13th November 2006

Well I have finally decided to write another email to you as well I climbed up Mount Cargill for spectacular views of the penninsula around Dunedin (look it up, a clue its in New Zealand) but the cloud was covering too fast so I parked the car in the hostel car park and wandered into the scottish city of New Zealand (yes really) and walked into Mcdonalds Cyber Cafe, Big mac and email there is a novelty. Actually its also a McCafe as well where they are doing lattes and muffins, the big macs are further down. There is no end of their ways to make money.
So thats that then. Here I am in Dunedin, South Island New Zealand, its late Sunday night for you and midday here on a blustery 20 degree kind of a day.
I have travelled many kilometres across NZ and to be fair, it can be all same same, but the South Island is all its cracked up to be, sheep, mountains, tourquoise blue lakes and penguins, but that will have to wait for another day, let me tell you about the rest of my trip south and all my most excellent adventures.
Before I start, is there anyone out there wanting to make money, as I feel some of my photos are good enough to sell so if you want a 30 -40% cut and do all the work ie framing and selling, I will do the other bit of travelling and taking photos and having to cope with all the stress that will bring me. Open to offers......

So after a very long 8 hour trip from the northlands to the small port of Whatagai on the bay of plenty we crash out at the Cats Pyjamas lodge, nice and quiet, not far from the town centre and 2 mins to the coast. I think that is where I sent you my last email and that was a long time ago so that means this will be a long one, so I best get on with it!!!!

