Day 16: Friday, July 11
Most of our day was spent in Christchurch getting ready to leave. Jeremy went to return some things while I finished blogging. Other than that we chilled before Morgan took us to the airport around 2 for our 2:55 flight. The airport is pretty small but they only had one line open for security so it took is a little longer to get to the gate. After putting down the bags, I ran to fill up my water bottle because I didn't want to be stuck without something like last time. When I got back they started boarding, but I hadn't gone to the bathroom so I ran as fast as I could. Jeremy likes to be one of the first people in line when they call our section, and our section was called first, but I was stuck in a line at the bathroom while he stressed. We made it and weren't even some of the last people on board, but I did make his heart beat a little faster. The flight to Wellington was only 30 minutes so by the time we got up in the air it was already time to descend. A lady sat next to us and offered us her window seat but we declined since it's easier for Jeremy's legs to be near the aisle. During the landing she noticed us peeking over her to see the view since the runway is bordered by water so she leaned back to let us see. She also gave us some names of her favorite restaurants in Wellington as well as how good of a landing we had just had since they are usually pretty rough. Once our luggage and the keys to the rental car were in our hands we prepared the GPS to take us to the Novotel, our hotel for two nights. As we drove through the city in rush hour, Jeremy expressed his thoughts on our trip. This was the first (extended) real road trip/vacation that we have gone on without other people and were not familiar with the place. It is scary but an adventure all in the same. The hotel, although amazing in every way on the inside, is located in an odd location. Although we saw the sign for the hotel, we didn't really see a place to park, so we kept going with the intention to turn around. Well, that was our mistake because many of the nearby streets are one way streets. We ended up getting back on the motorway and had to do a giant loop. That will make you a little frustrated when all you want to do is park the car somewhere! After all the craziness, we parked pretty close to the bottom (about 7 floors) in a nearby parking deck and paid just so we could go check-in. As we checked in they told us that they only have valet parking so we decided we would have to figure out how to loop around on the road after dinner so the car could be in the right spot. Later on when we got back, valet was full, so we had to use the company's parking deck again. However, before that madness, we headed to dinner. We decided upon a place suggested to us by the lady on the plane called Zibibbo. Parking downtown wasn't any easier than at the hotel. This time we finally found one, but we had to pay over $8.00 for 2 hours. Jeremy lets things like that roll off his shoulder, but I am always the one that is shocked at how some places get your money. Zibibbos was excellent. Both of us had a pizza and really enjoyed them. Jeremy still wasn't feeling well, so we stopped by a little pharmacy to get him some cough medicine before heading back to the car. Our walk around the downtown area is large and was extremely crowded, but it isn't my favorite city. When arriving back at the car, we noticed it looked a little different. In the parking frenzy, we didn't realize we were parking under a tree and wouldn't have thought about the affect it could have. Well, the red car was covered, I mean covered in white polka dots. Birds pooped all over it. Jeremy was so embarrassed so we went straight to a gas station to take it through a car wash.
Day 17: Saturday, July 12
We woke up around 8:30 or so and got ready for the day. Before heading out, we had breakfast at the hotel. Our plans for the day were to go to Te Papa, which is the national museum, and then go to the Weta Cave, which is a place they have all kinds of props and costumes on display from different movies (The Lord of the Rings and Narnia movies are some of the most influential) and where they work to create new things for movies. On our way to Te Papa, we walked by the wharf and through a little market which was quite interesting. You could spend hours and hours in Te Papa on the different floors as each floor has different exhibits. Most of our time was spent on the first level with information about the earth (tectonic plates and earthquakes). After having spent a few hours in the museum, our legs were tired and our stomachs were hungry since it was around 3 by this time, so we decided to leave in search of some food. Not really knowing the city, our navigation skills weren't all that great in trying to get us to the area we had been last night. Instead of enjoying one of the higher rated restaurants that we couldn't locate, we settled for a little bento bowl place and had some teriyaki chicken and rice before resting our legs before the Weta Cave. Jeremy's foot started hurting while walking around Te Papa so being off of his foot helped a little bit. We both enjoyed the Weta Cave. I had been a little apprehensive because I didn't know if I would be interested but it was actually quite entertaining.
