So here is my sincerest apology for not putting up this post earlier. A lot of the time, when I'm sitting at my desk at work with absolutely nothing to do, I still have zero motivation to write anything for my blog - especially tackling an entry as large and daunting as this. This is why it has taken me nearly two months after returning from New Zealand to write about it. Anyway I'm here now, wish me luck, please enjoy, here goes...
So being in Japan on the JET programme means you get to make friends with people from all over the world. Happily for me, that included a couple of awesome people from New Zealand. When they mentioned to us that we should go out to visit them this Christmas (as they left the JET programme last summer) after being initially surprised, we knew that we couldn't resist this generous invitation, so we found ourselves booking plane tickets in August and started planning our journey for the next few months.
December 25th was the day on which we started our long journey. I will spare you the details as I know this isn't the most interesting part of the trip, but it consisted of a 3 hour bus to the airport, a 4 hour plane to our 7 hour stopover in Guangzhou, China, and then an 11 hour plane journey (which I managed to sleep for about 5 of them) before arrive in Auckland, NZ on the evening of the 26th where we were met at the airport by Ashleigh, thankfully! We were then driven back to her apartment (which was amazing!) where we could shower and relax and start to resemble human beings again. Matt, Luke and Natasha then came round with pizza and we all sat around catching up and retelling moments of our travel adventure. Anthony soon turned up with his mum and we spent the remainder of the evening playing Articulate and enjoying each others company before we all crashed into bed.
As there are quite a few of us involved in this trip I'll give you a brief overview so that you get some sort of sense as to what was going on and who was visiting who.
So to start, this is Ashleigh and Anthony - the friends who we were initially visiting. They worked in Japan last year so I got to know them then. They came back to New Zealand in the Summer and have been living in Auckland ever since.
This is Matt King - he was also on JET last year but instead of going back home to Australia he is now living with Luke in Auckland as well.
This is Luke - I didn't have the chance of meeting Luke before New Zealand as he left the year before I arrived, but obviously Ash, Ant, Matt King and also Natasha knew and were friends with him, so it was nice for me to get to meet him when we were out there.
Ok so the people I was travelling from Japan with were:
Natasha (Canada) - Being on the JET programme longer than any of the other people travelling, she knew everyone a lot better so actually flew out to New Zealand a little before the rest of us so she had more time catching up with Matt, Luke and everyone.
Danielle (America) - 2nd year ALT just like me.
Broc (America) - 2nd year private ALT
Todd (America) - 2nd year ALT and happens to be my boyfriend (just so you know)
Lovely.
Ok back to the trip.
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| Lunch on the terrace! |
We were then straight away treated to a fantastic lunch of home-made fish soup, ham, cheese and (what I was most excited about) beetroot!
After lunch Todd and I went for a walk up and down the beach, gathering shells along the way. The only disappointment to the day was the weather as it was still cloudy and a bit chilly so didn’t really encourage us to go for a swim! The rest of the day was spent relaxing round the house, playing games, me watching whilst everyone else got a game of tennis in, and playing scattegories.
Then for dinner we were once again spoilt with sausages and lamb, chicken, pork, salad and new potatoes. Good lord it was delicious and reminded me just how much I missed being spoilt at home with a wonderful dinner cooked for me by mother! Sigh. We started to watch a movie to finish off the night but by that point I was ready for bed, and the others joined me as soon as the movie was done. The only downside I found to New Zealand?! The annoying mosquitos that we had forgotten about during the cold winter in Japan. I woke up with a few too many bites on me the next morning!
So because of my bad night sleep due to the mosquitos waiting until I was almost asleep before coming up and buzzing around my ears, I had a fairly late start to the next day. I started the day well however with a couple of bowls of delicious cereal (god I’ve missed good cereal!). It was quite sunny so I went out to sit on the decking for a bit. The others decided to have another round of tennis but halfway through the sun came out properly for the first time since we had landed in NZ so we quickly dropped the rackets and donned our swimming stuff and headed straight down to the sea for a bit of a swim.
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| Time for a swim.. could do with less clouds though... |
It was very refreshing as it was pretty cold so I didn’t stay long in the water, instead opting to have a quick shower and joining Ashleigh as she went to the supermarket. Oh the excitement of going into a ‘proper’ supermarket again! I was assaulted with the sights, sounds and smells of supermarkets back home, and I wasted no time in heading down the confectionary isle to the chocolate section! Bliss. So at my trip I stocked up on some of the basics – toothpaste, deodorant and (of course) chocolate! When we got back to the house we thought it was time to start our tourist sightseeing, so we decided to spend the afternoon visiting one of Waiheke Island’s numerous wineries for a spot of wine tasting! We went to the winery that Ashleigh had worked at over the summer, and were not disappointed by her recommendation. It was wonderful! As Broc and I aren’t very keen on red wine we went for the white set (5 whites for $10!).