I had my first bath on Halloween actually. My first bath was in the sand at hot water beach. Hot water beach is a curious place. It is a surfing beach mainly but at low tide you can dig a hole in the sand where the sand is hot to feel and then lie in hot water bubbling up from the ground. Getting there for 7.45 we are not alone but the beach is empty. Sinking into the water was amazing, with the pacific crashing 5 metres away and you just lying there warming from nature. Eventually I dash into the cold sea and swim and then plunge back into the pool to warm up before we leave. A great way to start the day. We then crack on for 5 hours across the bay of Plenty and through town and village to get to our next stop Whakatane. This is like the last place but worse as no decent bars but we are there only to go to white island. So we find a hostel, eat and then wander around the coast and the bay and eventually get to Ohope beach where you can surf, the sand is black and the waves crashing in at about 3 metres. It was a lovely beach.
November 1 was beautiful cloudless day and when you eventually see the photos you will agree and a great day to visit an active volcano that is White Island. White Island is 2 hours in a boat each way so we had a lovely journey out especially as to add to the sea mammal list Whales were sighted and photographed, not sure which kind, but whales never the less and that was purley spectacular, we followed them for about 30 mins before getting to the Volcano.
We have to wear a yellow hard hat and are equipped with gas mask to visit this volcano as it is active, constantly bubbling and shaking so it does not get any more real than this. We have to go by dinghy to get to the landing post which is an old pier built by sulpur miners in the 30's. One on the island and wearing all the warm weather clothes I have as it is cold and hot at the same time, we get the safety speech. In the event of a landslide get to higher ground, in the event of an earthquake stay still, in the event of an eruption get to somewhere to hide behind and hope the rocks miss you! and in the event of a sulphuric/hydrochloric gas attack, death mainly so that was nice.
We wander in and well for all those who have been in live volcanoes before then you know what I am talking about. WOW. Steaming vents, sulphur holes, the strangest coloured rocks, streams, waters, reds, blues, oranges, greens, blacks, blues. Red hot steam billowing out, poisonous gasses, acid streams, craters, holes, mud and sheer cliffs all around the crater. A feast for the eyes, which meant and I mean no offense Japanese Tourist moment as I take about 200 photos of the place (edit them out to about 199) and just generally be amazed by the whiole thing. We stay on the volcano for about 2 hours and then leave for the journey back. I should point out that the smell also smelt like a room full of rugby players after a good curry due to the hydrogen sulphide smell (rotten eggs) but you get used to it.
We get back to Whakatane get the car and then travel to Rotura and stay at the funky green voyager backpackers place oppposite a fiood market and this is still so far the best place I have stayed in over here. We are joined at tea by some others, a pom, dutch guy, girl from USA and some swiss people so the table talk was rather interesting that night.
The next day was a washing and reading cant be arsed day so that is what we did. A quick trip round the town and then nothing. In the evening I went drinking with the American girl and got drunk and got back about 3am so that was great great fun.
However not that great when I woke up and had to go trekking (tramping) all day. We head out to a place called Wai O Tapu where it is a collection of geo thermal activities, geysers, mud pools, hot water springs and true to its word it was a magical mystical place and for the time we were there, it was a very strange world to walk around, steam clouds and green lakes, bright blue lakes, red rocks etc. My words cant do it justice my photos do. We then head up to the Lady Knox Geyser and this where every day you sit in a big semi circle and watch nature push water 30m sky wards after a man pours washing powder into the hole to set the chain reaction going. Very touristy and not really very exciting to be fair.
We then leave this place and head to a valley called the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, one of the youngest geo thermic areas in the world and in photographic memory as the whole place changed shape in the the early 1900s and was captured on camera so it is still changing and living today.
It is about a 5km tramp to a lake and back and we start and it is a very impressive place especailly Inferno crater where the steam rises off hot water lake like ghoslty appraritons and that was so surreal and strange. We carry on past hot water streams and blow holes, mud pools, etc. I go off tramping over mount haszard and leave annette to walk on her own for a few hours (she did not want too, but now she has done fox glaicer so thats ok) and eventually we meet up again for the last leg to the lake.
Sandflies are worse than mosquitos. I got bitten 55 times. They drew blood and my scars are still healing so thats all lovely. The mind was better as we had a lovely boat ride around it and then we walked back up the valley to the car. Then to finish the living earth day we went to the mud pools where hot mud pools explode and plop about making rude noises and smelling like rotten eggs. To be fair, Rotorua smells like that as well but you actually get used to the smell as it is just part of the day.
A drive round the lakes and the area before supper finished that day off.
White water rafting is fun. Rafting over 7m high water falls is very fun and so that is what we did next. We went rafting for the morning and it was 50 minutes of high adrenaline excitement and was ace. I actually fell out of the raft as we hit the bottom of the 7m waterfall and had to swim for it to get back to the raft as the water was fast flowing but hey its all fun. The photos are truly amazing again!!! Hydro Zorbing is fun and as wet. Hydro Zorbing is where you get into a large ball or orb, which is full of hot water and then you get pushed down a hill on a zig zag course getting sloshed around inside and laughing all the way, that is also a good way to spend the afternoon. The best way mind is to walk into a bungy jumping centre give money to a smiling (cos she knows your brickin it) woman and then empty your pockets and then get your legs tied together, get into a little platform and then go 43m into the air, smile at a man with a camera and then fall out of the platform into the unknown. That has to be the most wow still smiling moment of my life as the feeling of certain death, the free fall for a few seconds and then the bouncing up and down on the bungy is awesome really something. I am now a big fan of bungy and when I get to Queenstown I will bungy there. It is such a rush.
We got very drunk that nice celebrating my jump!!
Driving to the West coast was a sobering experience as it was long and boring but Raglan is a pleasant enough place with beautiful bays, amazing coast and some of the best surfting in the world. Kyaking is also good when its free and so when we get there we go up the river eventually in a canoe thing for about 2 hours.
That was raglan really. We stayed one night as we had to head back to Auckland. Auckland like the last time was oh so ok and not very good. We sent a load of stuff home by post so that was good and that was about it. Annette was leaving to go to Christchurch and I was getting the night bus to Wellington to meet good old Big Boy himself Mr Tony Nye who was also and about in NZ.
And that is nearly the north Island complete.
The night bus was horrible but cheap and another journey completed I get to the countries capital Wellington. This is where this part of the adventure ends.
I really should leave it there as I am off Albatross watching soon and so need to get my oh christ its cold clothes on (the wind comes from the Antartic and that is cold, believe me) but that aside its all good.
So take care and be safe, christmas is coming, well it is in NZ and that is truly bizarre.

Thats your lot

ciao
Luke