Keep Calm and Hobbit On!

Sunday, July 7

I’m home now and it has been wonderful, but in this post I’m going to summarize my New Zealand trip (sorry it’s been so long, but I’ve been so busy)!

Friday, June 21

I had to get up at 4:30am, because my flight to Auckland was at 6:30am.  The flight was 2.5 hours, but Auckland is 2 hours ahead of Sydney, so I didn’t get into Auckland until 11:30am.  I flew with Qantas, and the service and in-flight entertainment were fantastic! I then had to take a bus into Rotorua, the town that I was staying in for the majority of my time in New Zealand.  In the airport, I was struck by how pleasant and helpful everyone was, as there was an “i-site” (information site) that had all sorts of information for tours, transportation, and planning help.  New Zealand certainly knows that they have a beautiful country that people like to visit!  Because of the help at the i-site, I was able to get a bus to Rotorua 3 hours earlier than I had planned.  It was a really great bus ride, particularly as it enabled me to see a lot of the gorgeous country!  Although the country was beautiful (vibrant green and hilly), I did nap on the bus.  Though the temperature in Auckland was nice, I was taken aback when I got to Rotorua, as it was only in the high 40’s because the sun had set.  I had looked at the weather report when I was back in Australia, and I knew it was going to be cold, but it still felt very suprising!
After I got into Rotorua (bus stopped at the Rotorua i-site), I walked to my hotel.  I had found a great deal online, and am so glad I went with the hotel that I did!  I had a living area, mini kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom!  The concierge was very friendly and helpful when I checked in.  As the bus drove in, I had seen a bunch of fast food restaurants, and I wanted something quick for dinner, so I decided to go to KFC for dinner.  Rotorua had even more American restaurants than Australia, but KFC quality was not that great.  The specific town that KFC was in was called Fairy Springs.  It sounds so cute and happy, but was cold and I was not impressed.
Another really great feature of the hotel was the fact that I had as much free wifi as I needed!  It was great to go back to my hotel and be all warm and cozy while doing research for the rest of my trip!  Another bonus (and maybe my favorite) of my hotel was the fact that my bed had an electric blanket; I slept really well!

Saturday:

I slept in for a bit (maybe jet lag) then was able to Skype Amanda and made plans for when I got back.  Always a wonderful way to start the day!

I then walked into the main part of town to explore.  I really enjoyed looking at all of the souvenirs and had fun planning what I was going to buy for people!  I bought and mailed some postcards, then went to Starbucks (yes even in New Zealand) to warm up!

I then headed back to my hotel to be picked up for my Tamaki Maori Village experience. 

It was an amazing experience, as I learned (and experienced) a lot of Maori culture, played a traditional villager game, watched several hakas, traditional dance, songs, and even ate hangi, a feast cooked  in an underground pit.  It was a really wonderful night and experience!

Sunday:

 

I took a walk around a thermal and nature park that was only a 10 minute walk from my hotel.  It was very exciting, as that is part of what Rotorua is known for!  The thermal activity was really neat, but the giant pits filled with boiling mud were a bit scary to stand next to!  I had been warned that the entire town of Rotorua was going to smell like sulphur, but I didn’t have any issues, perhaps because of the colder weather.

I headed back to my hotel to be picked up for my tour of Hobbiton.  I am not a hardcore Lord of the Rings fan, but I wanted to tour something Lord of the Rings because I knew that the movies were filmed in New Zealand.  It was a  nice area and tour, but I thought it was expensive.

Once I got back to Rotorua, I decided to participate in our Lounsbury tradition of Sunday night pizza, and went to Pizza Hut for dinner.  It was just like home!
Once I got back to my hotel I made more plans for the rest of my trip, and my time in Auckland.

Monday:

I woke up to catch a shuttle to Hells Gate (named by George Bernard Shaw) Geothermal Park and Spa for the geothermal park walk and then mud pools and sulphur pool.  The walk was really neat and reminded me of  “when dinosaurs roamed the earth.”  This was the only time that I really noticed a strong smell of sulphur.  In addition to hot springs, mud pools, and streams, there was a bit of a walk through a forest, and it was really pretty.  After the geothermal park walk, I headed to the Spa for my time in a mud spa and sulphur pool.  I loved the mud bath, but the sulphur irritated my eyes and ended up tarnishing some of my jewelery (even though I waited over 24 hours to put it back on).   After leftover pizza for lunch I went shopping in town.

Tuesday:

 

I got up and had breakfast at my hotel, then packed up.  It was very difficult to fit everything in, as I had no checked bag, but I did make it work! (I would like to point out that throughout this trip I had 4 different people comment on my lack of luggage, certainly a first!)  I caught my bus to Auckland and then walked to my hotel.  This hotel was not good and probably the worst thing about my trip. 

Wednesday:

I woke up and packed everything so that I could walk to a park, One Tree Hill. This park was the inspiration for a song and television show.  I then headed back to my hotel for a shuttle to the airport.  I once again had excellent service on Qantas!

Overall, I fell in love with New Zealand, and cannot wait to go back again! Many people have told me that the South Island is prettier than the North Island, but that would be very difficult to beat!   The google pictures of New Zealand do not do justice to the country!  I had an unbelievable time, and really am so glad that my final exam schedule worked out so that I could go experience New Zealand.

Until Later,

Kaitlyn