take role turns you know,when are we stopping again, change radio station, are ye listening in the back the usual family car trip.
Anyway we decided to head north to the very tip of the north island, it was a good bit of driving but we didn't mind as we had freedom of the car. So we headed for Kiata and checked in there for the night didn't do much there except eat and sleep. The next day we headed for Cape Regina and the furthers northerly point of New Zealand have to say was pretty nice. Also it is were the Maoris believe the gateway to the underworld is situated under a tree on the coast have to say though it was a pretty small tree ( Ok we are not really sure if we had the right one but still these things need to be signposted!). So after here we headed back down along 90 mile beach now because we had regular vehile we couldn’t do beach driving but just stopped off it was pretty long but rumour has it its not quiet 90 miles! We stopped for lunch at sprits bay which was a lovely beach if the weather had been a little nicer seriously its out of the way, camp ground near by and the sea meets the mountains really beautiful. After this we headed for Paihia in the bay of Islands fab views on the way down. Seriously the driver has it the worst here as the scenery is great on every journey you would get no where if we stopped every time we saw a nice landscape view it is such a beautiful country. 

So just before we got to Paihia we stopped off at Whaitangi where the famous treaty by the same name was signed between the English government and the Maori chiefs. The park where it was signed was lovely located. The intro video was a little biased I have to say but we got the main background points. Felt like this was a must do as since we have been here they have set a date 30 of September 2008 when by all grievances with the treaty need to be flied by Maoris so it is a huge part of the countries past and present history. The town itself was lovely little up market for the regular backpacker but the bay itself was lovely and a house on one of the islands with swimming pool boat access and amazing views will only set you back $500,000 which is about 250,000 euro! Bargain. So we ate and cruised around town for the evening.

Then we felt nature call us so we headed for Waitomo our pronunciation of which lead Kiwis to believe we were making up places. Anyway checked into fab hostel there is literally a one-horse town it had a pub and one shop that was also the post office ahh it was just like home! So why Waitomo you may ask? Well to do caving silly. Ok friends and family I know we may not be the most adventurous type at home but there is something in the air in New Zealand that makes you do the strangest things like pay money to go into a cave with a rubber tube (Basically inside of tractor tyre) in the dark to look at insects that live down there!!!!!! Ok we it was actually great fun and not scary at all. We suited up which was a work out in itself as the guides give ladies small suits so that they will come back out in their swim wear and get bigger ones. But us being us said no and thought it a compliment that we got these small suits so beat ourselves into them. We then got our fab helmets with lights and posed for photos then hoped into a bus. We went and picked up our rings and tested them out to see if the fit correctly and practiced jumping backwards into the ring. After that we were set so back into bus and went to the spot to enter cave. Now I was doing ok on nerves front etc apart from when we thought we have to jump off a 6ft jump into water until we got to where we had to get into the cave I excepted a nice paved entrance with maybe steps is that to much to ask? We obviously yes in New Zealand our entrance was little more that a hole in the ground seriously didn’t think I would fit, but I did. Once inside they decided to do the introductions why not out in the sun I will never know after that we were away. The lights on helmets were good but you had to take it slow as couldn’t see where you were stepping and had to watch out for stalitighits on the roof. There was no falls thank god bit of a record considering my own falling history. So we walked of caved and then did little bits in the tubes, we jumped backwards off tow water falls don’t ask me the height as it was dark but would say as big as a house!!!! (Maybe a hobbits house). Then we formed a eel where we held onto each others tubes and cruised along. We turned off the lights and looked up and seriously it was so cool it was like looking at the Milky Way on a really clear night all these little green specks on the roof. They are what they call glow worms they are really the Lavre stage of a type of fly. It was so cool. We had to walk and other bit after this main tunnel and then we tubed on down to the exit and saw loads more glow worms. Then back to the base where we thought our hands would fall off from the cold but after a shower and soup and bagels we were half back to normal! Waitomo though a very small place was one trip that is not to be missed was on of the most amazing things I have seen so far. After our day we were pretty tired so after a bottle of wine and some cards we hit the sack and then on to Rotoura......
Lorna