It's been a while (again), since we have taken the time to blog. It's probably because time goes faster at the other side of the world, right? But all kidding aside, we are getting into a routine, which doesn't really involve a whole lot of blogging. And to be honest, regular life in New Zealand doesn't differ that much from regular life in Belgium (shocking, I know).
So what has happened so far? We went on a week-long trip a month ago, enjoying the last bit of summer while it lasted. We did a few "must sees" that were not all equally impressive, but at least we can takes that off of our list. We flew to Auckland, on a very early Monday morning, and from there we made our way back to Wellington by bus, stopping here and there.
First stop: Matamata. It's a small town, that was mostly living from agriculture until Peter Jackson flew over it with a helicopter and discovered a beautiful patch of hilly land, with a small pond in it. And so, Hobbiton was born.
They build a huge set full of little hobbit holes, filmed the three Lord of the Rings movies, and after that, broke the whole thing down, restoring it to a pasture for one of the many Matamata sheep. But when they started filming the Hobbit movies a few years later, they build it up again, and this time to stay. It is a HUGE tourist attraction now, with a new tour group departing probably every 5-15min. And it is expensive as hell. Luckily, Stijn got two tickets for his birthday, gifted by my benevolent parents, and so we could go and enjoy it, without feeling guilty about the costs. It is a beautiful place, if you neglect the horde of other tourists hovering around, and the very salesy attitude of the tour guides. All in all, it was super nice to have seen this in real life, but I don't think we would go back, or advise anyone on a tight budget or without any interest in Tolkien to stop there.
After our little movie nerd trip, we went down to Rotorua, for scientific nerdy stuff: geothermal activity. New Zealand is situated on the Ring of Fire, the edge of the Pacific tectonic plate, which makes for fun stuff like volcanoes, earthquakes and geothermal activity. It's also a bit strange.
Because honestly, bright yellow water with dead birds floating is just plain weird. And that is what we saw on another expensive excursion to Wai-o-Tapu (Maori for Holy water place). We also saw a wide range of colours you wouldn't expect. One of the pools didn't steal its name of Artist's Palette.
Rotorua is also well known for their Californian Sequoias (I also got confused with the geography of this one). Sequoias are apparently very specific of where they want to grow, and they grow very well in New Zealand. You might even say they grow better in New Zealand (New Zealand is just the best at everything, except football, chocolate, and cheese). And so we also went on a little walk up in the red woods. This is not something to do if you have a fear of height, and apparently also not if you are easily sea sick. The bridges swing, that was to be expected, but even the platforms in between are constantly shaking.
From Rotorua, we went further South, to Taupo, where we had booked a more luxurious camping, including heated swimming pool. We did a few hikes, such as one to the famous Huka Falls (which according to one blogger is one of the top 10 things to see in New Zealand.).
The falls are tiny, full of people, and honestly not even in our top 10 of New Zealand spots we have seen up until now (and we just started exploring, too). The river leading up to it is was definitely nicer and more impressive.
Overall, Taupo was quite disappointing. It is like the Blankenberge of New Zealand: Nothing really to see, but you can pay some good money for entertainment! Luckily, we had our swimming pool, and their delicious hamburgers. And I certainly enjoyed relaxing for the last days before I started to work.
And when we got home it was time to work! I am now the HR person at a cleaning company, which is a fun job to do, actually. It is very hands-on, and a lot of time it means I have to react to what is happening. Not a whole lot of planning ahead needed for that one. And the best part: it leaves me with an afternoon of drawing. The biggest downside of having a job is that it leaves us with little time to explore the countryside. But maybe that isn't that bad of a thing. Autumn has officially entered the country, and although all trees seem to still have their green leaves, the cold, the rain, and the wind are definitely setting in. It wouldn't be so bad, if most homes wouldn't literally be made out of cardboard (or so it feels, in any case), with just a tiny electric radiator to get some warmth. Enjoy your spring and summer, while it is there, now it is our turn to get jealous!