New Zealand

        I'm going to do my best to condense this, but even so I think I'm going to have to make a post for each day I was in New Zealand. Everyday was just so jammed packed with beautiful scenery and fun activities and I want a chance to explain them all. I went on a 10 day tour of the North Island with a tour company called Flying Kiwi. I would highly recommend this company to anyone interested in visiting New Zealand. The guides were so much fun and they took us to all the best places!
        We camped most nights and cooked our food ourselves out of the trailer we pulled behind the bus and this kept costs down and really allowed us to fully experience the untouched beauty of New Zealand. We always camped by the water, usually the beach although sometimes a lake or a river and we all became very quick at making and breaking down our camp. It felt good to do it myself rather than have my father or brother do it for me. I only had trouble sleeping one night when it was very cold, but other than that we had perfect weather with maybe one hour of rain the first night when we were already in our tents.
         My trip started and finished in Auckland which we passed through once more in between as we made a figure-eight over the island. Auckland is New Zealand's largest city and each time the tour passes through it they drop some people off and pick up others. People can join the tour at any point and because of this I had the chance to meet new people as we went.
         My first day we headed south from Auckland to Hot Water Beach where we relaxed on the beach and used shovels to dig small pools of hot water to sit and splash around in. Much of the north island is thermal and hot water bubbles just below its surface in these places. Half our pool was lukewarm and the other half burned our feet. After some time at the beach we got dressed and made camp nearby and then headed to a hiking trail that lead to Cathedral Cove. It was a nice sized walked and was a bit hilly because it was New Zealand after all. ha. It lead to a beautiful cove with very unique rock formations that was definitely worth the walk and it allowed me to get better acquainted with my travel companions. It was a great first day and the start of a fantastic holiday. Quite possibly my best vacation yet!