WOO today Sarah and I set our alarms to wake up early! We had a big day ahead of us going wine tasting in Napier. First things first, we had a light breakfast in the hostel kitchen then bought some much needed coffee at the nearby coffee shop. We needed to stop for gas right away but afterwards we were ready to begin our journey to the Hawkes Bay region. The drive to Napier was 2 hours and holy mackerel was is gorgeous. Green covered rolling hills, jagged mountain ranges, luscious pastures with various livestock, vast forests filled with foreign looking trees… pretty much every single cool view you can think of was somewhere along this drive.
Today was the perfect day weather wise to go wine tasting. Sarah had researched a company that has bike rentals between the wineries so the first thing we did was pick up our bikes. It was around 11am when we arrived and we did not need to return the bikes until 6pm so we had the full day ahead of us to complete the 32 kilometer (20 miles) loop to three vineyards.The biking was an absolute BLAST! Despite getting lost a couple times we managed to navigate ourselves around Hawkes bay, through wetlands areas, and through the city to complete our wine tour! The first place we went to was more of a wine bar than a winery, but they still made wine on the premises. We spent a solid two hours chatting with the bartender Gaston about the different types of wines and fermentation vessels. Sarah and I spent the rest of the time talking about everything under the sun hahahaha.
The next winery we went to was a bit further down the wine trail but completely worth it. Mission Bay wines is located on a beautiful plot of land. So beautiful in fact that someone decided to have their wedding on a Tuesday afternoon. Sarah and I rolled up looking like sweat messes to this wine tasting room, surrounded by guests to an art deco themed wedding. It was hilarious. We still had a great time trying 6 different wines, and receiving a complimentary wine glass! The bartender Hugh made sure we were well attended and we made sure that he was always entertained. We spent another two hours here! By the time we were done the third winery we were supposed to go to had already closed! PLUS since it was already 5:00 we had to hustle it back to return the bikes to the rental store. Luckily we made it on time. After returning the bikes we had supper at one of the local Irish pubs. It really hit the spot before the drive back to Taupo.
DAY 5-
I woke up early and had breakfast with Sarah! Today I was leaving Taupo and was spending the night in Rotorua (about an hour north). Breakfast was good… and I got to say bye </3 The drive itself was awesome! I stopped at a few places along the way to take in the sights including Waiotapu Thermal Park. This park is an amazing conglomeration of naturally occurring thermal pools. The pools range in size, smell, shape, color, and heat… and all of them are amazing!I spent a solid two hours walking through and taking pictures so I hope you’re ready to look at all of those.
Eventually I made my way to the car and started to drive to Rotorua when…. All of a sudden I see a few of the people from the hostel in Taupo on the side of the road! Turns out that they were there to enjoy the hot springs. WHAT A WEIRD/COOL COINCIDENCE! I chatted with them and hung out in the hot springs for another couple hours before leaving.
The rest of the drive to Rotorua was uneventful. I checked in to the hostel, talked to the nicest bartender ever, chatted with a couple women who lived in Rotorua, then went to bed for an early night. Although the hostel I was staying at had a reputation as a party hostel I managed to pass out quickly.