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| The nice man gave me and Broc an extra glass for free! |
A nice bubbly to start and we even managed to slip in a cheeky glass of rosé after our tasting was finished because the guy serving us was awesome! We bought a bottle of bubbly to share amongst everyone and a couple of bottles for our wonderful hosts (as they were letting us stay at their house for free it was the least we could do!) It was a great system as well because Natasha, Todd and Dani had gone for the mixture of tasting red and white wines so they chose their favourite from their selection and Broc and I chose our favourite from ours. After having one glass of wine afterwards, whilst sitting outside and enjoying the view, we headed up the hill behind the building to take photos of the beautiful surroundings.
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| Everyone enjoyed another glass of their favourite wine |
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| Taking pictures of the view with a difference.. |
Then back to the house for a relax before getting fish and chips for dinner (pure bliss) then a walk on the beach to let our food go down before heading inside for a game of poker (which Todd won) before bed. Seriously - this is the life.
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| Winning hand! |
The next day we were woken up at 9:30 to Matt King saying how it was a beautiful day and they were going swimming. Feeling guilty about staying in bed if it was so nice outside, I got up and slathered myself in sun cream ready to head into the sea… then I got outside and realized it was still in the morning warming up stage so I grabbed my book and a bowl of cereal and headed out onto the veranda for a nice morning read in the sun.
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| Great view for breakfast time! |
After an hour or two, the sun had warmed enough and me and Todd headed for a swim. We had a bit of a heart-stopping moment when I realized I still had my ring on so Todd said he would take it back to the house, tried to take it from me, and proceeded to drop it into the sea!! Panic!! Luckily he kept a cool head and managed to spot it glinting on the sand. I praised NZ’s beautiful beaches and clear water as we could look straight down into the sea and see the bottom. Nothing like the sea at home where you would be lucky to see anything in the water – let alone the pure white sand at the bottom. After swimming we decided to squeeze 6 of us in a car to head for some more wine tasting. It wasn’t as good as the day before and there was one wine I tried which I pretty much hated! But, it was nice to see somewhere new and we got some comfy seats so it was nice to chill for a bit outside, enjoying each other’s company.
We then decided to drive around the island, taking in some of the more spectacular views on the way, before making our way back to the house via the supermarket again (Brunch bars and more chocolate for me!). Dinner was hotdogs off the grill before more games and a movie, then bed.
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| More awesome views |
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| Enjoying the previously bought bubbly! |
Good things can’t last forever and this was proved to us when we woke up the next day to another overcast day and the knowledge that we had to leave our private paradise to head back to Auckland. After saying our numerous goodbyes and thank yous, we got the ferry back to the mainland where we perked ourselves up a little with a spot of Mexican for lunch.
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| yummy!! |
We then headed back up the hill, going in and out of many touristy shops, heading back to the apartment. Everyone else went to an art gallery but I continued up the hill, not willing to stop. I was very hot and bothered by the time I got back to the apartment (it may have been cloudy, but it was still very warm!) so it was nice having a bit of time to myself to cool down, shower, pack and then relax before the others got back. Then for dinner we headed to the Fox Ale House for some fantastic beef and ale pot pie filled with great big tender pieces of beef – delicious! Then back up the hill once again to the apartment and bed.
The next day (New Year’s Eve) saw us up early again waiting for Ash and Ant to come back to the apartment before packing up the car and starting our drive towards Coromandel for the music festival we were going to to celebrate the New Year. We got their after a long drive and found a spot to pitch our tents (yes, we would be camping!) we weren’t there in time to see the first band perform (a shame as I was really looking forward to seeing them!) however, luckily the campsite was so near the stage that even though we couldn’t see the band, we could sit and drink at our tents whilst listening to them, so it wasn’t too bad.
After relaxing around the tent, chatting and listening to the music, we decided to head into the stage area to see some of the bands. It was a fantastic set-up in the fact that the stage was placed at the bottom of a hill, which was great for me as I find the worst part of festivals is being pushed and shoved in a crowd where I can’t see anything. This way we were able to pick a spot on the slope and I could see everything.
New Year’s countdown was fun as it ended up being just the two couples on the hill left to celebrate as everyone else was in the crowd dancing.
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| Almost there... |
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| ...anticipation building... |
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| We made it!!! |
We went to the tent straight after because it was cold but couldn’t sleep much as the people in the tent behind us talking the entire night!! So frustrating! Celebrating New Year in New Zealand was fantastic and definitely the best New Year’s Eve I have ever had. The main reason why? Because it was warm! It was a complete novelty being able to sit outside listening to music for the entire day and was such a contrast from being freezing cold at home, wishing I could feel my fingers as I watched the many fireworks go off. Seriously fantastic being able to enjoy New Year for the first time because I was warm!
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| Starting the walk |
So after a horrible, not really, night’s sleep we got ourselves up at 7:30 ready for a packed day. First stop: Cathedral Cove. Now this is the way to cure a New Year’s Day hangover. We had a 40 minute walk along a beautiful winding path down to an absolutely stunning cove at the bottom. White, soft sand and fantastically clear water met us at the bottom with a natural pathway through a giant cliff rock that led to an equally beautiful beach with an enormous rock standing alone at the edge of the beach. The best part about getting up so early was that, for a while at least, we had the entire place pretty much to ourselves. The boys at once went swimming whilst I took a little paddle, feeling my hangover wash away from me. I can’t describe the sense of complete contentment and happiness I felt at being in this beautiful place and I know that my photos don’t really do it justice. However, aided by the fact of the stunning bluebird skies we were treated with, I think this is the most incredibly beautiful place I have ever seen and I was loathed to leave it when we had to go.
