After settling into the backpacker's hostel in Parnell, a district of Auckland, Alex and I set out about planning the next 3 weeks of traveling around NZ.
We chose to rent a car as it would be a flexible way of traveling. There are many bus companies that propose tours around the Islands, North and South, but they only go on certain itineraries and once arrived at a point, one is stranded on that spot til the bus leaves again. So we got this tiny car, which struggles up hills, much to Alex's boy racer attitude's dismay. At least its cheap.
And after a little bit of research in books but mostly from talking to the friendly people staying in the hostel, we set off for Rotorua on the 7th, having partly recovered from jetlag and a good night out.
The speed limit in NZ is... 50 km/h in town, and 80-100 on out of town roads, but no faster. There are a few motorways but mostly the roads are single lane two-way traffic. This is quite civilised really, although inevitably, the roads when they straighten up a little invite more speed than allowed.
We chose to rent a car as it would be a flexible way of traveling. There are many bus companies that propose tours around the Islands, North and South, but they only go on certain itineraries and once arrived at a point, one is stranded on that spot til the bus leaves again. So we got this tiny car, which struggles up hills, much to Alex's boy racer attitude's dismay. At least its cheap.
And after a little bit of research in books but mostly from talking to the friendly people staying in the hostel, we set off for Rotorua on the 7th, having partly recovered from jetlag and a good night out.
The speed limit in NZ is... 50 km/h in town, and 80-100 on out of town roads, but no faster. There are a few motorways but mostly the roads are single lane two-way traffic. This is quite civilised really, although inevitably, the roads when they straighten up a little invite more speed than allowed.
Fush and Chup stop on the way to Rotorua.
Rotorua is a small town by a lake, 3 hours south of Auckland. There's a distinctive atmosphere. You want to go out for some fresh air but it's not what you get. The air is full of sulphur from the thermal pools which have been popping up around the town. Mostly in the park, which is convenient. The nearby lake is the crater of a volcanoe. So we were on a hotbed of volcanic activity.
A local guy told us he would go for walks by the pools to inhale the fumes from the thermal pools, as it helped his lung condition. I didn't ask what the condition was but wondered if it might be linked to the fumes...
Alex taking full advantage of the Fumes to release some of his own...
There's a million and one activities to do in Rotorua from skydiving to thermal pool spas, bungee jumping, sled racing, 4x4 driving, cycling, hiking, zorbing (going down a hill inside a tranparent padded sphere -
). We finally opted for sprint car racing. A small car with a big engine, doing tiny laps as fast as possible. We both got the same time 13 sec 08 which didn't serve anyone. Alex spun out a few times and managed to damage one of the other cars though.
There's a million and one activities to do in Rotorua from skydiving to thermal pool spas, bungee jumping, sled racing, 4x4 driving, cycling, hiking, zorbing (going down a hill inside a tranparent padded sphere -
). We finally opted for sprint car racing. A small car with a big engine, doing tiny laps as fast as possible. We both got the same time 13 sec 08 which didn't serve anyone. Alex spun out a few times and managed to damage one of the other cars though. 
The exaust from the other car after Alex smashed into the back of it; and the Best Lap times for each of us ... 13:08. How convenient...
The next day we set off for Lake Taupo.
... this could be one long blog ...
... this could be one long blog ...
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