Once we were back at the Novotel, we got walking directions to a place called Chow where we wanted to eat dinner. Since we didn't make reservations we had to wait a little bit but it wasn't bad at all. Chow had mostly tapas, so we were excited about trying different things. Once we sat down and got comfortable the lights on our side of the restaurant went out. Since the lights were out, the waitress couldn't put the orders into the computer. It was weird because the back part of the restaurant including the kitchen had power, but they wouldn't take orders on paper and let the kitchen make it anyway. We waited over an hour for the lights to come back on, but the never did, so we finally left around 8:30 and headed to Burger Fuel for a quick meal before heading back to the hotel. It was an interesting experience and definitely an adventure. We sat with two little oil lights on our table and chatted, but never got to enjoy the food of the place that had great ratings. Oh well.
Day 18: Sunday, July 13
After eating breakfast at the Novotel, we got on the road and started our journey from Wellington to Lake Taupo with was about a 5 hour drive. One road pretty much took us the entire way there, however, we made a pitstop for lunch at a Subway and then at Whakapapa (actually pronounced Fa-kuh-pah-pah) in Tongariro at The National Park. Our plan was to do a hike around some volcanoes (one of the things I was really looking forward to), but we hit a huge rain storm around the park. We had beautiful skies until the park and then the clouds of rain seemed endless. I didn't want to do a hike in the rain though. Jeremy felt really badly because he didn't want me to be sad, but I was actually comfortable sitting in the car, in my dry clothes, even though we had been on the road a few hours. Instead of walking around, we drove on towards Lake Taupo. Even though the rain put a damper on our plans, we got to see rainbow after rainbow through the rest of the afternoon which was nice since we didn't get close to the volcanoes.
We arrived to Lake Taupo around 4:15 and checked in. The room overlooked the lake and was nice (as expected). We unloaded our stuff, got the address for our next sight and then headed off again because Huka Falls was another sight we had planned for the day. The falls were a few kilometers from The Reef Resort, so we headed over there a little before the sunset. Since rain decided to pop up every time we got to a place today, we were thankful it wasn't raining when we hopped in the car. Even though we didn't have to travel very far the rain decided to start right as we were approaching the falls. I was originally excited about the pictures we would be able to get because I wouldn't even need a jacket in the nice weather, but now I wasn't really left with another option. Jeremy didn't even have his hooded jacket on. We ventured out in the rain and took as many pictures as we could before the rain messed up the camera or our pride (as we looked like wet rats). I left on my hood and would pull it off every time we would take a picture, but Jeremy's hair started getting more and more wet the longer we were there. However, the falls were beautiful and it was a short walk from the parking lot to the overlook area. The walk was about 1 minute, which is not like the other hikes we've done. The rushing water was incredible to hear too because it makes your heart beat faster while you enjoy the scenery.
We didn't want to go to eat all wet so we decided to go back to the room. The resort has limited parking (story of our life on this trip) and we had to make our own spot on this hill. I was terrified the emergency break would mess up and the rental car would be in the middle of Lake Taupo when we returned to it later. Thankfully it didn't, but we made a little plan so we could avoid the parking issue later. We decided to head to dinner a little earlier just so we'd have a place to park when others went to dinner. Once we were dry, we headed to a place called Taco Taco for dinner. The restaurant was rated pretty high on Trip Advisor so we decided to try it out but we were the only customers. I mean it is a Sunday night, so that could play a role in it too, but it was odd to us. It was really good though. It definitely was the most expensive Mexican food we've ever eaten though ($18 plates). I had the Taco Taco meal, which was two HUGE tacos that were super full and messy while Jeremy had the enchiladas.
Day 19: Monday, July 14
Our morning started early because we wanted to make sure we got tickets and were able to see the geyser (Lady Knox) erupt. We hopped in the car, grabbed some breakfast at McDonald's (yes, I know we ate there again but please know I didn't feel well for quite some time afterwards), and then headed away from Taupo. The drive to Wai-O-Tapu took about 30-40 minutes. Although the scenery around us would have been beautiful, we weren't really able to see it due to the thick fog. I was thinking it was going to be like yesterday where we got to the place and had rough weather. We've actually been really blessed to have such incredible weather this entire trip, but the activities today were something else I had been looking forward to and I didn't want to be sad. The fog lifted as we drove and as the sun rose. This park was the first one where we actually had to pay to see something. All the other things have been free, which makes these national parks all that much better. They are well taken care of too: You never see litter scattered around either. Once we got our seats in the amphitheater that surrounded the geyser, we prepared ourselves for the fun experience. I haven't ever been to Yellowstone and haven't seen Old Faithful like Jeremy has so he was excited to get to share this experience with me. After sitting for a few minutes, I saw that another angle might be better so Jeremy left me there so we could have two different angles of pictures and videos. The whole experience was really neat. As we watched, Lady Knox started producing more steam, then bubbled over, and then the water started shooting up in the air. Her eruption could last up to twenty minutes, which is also incredible.
