Days 1-3...I think...

Kia Ora Friends!

After a flight delay, missed connection, piss-y US Airways attendant, screaming child sitting next to me, 10-hr layover, and 13-hr flight from LAX to Auckland, I have made it to New Zealand!!  I spent most of the afternoon wandering downtown Auckland and people watching.  My first cultural experience; I passed two Justin Bieber look-a-likes singing on the street.  They were singing Wagon Wheel...REALLY?!?!  Sigh, I guess Tennessee will always find me :)

Why can't we have bars like this in the middle of town??

 In the afternoon, I took the NakedBus (name not representative of expected bus attire) to Rotorua to stay at the Funky Green Voyager backpackers.  I met two other backpackers (Anne and Melanie) who asked if I wanted to travel with them to Wai-O-Tapo.  Step 3, let things happen as they happen, and say yes to adventure when it presents itself.  So off we went.  

Side Notes:
Backpackers lodging: for anyone that hasn't stayed in them, they are a decently inexpensive way to spend the night in cities and to meet other people on their travels.  The cheapest and most common choice is to stay in a dorm, where there are several beds in a large room with communal bathrooms and showers.

Maori: the indigenous people of New Zealand.  They are especially prevalent on the north island, and there is a large concentration in Rotorua.

Wai-O-Tapo: I'm getting there.

Rotorua was like entering a city-size Kraft Paper Mill (or for the non-paper dork, it smelled like rotten eggs from all the sulphur in the area).  It is an active geothermal area, with several geysers, natural hot springs, and a history of volcanic activity.  The naturally heated water attracted the Maori to settle there for easy access to hot water and the ability to cook food in the hot Earth (food referred to as hangi).

Minerals in the water have distinctive coloring.

When you hear air blowing out of the ground and discover its source, do NOT reach down and touch it.  It will burn you.  ( I swear someone told me this, I didn't learn it by burning my fingers.....)

Hot and Cold Springs: Nature's hot tubs.  Water flowing in behind me was cold, while water flowing in from the side was extremely hot.  The mixture makes a wonderful sulfur hot spring to soak in.  Regrettably, it took two days to wash out the smell.

Anne, Melanie, and I spent the day wandering through Wai-O-Tapo, and watched the Lady Knox Geyser be stimulated into eruption by surfactant (...I'm just going to let that one hang...).  For the evening I went to Mitai and watched a traditional haka be performed and had some fantastic hangi (sweet potatoes, chicken, lamb, and other vegetables).  The haka I cannot adequately explain...Please go here for a better visual.

 My fearless backpacker leaders at Lady Knox Geyser. (When I first saw this picture, I thought I needed more sun.  As I sit here burnt to a crisp, I regret that thought...)

Day 3, the adventure continues.  We met a delightful dairy farmer on our travels to Taupo.  She offered us free food and board for the exachange of labor on her farm...Specifically waking up at 4:30am to milk her 360 cows and clean the facility afterwards (seriously, cows should not poop so much!).  Poor Melanie ended the morning with cow poo on her face and in her hair...

I may or may not have entertained myself for part of the day by chasing calves around the field...They were adorably terrified of me, especially when I hid in the high grass and jumped out at them...

First sunset in New Zealand at the farm.  This picture does not do it justice.

Round 1: Before the poo.

The rest of my day we spent in Taupo at Huka Falls.  Tomorrow we move on to Tongariro for some hiking.  I have yet to decide whether to do the one-day hike or continue further on the four-day tramp.  We shall see how my fickle mind feels tomorrow...

Huka Falls

Fun fact; the girls I am staying with both speak French.  I only know a little French, but we are quickly teaching each other important words and phrases.  For instance, I taught them what a "sugar daddy" is and had to define "breeding" for them (animal sex to make babies).  They have taught me that fly (the bug) is le mouch (pronounced moosh, now one of my favorite words), and "J'ai la tete dans le cul", which literally translates to "I have a head in the ass" but more means "I look/feel like shit".  It was also recommended to me to watch a movie that they translated as "The Small Kleenex".  I foresee a hilariously beautiful bonding of countries through our relationship....