Auckland, Waitomo, and Taupo!

After a slow start to the day (THANKS JETLAG) I rolled out of bed and drove to One Tree Hill- a dormant volcano with hiking paths and a Maori monument. I spent the next few hours reading about the historic significance of the site and exploring the various paths. Also… there were sheep literally everywhere in this park. Just roaming around the fields and streets… Check out the pictures of this awesome place to see exactly what I mean. The monument is an obelisk perched on top of the volcano. The rolling hills surrounding the monument are lush and full of wild life, and the top of the volcano gives you an excellent view of the city and surrounding bays. Overall you should check out the photos because I cannot do One Tree Hill justice with words alone.

After driving back to the Airbnb I put on some comfy clothes and started the trek to downtown. I had to be at the piers in downtown by 3pm to catch a sailboat excursion and walking gave me the best opportunity to get a better feel for the city. I passed bustling shops filled with foods, clothes, and everything you’d expect from a major metropolitan area. After the hour long walk, and purchasing sunscreen, I finally made it to the docks! The tour was AMAZING! The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The other tourists on the boat were also awesome. One couple who were with their friends from Taiwan even took me under their wing and explained how the boat worked, pointed out important sights on the shore, held my hand when I almost fell over, and took plenty of pictures. Everyone was supportive even though it was my first time on a sailboat, and thought it was hilarious that I asked (apparently simple) questions. We saw plenty of other water crafts in the bay, learned about the Maori language, and got to see a LIVE SEA LION that was sunbathing on a dock. This experience was one that I will never forget.

I took a different route back to the Airbnb than the one I took before and got to stroll through a few parks. After the tedious climb back I took a much needed shower, and and took the night to relax and catch up on sleep.

 

DAY 3

 

I woke up after a WONDERFUL sleep and packed up all of my belongings. I needed to be in Taupo by tonight and had the day to explore more. I decided to visit the glow worm caves and Marokopa falls. First up was the glow worm caves. After a 2.5 hour drive from Auckland I finally arrived in the bustling tourist town of Waitomo. This destination is among the top ten sights to see in the country, and you could easily see it was going to be busy with tourists. I booked a tour for 1:15 and waited for the tour guide. Turns out the caves were discovered by a local Maori Chief, Tane Tinorau, back in 1887. Even now, the majority of the employees working for the cave system are direct decedents of the chief. The glow worm is native only to New Zealand and look like giant clear/phosphorescent maggots. They create plenty of clear strings that hang down from the ceiling in order to trap mosquitoes and other cave insects. Once an insect is trapped, the worm reels in its catch and eats it. Turns out these bugs are in the larvae form for about 10 months before turning into flies. The flies only live for roughly 4 days… so they have to be very efficient in propagating their lineage. You can check out http://www.waitomo.com/Waitomo-Glowworm-Caves/Pages/default.aspx if you want to learn more about the history of the caves, or glow worms! Sadly I was not allowed to take pictures inside of the cave but trust me, the caves were AMAZING.

After the caves I drove another 30 minutes to the Marokopa waterfall. WOOOWWWW this waterfall is gorgeously nestled into the side of the cliff. Please look at the picture of this natural beauty. I didn’t spend very long at the waterfall because I had to meet a friend from school in Taupo! The drive to Taupo from the falls was about 2.5 hours. At this point I am starting to get good at driving on the left side of the road. The foothills and mountains also provide additional challenge for the roads and those don’t bother me anymore either. I might become a professional driver after this trip. NBD.

Taupo itself is a beautiful city that is tucked on the crutch where Lake Taupo meets the Waikato River. There is a walking/biking path that follows the shore lines, and bustling restaurants that line the downtown. The marina is filled with fishing vessels, pleasure crafts, and rowdy sailboats… everything that anyone could ever want to use. I arrived in Taupo around 5:30pm and had some time to kill before my friend Sarah would be back from her day trip. I took a jaunt through the town and took in some of the sights then chatted to my fellow roommates for a bit until she got back. IT IS SO NICE TO SEE HER AGAIN! She and her cousin moved to Taupo several months ago and they are both working full time in the area. Sarah and I went to school together at RPI so it was long overdue that we catch up! She introduced me to her friends at the hostel and we all grabbed a late dinner in downtown Taupo at a restaurant called Dixie Browns . After dinner we were all exhausted enough to fall asleep immediately.