Afterwards, we went on a walk around the geothermal pools. Once you enter the area around them you can smell eggs. Sometimes the smell is stronger than others, but either way you smell it. With a sensitive smeller, I was probably able to smell it before and stronger than most people there. There were quite a few walking loops around the pools, but in all it was about 3 km for all of them. My favorite was the Devil's Bath because of the color. It was incredible because each pool had a different color due to the amount of sulfur. You could even see the steam coming up from them as well as the bubbles in it since they were 100+ degrees celsius. My legs get tired easily these days especially when I have to go up hills or up stairs. One of the paths had some stairs and so I became frustrated with myself for not being able to keep my "normal" pace (to keep up with Jeremy). I made it all the way around though without giving up. I'm thankful I have a husband who loves to take pictures because each stop allowed me to rest!
Next, we went to the mud pools. They were quite interesting and stinky in their own way.
Once we finished our tours of all the earthy stuff, we headed to Rotorua to our last hotel. The drive didn't take much longer, but it was lunch time so we headed straight to get something to eat. We forgot to look up some restaurants beforehand so we just looked at different menus and decided upon a place called Cafe Bar and Kitchen. Our food was delicious (spaghetti and a chicken/guac/cheese sandwich) and was only around $24. Once lunch was over, we headed over to the Silver Fern to check in, to get directions for our next attraction of the day, and to rest a few minutes. It turned out to be a wonderful warm day, so once we rested a few minutes we jumped back in the car and headed towards the Redwood Forest. I've never been to the ones in the U.S. so I can't compare them, although I know these are only around 113 years old so they are a lot younger. I was still pretty impressed with the size of some of them. The hike we chose was an hour long or 3+ km hike through the forest. At points (uphill parts), I was exhausted and wanted to be done. While I enjoyed others a lot. When we came to the end, I asked Jeremy if he wanted to do it again! He just laughed.
After chilling at the Silver Fern, we headed to dinner at a Japanese place. However, it was closed so we had to go back to our list of names we remembered from Trip Advisor. Many of the restaurants and stores close during the middle of the day for breaks between meals or because of the winter. It's really strange. We ended up picking a place called Pig and Whistle, which was good even though we weren't too hungry since we had a late lunch.
Afterwards, we went on a walk around the geothermal pools. Once you enter the area around them you can smell eggs. Sometimes the smell is stronger than others, but either way you smell it. With a sensitive smeller, I was probably able to smell it before and stronger than most people there. There were quite a few walking loops around the pools, but in all it was about 3 km for all of them. My favorite was the Devil's Bath because of the color. It was incredible because each pool had a different color due to the amount of sulfur. You could even see the steam coming up from them as well as the bubbles in it since they were 100+ degrees celsius. My legs get tired easily these days especially when I have to go up hills or up stairs. One of the paths had some stairs and so I became frustrated with myself for not being able to keep my "normal" pace (to keep up with Jeremy). I made it all the way around though without giving up. I'm thankful I have a husband who loves to take pictures because each stop allowed me to rest!
Next, we went to the mud pools. They were quite interesting and stinky in their own way.
Once we finished our tours of all the earthy stuff, we headed to Rotorua to our last hotel. The drive didn't take much longer, but it was lunch time so we headed straight to get something to eat. We forgot to look up some restaurants beforehand so we just looked at different menus and decided upon a place called Cafe Bar and Kitchen. Our food was delicious (spaghetti and a chicken/guac/cheese sandwich) and was only around $24. Once lunch was over, we headed over to the Silver Fern to check in, to get directions for our next attraction of the day, and to rest a few minutes. It turned out to be a wonderful warm day, so once we rested a few minutes we jumped back in the car and headed towards the Redwood Forest. I've never been to the ones in the U.S. so I can't compare them, although I know these are only around 113 years old so they are a lot younger. I was still pretty impressed with the size of some of them. The hike we chose was an hour long or 3+ km hike through the forest. At points (uphill parts), I was exhausted and wanted to be done. While I enjoyed others a lot. When we came to the end, I asked Jeremy if he wanted to do it again! He just laughed.
