Waitomo Caves

What an adventure!!!!! The Waitomo Caves was so exciting! We were decked out in full wet suits, helmets, head lamps and harnesses. First we ascended 11 stories down into the cave.....controlling the rope by applying pressure from the thumb. Once we all successfully landed the guides (Drew and Monkey) talked about the million year old limestone rocks and the history of the caves. Next we did a "flying fox" or zip line deeper into the pitch black cave. I went first and when the zip line ended I was hanging above the sound of rushing water with glow worms all around me. It was probably the closest feeling to space I'll ever encounter. Once off the zip line we jumped off a ledge and into the river below with our tubes. After about 15 minutes in the water our guides informed us that we were sharing the water with eels!!!!!!!!!! We only saw one small eel but I guess they can grow to the size of your arm! After tubing about 40 minutes we stopped because it was as far as we could go. The cave eventually fills completely with water. The guides told us to turn off our lights and the cave looked like a tunnel of glow worms! It was insane!!! The glow worms are more plentiful towards the opening of the cave because its where they can catch the most insects for food. We tubed back to where we started and headed the other way to explore more. We went down a water slide, jumped off some waterfalls and also free climbed up some other waterfalls. My favorite part of the trip was when we crawled in a 3ft maximum crack in the wall 2o0 feet underground. We went back about 40metes. I felt like I was on the Discovery Channel. It was the craziest thing we've done thus far!

After Waitomo, we headed to Raglan. It's a beach community known for waves 365 days a year. Jack Johnson has a house here! The first hostel we stayed in was surrounded by bush. It resembled Swiss Family Robinson. All the people there were major surfers. It was a good vibe to be around. Once again we have made some amazing friends and seen some unbelievable sights. Yesterday I went surfing for the first time and caught a wave!!! It was a great feeling and I am hooked on the sport!!! Last night we hung out in the commons room while a Swiss guy played Johnny Cash songs on his guitar. Very relaxed environment and a place I could see myself coming back to work. Tomorrow is Taupo where we will be doing some major mountain hiking!

Start of Kiwi Experience

Were on board the Kiwi Bus!!! Bay of Islands ended up being a great experience. The last few days were sunny and we became quite close with the other backpackers. There was a large group of people from Argentina staying at the same hostel and it was sad to say goodbye. Our last night we went to see a band play and ended up going for a late swim in the ocean. The drive back to Auckland was looooooong! We stopped at a bird sanctuary and saw a large range of birds. Some of our favorites were a small dancing owl and the smallest penguin on the planet. We also saw a hawk being released back into the wild. Our bus driver was given the honors to release him but accidentally let go too soon and he thudded on the deck below....haha pretty funny!
Our hostel in Auckland was rated 5 stars! The kitchen was on the 7th floor with all windows and a balcony commons area.
We were picked up by the Kiwi Experience bus early the next morning. Our first stop was Mt. Eden, which is a dormant volcanic mountain in Auckland. It offers a 360 view of the city. Our second stop was AMAZING!!!! Cathedral Cove was absolutely gorgeous. It's a beach that can be accessed on by foot or boat. Its about a 40 minute hike but well worth it. It has been our favorite beach thus far. The water is a perfect temperature with a soft sand beach. There was a large rock about 50 yards away from the beach that we swam out to and jumped off. There's also a huge cave that connects to another beach. It was a great experience and a good way for us to get to know our fellow backpackers/driver.
At the moment we are in Rotorua which is known for its geothermal activity and Maori culture. We went to the local park to see hot steamy pools. Tomorrow we are going CAVE TUBING!!! We also are going on a zip line underground and scaling down 40km to see glow worms!!!

And so the adventure begins...

