Today was the day we finally started our Contiki tour, 'The Big Tiki' - a 19 day trip from Auckland - Christchurch around both the North and South islands of New Zealand.
Our first stop on the trip was 'Tâne Mahata'' the oldest Kauri tree in New Zealand (I think) and apparently you get good luck if you give it a hug or a cheeky kiss... hence the photo!
Our second stop before Paihia was at a small town called Waipu where we stopped to grab a bit of lunch before finishing the coach journey. There was a pretty harbour and a clock museum (not that we went there) but that was about it!
We checked in to our hotel in a three bed room and it is such a nice change to not be sharing with twelve other people! As it was only a short walk from the beaches, we headed straight down for a swim! It's been so lovely meeting and getting to know the rest of the people on our Contiki trip! So far everyone's been so lovely!
We then all went for fish and chips as part of our included dinner... but we didn't realise it was going to be at the ex-serviceman's association - the equivalent of a British legion! I presumed it would be a takeaway! But it was really nice, loads of salady bits and vegetable dishes to go with it and it was definitely awesome to not be paying for a meal!
Afterwards, we went to a bar for a few drinks, but they closed the outer deck at 9 (NZ is definitely
more strict with alcohol regulations than England!) and it got so crowded, so we decided to move on to another place just down the street. It was a ten dollar entrance fee, but we managed to haggle it down to two-fifty and we went on in expecting it to be just a normal Saturday night with a dj set. However, it turned out to be a local rap group performance.... and it was interesting to say the least! But it was a great first night out!
The next day, Emma went off early on an all day sailing trip so I spent he morning going on a hike to Haruru falls. We needed up walking the road way to the falls and the scenic route back, but it was pretty awesome! We also found hot dogs (well a sausage in a slice of bread) for $2 so we snapped them up! They were delicious - even though I burnt the roof of my mouth on it.
After going back to the room and getting changed etc, Emma and I decided to wander into town for food as we were starving. On the way down we were dreaming about all the different options we had, our mouths watering at the thought of delicious food. But no, there was a power cut which lead to the majority of shops and restaurants closing! We were so sad - and hangry! We ended up finding a cheap cafe where I got a date scone and a brownie, which were nice but not a proper dinner so we went back into our room just chilled!
Paihia was truly beautiful.
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