Choice.
I fly into Brotown last week and we were generously put up by my mate N who lives in Auckland. On Friday we drove down through
Tirau - an awesome little down with a freaky
clockshop.....but great lunch - then down to Rotorua to see all the bubblymud geothermal attractions NZ has to offer.
Hells Gate
Ultimud Package - was really worth it. We kitted up into our cossies - something quite funny - given it was like 14 degrees, then we submerged ourselves into a private mud pool (warm). It was super fun. Honestly do you ever grow out of the mudpie stage?? We took way too many inappropriate photos of mudboobs, mudfaces and mudbutts. Next was the plunge into the sulpher pool (after a very nasty cold water mud wash off) followed by a warm shower. After the shower we then all had massages and some manuka tea (teatree flavoured tea). After being super relaxed we then did the walk/circut through the natural attraction.
After that super relaxing trip when then booked into our
hotel . IN record time 3 chicks managed to shower and get dressed and makeup to attend the cultural show/dinner downstairs at the hotel. There was a huge amount of middle aged korean and american tourists, but that didn't put us off having fun. Bob and Patty from SantaBarbara - sorry to admit to you - but 'happy finish' is not an australian colloquialism for goodbye - oooops..! *teehee*
After the show, and two bottles of wine - we were at that stage where you either go to bed or go out partying....we did the latter. Found a themebar - called the
GrumpyMole which was just too funny for words. And we achieved our aim of finding some bro's to dance with - how YOU doin? worked just as well over there as it does back home!! Anyways we got sick of that place after some serious dancing and headed to some other dodgy pub, did some more dancing and then started to get way too tired, so we headed back to the hotel, where I promptly decided that even though it was 2am in the morn, and we had drunk heaps and heaps - it was the perfect time to use the hotel laundry (which was across from our room) so I did pissedwashing!!
EWwwwwwww in the morn - I had clean clothes, but a feral hangover. Luckily we found an awesome cafe in town with a great big fry up and when out stomaches and heads had finally settled we explored the shops and lake Rotorua in a peddle boat. (had to get exercise in somewhere). We drove up the coast to
Maketu Beach to have some FUSH and CHUPS on the beach. It was really really awesome - oh and we saw a three legged dog. hmmm
Next on the trip was tackytouristland -
Kiwiworld. Yes a giant kiwi to rival our Big Pineapple, Banana, Prawn and Sheep. It was such a wallet zone though - all the tourist souveniers were just so overpriced it was a joke.
After that we headed up to visit and stay with Nic's parents in
Tauranga. Simply stunning spot and we did the
Mount Maunganui walk then settled into hot salt water pools for a relax after the walk.
We headed out for a big night (not as big as the night before) and found another grumpymoles and found an awesome restaurant for dinner.
The next day we headed up to
KatiKati which was just beautiful and we stopped and had an awesome morning tea. Then off to
Karanganhake Gorge for a bushwalk through an old train tunnel and through some breathtaking bush.
Next up to Pareo to see the famous L&Pbottle (softdrink that kinda tastes like lemonade with gingerbeer)and onto
Ngatea for a great lunch at the watergardens - then finally back to Auckland for work. We stayed at the Duxton really nice hotel blah blah, and on the Sunday night we did the Skytower for dinner - view, food, wine was awesome!!. Monday night we took outselved out for noodles and the
open mic night at the comedy club. The funniest thing on the night was some comedian knocking over his pre performance drink on my table and me getting beer all over my jeans from my undies to my socks. Thanks Bro. I could have chucked a hissy, but instead demanded he buy me a drink to compensate. The comedy itself was shithouse. Seriously - a couple of the comedians used jokes about stuff that is soooo not remotely funny. Now I can do inappropriate. I have a sick sense of humour but jokes about kiddy fiddling? was just really really not funny. So at interval we ran and never looked back.
Tuesday dinner was at an awesom awesome restaurant -
Monsoonpoon - where I had a cool cocktail - Poontang - and great food, great service and great company.
Wednesday our last night in NZ was spent back at my friend Nics house in her heated spa with some of her other mates, lots of wine, takeout indian and lots of lots of fun.
Thursday - finished up in the office, went to the supermarket to stockup on perky nanas, pinkybars and other nz chocolate delights and headed off to the airport for a flight delay (3 hours *nah*. Finally touched down in Sydney 3 hours later - hit dutyfree and then waited for ever to get thru customs and then a hideous taxi queue at Sydney Airport.
Got home to find my husband, and 2 daughters waiting up for me (son couldn't stay awake any longer).
Nothing like coming home.