After chilling at the Silver Fern, we headed to dinner at a Japanese place. However, it was closed so we had to go back to our list of names we remembered from Trip Advisor. Many of the restaurants and stores close during the middle of the day for breaks between meals or because of the winter. It's really strange. We ended up picking a place called Pig and Whistle, which was good even though we weren't too hungry since we had a late lunch.
Day 20: Tuesday, July 15
Yet again, we had to get an early start on things because our Hobbiton tour time. I've been waking up pretty early and just laying in bed though so it wasn't hard to actually get up. The drive to Matamata took about an hour and the tour was about two hours. Before leaving with our guide, Jeremy asked if I wanted a hot chocolate. To that I said yes. I surprised myself with my answer. I don't know what I was thinking because I know I'm pregnant and have to go to the bathroom all the time, so after ordering it I started to regret my decision. Jeremy told me there wasn't a bathroom at any point on the tour, which made me even more nervous. Thankfully he was wrong though because I would have been miserable. Instead of zero, there were two in the shire (beginning and end), therefore I was well taken care of! The tour was really good. Our guide was great and quite humorous. We both enjoyed the details on each hobbit house. The tour went through each of the areas of the shire and then ended at the Green Dragon.
After the tour, we headed back to Rotorua for some lunch at Picnic (a trip advisor favorite) and then for a little walk around the lake before heading to the airport. Our North island trip is coming to a close and has been a success although Jeremy was originally nervous. The GPS made our lives much easier. From Rotorua we had about an hour long flight to Wellington and then a 45 minute flight to Christchurch. The Rotorua airport was small and we didn't even have to go through security at all since we were flying domestic. Jeremy's not excited about returning and having to do this and that just to get through security (shoes off, belt off, liquids out but in a tiny 3oz container in a clear bag...). It really is a little disheartening that we used to be like New Zealand with limited security but now we can't. The flights were both good but the turn around time was only like 25 minutes. Our first plane was tiny (2 seats on each side and maybe held 50 people) and had huge propellers. We got off our little plane and walked on the Tarmac into the airport and headed over one gate and we were ready for our next flight. It was super easy. It was an eventful day of touring and flying so we were thankful to be back in Christchurch.
After the tour, we headed back to Rotorua for some lunch at Picnic (a trip advisor favorite) and then for a little walk around the lake before heading to the airport. Our North island trip is coming to a close and has been a success although Jeremy was originally nervous. The GPS made our lives much easier. From Rotorua we had about an hour long flight to Wellington and then a 45 minute flight to Christchurch. The Rotorua airport was small and we didn't even have to go through security at all since we were flying domestic. Jeremy's not excited about returning and having to do this and that just to get through security (shoes off, belt off, liquids out but in a tiny 3oz container in a clear bag...). It really is a little disheartening that we used to be like New Zealand with limited security but now we can't. The flights were both good but the turn around time was only like 25 minutes. Our first plane was tiny (2 seats on each side and maybe held 50 people) and had huge propellers. We got off our little plane and walked on the Tarmac into the airport and headed over one gate and we were ready for our next flight. It was super easy. It was an eventful day of touring and flying so we were thankful to be back in Christchurch.
Day 21: Wednesday, July 16
Since it's our last day, we deemed it as a packing, lazy day as well as a day to go places we hadn't been that we had been talking about. We had Burrito Brothers for lunch and then headed to Northlands Mall for a little bit of walking around before we packed. For dinner we tried out a stone grill place, which are always fun places and remind us of Cafe Solid in Kosovo since that's the first place we tried like this.
Day 22: Thursday, July 17 (the endless day)
It's a sad day. Leaving is hard and sitting on planes all day isn't fun either (especially with a hurting back- my entire right side has been in quite a bit of pain lately where it hurts to sit), but we are excited to get home and start preparing for our little one who will be here before we know it.
Our itinerary: Christchurch to Auckland, two hour layover, Auckland to San Francisco, San Francisco to Atlanta.
HOME. NEW FLOORS. BATHROOM REDONE. NURSERY CARPET REDONE.
Our itinerary: Christchurch to Auckland, two hour layover, Auckland to San Francisco, San Francisco to Atlanta.
HOME. NEW FLOORS. BATHROOM REDONE. NURSERY CARPET REDONE.
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