Today in Rotorua

Today I got out and walked a long way. I walked through native New Zealand woodland, through californian redwoods through geothermal areas where the ground steamed, along the river, through the suburbs, through the city.

I walked for 3 and a half hours. 

At one point I found myself walking down mountain biking tracks and I had to double back before anyone spotted me (or ran into me for that matter). 

I walked a path alongside the river that was so sulphurous I though I would be sick, I don't seem to do well with sulphur. The streams I crossed bubbled and steam poured from cracks in the ground. 

I marked my path on a map, I went to the post office and bought some groceries for the road ahead, I took a bus home. I'm fairly satisfied. 

That black line, that's me walking. 

"Made it, Ma! Top of the world!"

Just a few photos from the top of Mt Eden, yesterday and the day before!
Lucky I had Archie to keep my company!!
Missed sunset both times, I'm not going up again!! There will be other sunsets!

Good morning New Zealand

Okay, so I have been awake for roughly 43 hours, I have spent 23 of those hours on planes. In the last 35 hours I have eaten 2 granola bars and a smoothie. I have worried at literally EVERY opportunity! (Seriously, EVERY!) I am telling you this because it makes it all the more amazing that I could possibly have made it the 11,360 miles to my accommodation in Auckland. Right now I have no idea whether to eat or to sleep, only I am (as the The Courteeners sang) "too tired to eat and too hungry to sleep." The reason I'm to tired to eat is that eating would mean finding food and that would mean leaving the house and exploring, an activity I'm not sure I have the strength for! However, I will say that despite 'wobbles' in various airports, and one MAJOR wobble on the plane from Singapore to Auckland, I feel surprisingly okay.
NOW THE GOOD STUFF! New Zealand is MIGHTY beautiful, and no, it is NOTHING like Wales. It is full of interesting flora, some sort of invisible cricket is making vary loud cricket type noises outside my window! The houses are all detached bungalow type things, multi coloured and wood clad like something from a relocation program! Only, the house I'm staying in isn't, it's a cute two story house in a gated complex. It's very sunny here but a nice temperature, not too hot at the moment. I will post some beautiful plane photos to make up for my very long rant about my journey here. Thanks for reading, I promise the next post will contain less moaning and more nice stuff!