Hello Everyone! It's been a while since I last posted. I'm now back at home in Vancouver and just celebrated Christmas with my family this past week and am getting ready for a low key New Years Eve tonight.
Alright, so back to this travel blogging business! My 2nd to last stop before coming back to Canada was New Zealand. I had been here before in 2006 but only had just enough time to explore around the North Island. This time I planned on revisiting some of the North Island but mainly focusing on the even more beautiful South Island.
When I arrived in New Zealand, I stayed with my uncle, aunt and cousins in Auckland for a few days. Aside from being fed some delicious food, it also gave me some time to try to adapt to the cooler New Zealand weather. When I say "cool", I mean 20C. Sure, this might seem warm to some of you, especially my fellow Canadians who were preparing for the winter season, but I had just come from warm & sunny Australia and I was freezing cold. I wore as many layers as possible and still, I would feel a chill from the breeze outdoors that would make me shiver. Brr!
The day prior to leaving on my Kiwi Experience adventure, I came down with my first bout of a stomach related illness. Let's just say I spent about 12 hours with my head glued to the porcelin bowel and my innards hurt with every movement from the constant vomitting. Looking on the bright side, it only lasted for a day. While I still felt nausea for a few days afterwards, the vomitting had completely subsided and I felt good enough to embark on my Kiwi Experience adventure and participate in all the activities. I just didn't eat much!
Our first stop on the Kiwi Experience was the Coromandel Peninsula which is renowned for its secluded beaches and untouched native forest. Along the peninsula, there was a beautiful coastal hike that leads to Cathedral Cove. At the Cove, I was surrounded by white sand, crystal clear water and the archway from which the cove gets its name. After our nice walk to the Cove, we headed to Hot Water Beach at 4pm (when the tide was out), so that we could dig our own pool in the sand and have it filled with hot water generated from the geothermic activity below. Boy, was that water piping hot!! We had to be sure to mix it with some sea water to cool it down otherwise we'd burn ourselves.
Here are some photos:
Alright, so back to this travel blogging business! My 2nd to last stop before coming back to Canada was New Zealand. I had been here before in 2006 but only had just enough time to explore around the North Island. This time I planned on revisiting some of the North Island but mainly focusing on the even more beautiful South Island.
When I arrived in New Zealand, I stayed with my uncle, aunt and cousins in Auckland for a few days. Aside from being fed some delicious food, it also gave me some time to try to adapt to the cooler New Zealand weather. When I say "cool", I mean 20C. Sure, this might seem warm to some of you, especially my fellow Canadians who were preparing for the winter season, but I had just come from warm & sunny Australia and I was freezing cold. I wore as many layers as possible and still, I would feel a chill from the breeze outdoors that would make me shiver. Brr!
The day prior to leaving on my Kiwi Experience adventure, I came down with my first bout of a stomach related illness. Let's just say I spent about 12 hours with my head glued to the porcelin bowel and my innards hurt with every movement from the constant vomitting. Looking on the bright side, it only lasted for a day. While I still felt nausea for a few days afterwards, the vomitting had completely subsided and I felt good enough to embark on my Kiwi Experience adventure and participate in all the activities. I just didn't eat much!
Our first stop on the Kiwi Experience was the Coromandel Peninsula which is renowned for its secluded beaches and untouched native forest. Along the peninsula, there was a beautiful coastal hike that leads to Cathedral Cove. At the Cove, I was surrounded by white sand, crystal clear water and the archway from which the cove gets its name. After our nice walk to the Cove, we headed to Hot Water Beach at 4pm (when the tide was out), so that we could dig our own pool in the sand and have it filled with hot water generated from the geothermic activity below. Boy, was that water piping hot!! We had to be sure to mix it with some sea water to cool it down otherwise we'd burn ourselves.
Here are some photos:
The beginning of the walk at Cathedral Cove
Coastal Cove walk
Here's the view once you arrive at Cathedral Cove
Cathedral Cove
Hot Water Beach
Digging a hot water pool at Hot Water Beach
Hot Water Beach is a popular area during low tide...look at all the diggers
After Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach, I went on a short hike called Karangahake Gorge Historic Walkway. Here are some photos from the scenic hike:
The next stop on the North Island was Rotorua (aka Sulpher City). Rotorua got its nickname of Sulpher City from the amount of geothermic activity that is actively happening in the city. Plus, the town stinks of sulpher! In Rotorua, you will see steam coming from under the streets through storm drains, you'll see boiling mud pools and you might catch the occassional geyser. There are also hot springs which you can relax in that are free (just requires a nice walk to get there).
The last time I was in Rotorua, I went to the Tamaki Maori Village for an awesome cultural show plus hangi (a method where they cook the food under the ground....delicious) and went to the Wai-O-Tapu thermal reserves (amazing!!!!). My biggest regret though, was not going to the Polynesian Spa which time and time again has been rated one of the WORLD's top 10 spa's. This time, while everyone else went to the Tamaki Maori Village, I went to the spa for a few hours of uninterrupted bliss.
I started off by relaxing in the thermal hot pools which overlook Lake Rotorua. As recommended, I started in the coolest pool (36C) and worked my way up to the hottest pool (42C). By the time I was done, my fingers and toes had wrinkled, my skin smelled of sulpher (but ohhh was it smooth as ever), and I found it difficult to breathe with all the steam in my face. I was ready for my spa treatment - a Rotorua Mud Body Polish/Aix combo which finished off with an organic coconut oil full body massage - heaven on earth! This was the best spa treatment I've ever had. If you are planning a trip to New Zealand and you like going to the spa and treating yourself every now and again, GO to the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua.
One of the thermal Lake Pools that overlook Lake Rotorua at the spa :)
While in Rotorua, I also checked out Te Puia, which is a New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Centre. This is a great place to learn about the Maori culture, check out some of the local crafts and witness geotheric activity including active geyers. Here are some photos:
Finished product
Wood carving
Boiling mud
Geothermic activity - so cool (actually, it's quite warm - LOL)
Active geyer
On the North Island, I also went to Waitomo (glow worm caves), Taupo, River Valley and Wellington. Waitomo - there is nothing there except the glow worm caves. I saw them in 2006 and just went for a nice hike instead this time around. Taupo - beautiful lake and a great place to relax, but not much else to do except for skydiving. One of the cheapest spots in the world to skydive! River Valley - I don't want to talk about it. The photo below will captures my sentiment:
The only good thing about River Valley is that we left it and on our way out, we went on this walk called the Tawhai Falls Walk in which Mount Doom (for those of you who watched Lord of the Rings) was clearly visible. Note: The real name of the mountain is Mount Ngauruhoe. Here are some pics:
As for Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, it was so cold, windy and rainy when I was there, so I basically hibernated indoors or under the bus shelter with my friends Wendy & Becky to tap into the free city wi-fi.
Well, that about sums it up for the North Island! Next post - South Island.
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