So many things....

Know it's been a number of days since I last posted, please don't blame me, I got lost in New Zealand.   Not literally of course, because I rented the GPS, but lost in the sights, sounds, people and spirit of the country.    Such an amazingly beautiful place, I'm not sure how I can even begin to break it down.   Throwing my fear of driving on the opposite side of the road out the window, I planned a road trip from Wellington to Auckland as it would give me the opportunity to stop in the most places.   Little did I know all I would see in just a number of days.    

Departing Wellington was bittersweet - I loved the city with it's coastal energy and as a creative hub for artists, writers and filmmakers, I felt instantly inspired by the people I met and somehow, very much at home.   Time to go, I headed north to stop first in Lake Taupo - a beautiful freshwater lake where you can do anything from boating, to hiking, to skydiving to sitting relaxing lakeside.  I spent most of my time hiking around the lake and to the stunning Huka Falls before heading off towards Rotarura.   

Rotarura - wow!   Walking through the geothermal area of Wai-o-Tapu, I saw things I've never seen before....boiling mud pools, erupting geysers, volcanic craters and steaming ground.  The colours the volcanic activity has created are beautiful and the scenery amazing, but the smell.....definitely not roses.    After hours spent playing (sort-of) in geothermal activities, I made my way to the fabulous Whakarewarewa Forest, a beautiful place filled with stunning California Redwood trees that you can walk, run or bike through on a number of trails offering beautiful views around Lake Rotarura.   I found it amazing that such a beautiful forest could grow so close to the thermal areas, which really showed how diverse this area was.    And super-calming too - something about walking amongst the redwood trees, was grounding, maybe because I tripped over a few roots and somehow landed face flat on the ground.   Clumsy me.   

Cleaned up, the next morning I headed to Waitamo to see the famous Glowworm caves.   I had no idead what to expect, but when I learned that these worms glowed because of a chemical reaction between their "waste" and the O2 in the air....thought that was pretty cool.   After a walk through the first portion of the caves, we were treated to a silent boat ride.   As we were pulled through the darkness by a system of ropes we looked up at the cave "ceiling", thousands of lights glowed like stars in the sky.   An amazing sight, was interesting to think that their little worm behinds were producing the lights in the "sky".   Whole new meaning to "lighting a fire under your butt".  

Heading off toward Auckland, one of the must-sees on my list was a black sand beach and one of the locals I met, suggested I hit up Piha Beach.  It was nerve-wracking diving my tiny rental up the winding streets of the mountain, then back down towards the cove - I nearly put handprints in the steering wheel from gripping so hard!   But totally worth the drive as Piha Beach is the most beautiful place I've ever seen!   Sandwiched between rock faces, the ocean is stunning against the black sand.....I'm not sure I can find the words to describe how I felt when I saw it.   It has definitely become one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and I was looking for the real estate section of the local paper before I left that day.  Heaven.  

Funny, after days of hiking around lakes, summiting volcanoes, dodging steaming grounds, and viewing glowing worm "waste", all I really wanted to do was sit.   Auckland is a cool city, with great neighbourhoods, fantastic islands surrounding and fabulous restaurants.    I decided it was time to take it easy.   Still doing a bit of exploring, I checked out the cool areas of Parnell and the Britomart Precinct, along with the Wyndward Quarter - all fairly close to the harbour front where I was staying.  Felt a bit slothy, I hung out in cafes reading and people-watching, and had a final lunch on the wharf before it was time to make the trip home.   Sad to go, but so happy I came, I'm looking forward to seeing where the world will take me next!!