We just got back from a little side trip to Rotorua.
It was such a great break....especially because we finished all of our class work and assignments, aka I am completely finished with school.....even though I don't graduate until December (or April, or August....whenever I decide to really).
Anyway, here are the pics! Enjoy, mom!
We went to a sheep show. It was highly entertaining, and they did a great job of making us laugh. Yes, I am petting a little baby lamb. Yes, the black sheep in the background is nipping my bottom. You can imagine my surprise right after this picture was taken....haha wasn't expecting that.
We got to experience a traditional kiwi activity: Zorbing.
Think hamster balls rolling down a hill.....it is super weird, but turned out to actually be quite fun! We had low expectations, so it was a great surprise to find it so enjoyable.
And we got to race the other girls.....we definitely won :)
Next stop: Te Puia. It is a Maori National Park type place. Funny how they compared everything to Yellowstone. I can't lie, it was hard to get super excited and seemed a little anti-climatic when Yellowstone is in your backyard back home. This stuff was weak compared to home. But, nevertheless it was fun to see (and smell) and hear the Maori legends that go along with the views.
We stopped by a few lakes to take in the beauty and splendor of New Zealand. This part of New Zealand was the weirdest for me. IT IS SO MUCH LIKE IDAHO! Take out the ferns, and you have a complete replica of home. It felt so weird. I couldn't help but to compare the two. Made me miss home. Must be the volcanic rocks or the pine trees and mountains. Whatever it is, it sure made me miss good old ID!
Christine decided to propose.
Classic Rotorua. This was the first "downtown" building, built by the Maori when they first got here.
The best part of the trip: Black Water Rafting.
This was AMAZING! So much fun! I think it is my favorite activity I've done since being here. Which is saying something, because I've done A LOT.
The group. Even James went with us, which made the trip hilarious as he sang his songs and told us his scary stories as we made our way through the caves!
In case you don't know what black water rafting is, here it is in a nutshell:
You take these little inner tube things and float down water in a cave to see glow worms.
Glow worms, which are actually not alive, they are just maggot poo.
But spectacular nonetheless!
Here is the catch:
There are numerous waterfalls you have to jump off of. And when I say jump off of, I mean they make you stand with your back facing where you want to land, stick your bum through your tube, lean backwards and jump out far so you don't hit rocks, landing on your tube (and you're supposed to float). Yikes. This part was quite hilarious haha
But hey, we all did it! And it turned out to be a very fun adventure!
So technically, this is not in Rotorua. We stopped by Hamilton to go the the temple! This was so nice. I love that every temple is the same and feels the same, despite what country you are in. It is a little bit of home.
Now, off to the northland for a week!
1 comment:
WOW! quite the adventure....do they do the whole black water rafting in the U.S.? bc this seems like something to add to the bucket list!
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