Now in New Zealand

Arrived in Auckland yesterday, sick as a dog. I caught something in the outback and by the time I got back to Sydney was achy and sniffling. Determined not to let it ruin my vacation, I went to the mall and purchased a pharmicy, drugs now occupy more space in my back pack than clothes.

There was nothing on the agenda today, and the weather forecast was calling for "gale force winds" across New Zealand, so I figured I'd just sleep in and take it easy. Surprisingly though, the weather has been reasonably good today, and I'm also feeler better than I have for days, albeit still coughing and notably weaker. Another early bed time is in order, after which I'll hopefully be rested up and ready to tackle this itinerary for my final week:

Tuesday: Waitomo
I catch an early bus to Hamilton, where I'll pick up a rental car, and drive down the wrong side of the road to Waitomo for several hours of rappelling, spulenking, and tire-tubing through glow-worm infested underground caves and rivers. I hope my expectations aren't unreasonably high, but this has been one of the key activities I've been looking forward to on this trip. From there I drive another couple hours on to Rotorua. I have no idea whether the caving or driving will be more hazardous to me!

Wednesday: Rotorua
Rotorua is New Zealands equivalent to Yellowstone, a geothermal area full of geyers, bubbling mud pools, boiling lakes, and hot springs. I'll spend a day and a half hiking around this region, and one evening taking in a Maori dinner. The Maori are New Zealands aboriginals, and from what I can tell this should be similar to a Hawaiin Lua. Only different.

Thursday: The Shire
After another morning in Rotorua, I drive up the highway to Matamata, famous as the site of the Lord of The Rings Hobbiton filming. It's the only set from the trilogy that's still partially intact. The tour includes a sheep farm demonstration, which apparently is a big deal here... New Zealand has more sheep than humans in its population.

Friday: Coromandel
I drop off the car and bus back to Auckland Thursday night, then take a day tour of the Coromandel Peninsula. Rainforests, mountains, hot water beaches, and Cathedral Cove, it's supposed to be one of the most beautiful areas in the country.

Saturday: ET Go Home
All good things must come to an end, and I'll be leaving on a jet plane Saturday, albeit not until 7PM so I'll have some time to take in a bit of Auckland first, hopefully this time fully healthy and able to enjoy it.

It's hard to believe I'm already down to the last few days, it's gone by in a total blur. But obviously I've got a lot to look forward to this week yet, so it's not worth fretting about just yet. Instead, I've got to figure out where I catch this bus tomorrow...