Rotorua and the Waitomo Caves

In Rotorua, we were not very productive on the first day and only ran some errands. On Saturday, we hiked in the Redwoods and completed a 2-hour hiking track, which was incredibly exhausting given the clear sky and the midday heat. But it was worth it, the forest was really beautiful.

On Sunday, we drove to Wai-O-Tapu, where we saw a geyser erupt and took a walk through the park with thermal springs. It was very interesting and sometimes hard to believe that none of these things are man-made. However, it also smelled really bad 🙄

Afterwards, we hitchhiked back and on the way, we visited so-called Hot and Cold Pools, where you can - as the name suggests - decide whether you want to swim in the cold or in the warm. The warm part is really hot, around 40-50 degrees Celsius, thanks to the thermal springs in the ground, which felt like a free whirlpool bath 😇

Our hostel in Rotorua was the Funky Green, run by a family and so far one of the nicest hostels. The owner was German, very kind, and had a really cute daughter, and we felt very comfortable in the atmosphere.

On Tuesday, we drove to Waitomo, a really small and rather unknown place. The only thing to see here are the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. There are different tours offered, and we chose the Black Water Rafting Tour. On Wednesday, we had to get up early because we had booked the tour at 8 o'clock, and then we put on wet wetsuits. Dressed rather sexily, we went with the shuttle to the caves where we had to jump down two waterfalls and saw many beautiful glowworms. They were blue, and when everyone turned off their headlamps, the sight was simply beautiful. Our guides were cool and it was really a lot of fun. In the end, we got a hot shower, which we really needed for our numb hands, and soup and a bagel. Okay, Sophia and I might have snagged a bagel or two more, but as backpackers, you appreciate every meal very much. The rest of this sunny day, we spent relaxing in the sun and going to the pool.

Yesterday, we hitchhiked to Taupo, where we will spend Christmas. Hitchhiking wasn't as easy at the beginning as it usually is because the direct highway to Taupo was partially closed. After being told to try another highway that takes a detour, we still didn't get picked up. Frustrated after 2 hours in the blazing midday heat, we finally drove through Hamilton, where we were quickly picked up and reached our destination with 5 rides. After that exhausting day yesterday, we had to take a break today and haven't done anything. The YHA hostel here is really cool and we hope to have a nice Christmas Eve with summery weather tomorrow!