We then headed to the hot water beach – a beach that, when the tide is right, you can dig a hole in the sand and find you our natural hot spring! However, we arrived at the wrong tide which was a little disappointing as we couldn’t get the hot water experience. However, we were in a little bit of a rush at this point so it wasn’t too frustrating. Next up was our drive down to Mata Mata, our destination – Hobbiton.
Actually, we got there a little late and were panicked that we wouldn’t have enough time to do a tour, but we managed to squeeze into one and it was fantastic. Hobbiton, for those who don’t know, is a creation of J.R.R. Tolkien in his book, The Hobbit (and afterwards the Lord of the Rings series.) These books have all been adapted into movies that were all filmed in New Zealand, so it was important for me (as a big Lord of the Rings fan) to go to this movie set to see Hobbiton. It was so much fun. They had 30%, 90% and 100% models of the ‘hobbit holes’ (houses) and our guide was clearly a massive fan of the series too as she gave us lots of very interesting information all the way round the tour. I was worried at first because it was so busy, I thought that we would feel rushed. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that we were given plenty of time for photo opportunities and the tour ended with a stop at the Green Dragon pub where we had our choice of a free drink! Totally unexpected but brilliant!
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| Very excited at this point! |
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| Perfect size! |
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| Crossing the bridge to the Green Dragon |
We were extremely lucky actually. After the filming of the Lord of the Rings movies, Hobbiton was actually taken apart with only shadows of its former glory left behind as reminders. However, the set was rebuilt for The Hobbit and afterwards everything was left as it was filmed. The Green Dragon had only been open around a month before we arrived so we got the full experience without even realizing how lucky we were! The sun was shining and everyone was in a good mood, so this has to be one of my favourite memories from the trip.
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| Enjoying the complimentary drink |
After Hobbiton, it was then a frantic drive down to Rotorua for our final planned activity of the day – a Maori dinner and show. It was great! I was worried as I thought it might be a bit touristy and gimmicky, but actually it felt really authentic and the people there were clearly very proud of their traditions and enjoyed showing them off to the tourists. The show they put on was a spectacle to see and incredibly interesting – if not a little intimidating at times. They showed us some traditional weapons, instruments, clothing and songs and dances. Finishing off with the intimidating but awe-inspiring Haka!
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| Coming in on their hand made canoe. |
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| Peace giving ceremony |
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| Me with the chief... very scared right now! |
After the show we were then treated to a fantastic dinner – a traditional Hangi. Lamb, chicken, potatoes and sweet potatoes cooked underground using steam from incredibly hot stones. Added to this we were served many extras and could help ourselves to this buffet type meal. I definitely over-ate, but simply couldn’t help myself as everything was so delicious. The lamb was the most succulent and tender I had ever eaten! It was a great night and well worth the money – even if I did feel a little sick by being so incredibly full afterwards!
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| Our dinner being cooked by hot stones |
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| So much yumminess! |
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| First shot of the group ready to go! |
Ok, so the next day we were up early again to get to Waitomo in time for our glow worm cave tubing adventure! It was great fun, if not a little cold, and our tour guides were fun and informative. We started the trip finding the right tube for our size (and getting some lovely photos of us doing it) practicing jumping backwards off a ledge into the water on our tubes, before heading down into the cave ready to find some glow worms.
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| Finding the right size... |
My overall impression of glow worms was that they don’t look real! They looked like someone had stuck LED lights to the roof of the cave. It was fantastic just floating along on our tubes, looking up at these beautiful lights which shone in the dark light stars at night time.
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| Down in the cave |
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| Very comfy, a little cold. |
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| We made it! |
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| A promotional photo, but you get the idea. Everything was pitch black apart from the glow worms though. |
After finishing and warming up over some bagels and soup, it was back up to Auckland and a quick change before heading down to a bay to eat fish and (sweet potato) chips (Yum!) as a goodbye to the North Island friends. Then it was back to the apartment to pack and do any last minute laundry, ready for our next week of adventures down in the South Island!
Phew! So what a week! Once I got over the fact that we would be spending the first part of it chilling out, I came to appreciate that I should enjoy that part whilst it lasted as, from that point onwards, things would be pretty non-stop. The last few days up in the North Island were incredibly fun and exciting and it made me even more pumped to check out whatever the South Island had to offer. So without further ado…
So because of my bad night sleep due to the mosquitos waiting until I was almost asleep before coming up and buzzing around my ears, I had a fairly late start to the next day. I started the day well however with a couple of bowls of delicious cereal (god I’ve missed good cereal!). It was quite sunny so I went out to sit on the decking for a bit. The others decided to have another round of tennis but halfway through the sun came out properly for the first time since we had landed in NZ so we quickly dropped the rackets and donned our swimming stuff and headed straight down to the sea for a bit of a swim. 
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