We used Stray Bus company as transportation to the Bay of Islands. Stray is a company for backpackers that takes you "off the beaten track." It took us a little longer, but was well worth all the extra stops. We saw a huge native tree (forgot the name) and kissed it to bring good weather, spent an hour on a beautiful unpopulated beach, went to the most unique public restroom EVER and hiked around a waterfall (i decided to jump in!). We arrived at Paihia around four in the afternoon. This place makes you feel like your on vacation! Our hostel has a pool, hot tub, TV, VHS and access to free kayaks and bikes. Our first day we kayaked around three islands. I found a shell at one of the beaches and made a necklace out of it. Our first day was a bit overcast, but still very warm. Taylor and I have started becoming more grocery saavy and have been making great meals for cheap. There was a local produce market in the community and we made AWESOME lettuce wraps with homemade chutney. Mine were with local tuna salami (delicious) and Taylor had turkey. Last night Taylor and I sat with some English guys at the outdoor commons area drinking wine and listening to Fleetwood Mac. The English dudes loved it!

Today we worked for the owner of the hostel and changed bedding at his local motel for a free night's accommodation!! There was also a craft market today and I bought some locally made jewelery. Unfortunately its overcast again today so we are laying low. Tomorrow we might try sailing and snorkeling if the weather permits. We head back to Auckland on Monday to start the Kiwi Experience!!!

Sydney Recap!

Hi Guys!

Sorry I have not been updating you more frequently! We have been so busy and its expensive to use the Internet!
Sydney was amazing!!! We couldn't have asked for a better hostel. Its location was surrounded by all the major attractions and beaches. Taylor and I met some great friends from all over the world. Our favorite guys were from Germany. We won the Bar Olympics with them and shared an $100 bar tab. Go USA!
The local beaches were beautiful and the people were so friendly. We made friends with some locals and they also took us around. We went to the Sydney Music Festival with them and caught a famous African band. It was a free show in the heart of the city with thousands of people....very memorable! They also took us to some less populated beaches, hikes, restaurants, etc. It was great seeing Sydney from the local and tourist point of view. After about a week in the city, we moved to Manly beach. We decided it would be nice to move out of the city and into a low key beach town. Manly is the locals favorite beach. Its not as touristy as Bondai. We had some amazing sea food there!!!
Here's a list of their popular foods:
Examples:
Kebabs (pronounced KBOB)
Waffle/Pancake stands (everywhere at all times of the day!)
Tomato Sauce (ketchup...but tastes a little sweeter)
AMAZING THAI FOOD!!
Kangaroo Burgers
Goon ( cheap boxed wine)

It's been such a great trip so far! We arrived in NZ at 4am yesterday (plane delays again). We caught a live band from Canada last night, which was a lot of fun. We have already set up our bank accounts,work IDs, and cell phones! Tomorrow we are headed up to the Bay of Islands to kayak with dolphins and snorkel. We are staying in a lodge 10ft from the beach!! Everything is a lot cheaper in NZ, which makes it easier to experience more. We are going to be up there for about 4 days, then we'll head back to Auckland to start the Kiwi Experience!

My time is running out! Love you!!

I love Sydney!!

Hi Guys!!



We landed in Sydney on the 8th at about 2pm. Our total flying hours were over 26! It was a very uncomfortable ride with seats that did not recline, people with bad body odor and extreme fluctuations in cabin temperature. But it was all worth it!! On the plane ride from San Francisco to Hong Kong I was the only blonde.....got a lot of stares.

Taylor and I are currently in the Sydney library because it has free WiFi for up to 15 min, which is rare. The location of our hostel is in the heart of the city surrounded by parks, clubs, harbors, beaches, the Opera House, ect. We couldn't have asked for a better spot. We have met a lot of great people and our roommates have been a lot of fun. We've had people from the States, Germany, Sweden and Holland. Last night we watched the movie Euro Trip with two of our German roommates (it was the only english movie they had). In part of the movie a guy talks in German and they said the subtitles were wrong in English. Taylor and I have decided we need to learn a second language!
Our first "real" night here was the start of the Sydney Music Festival. The stages are in Hyde Park, a few blocks away from our hostel. The festival runs for two weeks, but the first night was free.



Well my time is running out! Ill try to post more frequently and with pictures. We are off to Manly Beach, which I heard is beautiful.



Love