Hahei Coast

After saying goodbye to my new friends at the hostel in Auckland, I boarded the tour bus and left Auckland for the first time since I arrived in NZ. The countryside is stunning. Even the "small" mountains of the north are much more dramatic than what I'm used to. I would post pictures, but this computer won't permit uploads.

The people on the tour bus are for the most part very friendly. We headed straight to the east coast of the country and are staying along the beach which has perfectly blue water and dramatic rock island coming out of the water all around. There's a cove about an hours walk down the beach and I plan on waking up around 5:30 tomorrow and hiking over to catch it at sunrise.

The tour is nice, although I miss solo travelling already. It's really nice being able to do exactly what you wish. Having to wait for people to set up tents was a bit frustrating. Not to say that I'm not satisfied with what we're doing, but the freedom of the last three days was really quite nice. One guide is a New Zealander and seems knowledgeable enough. The other guide is an American from NYC and she seems like a complete idiot. The tour is nice in that it offers some flexibility, but I'm kind of at the mercy of the group decision in some cases. I was able to take a bike, however, and took a nice (and very steep) ride up to the top of one the very dramatic rock outcroppings.

Dinner was good and I finally got some lamb prepared by a New Zealander. Quite good. I met a very nice Welsh lady on the trip who reminds me so much of Grandma - she looks just like her and talks like her -- just in a British accent.

The weather continues to be stunning, although I believe rain is in the forecast tomorrow. We head to Rotorua, known for its geothermal hotpools.

-Brian