The gorgeous grounds outside the Estate. |
Since Criterion Art Deco was both rude and creepy, we decided to move to Stables Lodge Backpackers, across the street from the ocean. And they have a cat!! |
The hostel is an actual renovated horse stables. Each room is literally the size of a stable. |
And each room has a helpful horse painting on the door. |
The rooms had 2 sets of bunk beds bolted to each wall. It resembled a sleeping train car! |
They have a KITTEN!!! |
OH LOOKY LOOKY KITTEN SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!! |
Me gonna pack that kitten in my backpack next to the koalas. |
After a long day of wine tasting, we took a walk along the ocean. |
Skippin' stones in the Pacific. |
The next day, we drove to Taupo, a lakeside resort area in the center of New Zealand. This is the beginning of an hourlong hike to Huka Falls. |
Hikin' to Huka! Lake Taupo reminded us of Lake Tahoe. Or Kirkland. |
The Huka Rapids. |
So these are the Falls. Not very high or impressive, but the color is magnificent- an iridescent blue. |
This region of New Zealand is famous for geothermic hot springs. This is my first wade into them, post-hike! |
It's very popular to rent a campervan in New Zealand. On the road, we noticed Escape Campervans because each van is painted differently. Being a Muppets geek, out of all the vans we saw, this was obviously my favorite. |
Matt loves bees. Matt loves honey. New Zealand makes lots of organic honey. Therefore, the Huka Honey Hive was a must-see on the Taupo itinerary. |
Matt got to play inside a beehive... |
...and pose with his bee friends. |
After a day in Taupo, we continued north to Rotorua. Our hostel, Crank Backpackers, was in a renovated strip mall. Inside this massive hostel was a climbing wall, gym, movie theater, and 3 stories of rooms. |