Rotorua: 12-21 September

When we got into Rotorua it was raining. It was a good foreshadow for the week... Once we got settled in Crank Backpackers we found a good Thai restaurant down the street called Amazing Thai, I think every city in the world has an "Amazing Thai" restaurant.... Then after a huge meal we walked a bit of the town, since it was a Sunday night the town turned into a ghost town. We found a nice bar to relax called Pig and Whistle. It is a bar in the old police station, hence the name! Then got some rest for the big painting day on Monday!

Monday morning we were all ready to paint! We painted the window walls of the hostel rooms BRIGHT green. It actually fit the hostel pretty well. I got to paint with Nicki all day and we listen to some great music and couldn't stop chatting!

Nicki hard at work :)

After painting we went to the grocery store again to buy food for the week because all of our bank accounts were starting to hurt from all the going out to restaurants and bars we've been doing. Because Rotorua is surrounded by geothermal areas it reeks of sulphur... no use getting to this smell.

That night we had an amazing spaghetti dinner again. :) After that we needed to let loose after our tremendously hard day of painting ;) so we decided to go to this town's Base bar, called Lava. It turned out to be a lot of fun, even though we usually dislike the Base bars, but when your with good people it is always fun!

The next day was another fun full day of painting! Today, I painted with Feli the whole day and again we listened to some good music, aka Backstreet Boys and some talking guy who helps people fall asleep.... But we also couldn't stop talking and had a great time! Then at the end of the day we helped Nicki, Bastian, and Niko (a guy from Argentina who also was painting for accommodation) finish painting the gym a sky blue.

We make a great team!

Always having fun! :)

On Wednesday the 22, we set off to Hell's Gate. It is a geothermal area with bubbling mud pools and hot thermal springs. It was awesome to see! We soaked in a hot spring water tub and got messy in their mud bath! It felt great and made our skin all clean, smooth, and stinky!

Mud fun!

The mud bath and hot springs turned us into zombies and the rest of the day was a relaxing day. We went to local cinema that night and the only movie that was playing was Salt or The Expendables. We are all indecisive so someone finally picked The Expendables. As Bastian put it, "The Expendables: amazing cast of 80s, 90's, and 00's action all-stars, about 2 1/2 good jokes plus 120 senseless minutes of totally plot-free action." Couldn't have said it better myself.

Thursday was a rainy, gloomy rainy day so we all did a lot of internet stuff and job searched some more. Feli and I walked the town a little bit and she decided to get her nose pierced! She took it like a champ! Nicki, Bastian and I again went to Amazing Thai because it was so close. A good, relaxing day.

The next day I set off to Kawerau, about an hour east of Rotorua, for a job interview at Tui Glen Farm. It is a 3500 acre farm with 40 horses, dogs, cats, and dirt karts! I got there in the early afternoon so once I got there Steph from Luxembourg, took me on a trek to see how I could ride. It started to pour so we had to cut it short. After that I helped put the show horses to "bed." Pauline cooked us all a chicken, vegetable, and sweet potato dinner! Home cooked meal! Yay! It start to really pour during dinner then after that the wind started to really pick up. Around 9 pm I opened the porch door and it sounded like all the trees around us were twisting, turning, and breaking. With trees all around the farm, it was scary to go to bed...

The next morning, I saw that I was right. The driveway was covered with some huge fallen trees, but luckily all the farm buildings still stood and no animals were hurt! So that morning I helped clean up the trees. I also got to drive the first time here! They drive on the wrong side of the road here... Weird worl they live here! After that a group of young girls came to do a trek for one of their birthdays. So Steph and I took them on a short trek! After the trek I had to head back into town to catch the bus back to Rotorua. On the way back, Pauline, the owner, offered me the job! There is a kids camp starting 26 September and goes till 10 October. So I am going to assist with the 8-15 year olds on horse treks, dirt karts, activities, etc.! For that I get accommodation, three meals a day, a stipend, and lots of free fun activities!!! Not a bad first real job! :)

I got back to Rotorua early afternoon and met back up with "the family" at Fatdog, a place with great paninis! Since it was Feli's birthday the next day we had a fun full night planned for us! We went out to dinner at Tandoori Palace, an amazing Indian restaurant; went to Pig and Whistle to listen to a terrible cover band; and then headed to Lava. Herbie was working again so it was a very cheap night! It was a another great night with lots of memories!

Happy Birthday Feli! (Herbie on the right)

Sunday was a very relaxing day. It was a gloomy day again so Feli and I mostly toured around the town, went into some shops, went to Lake Rotorua, then "the family" went to an Italian restaurant for some dinner. Then we all watched Crash with some other people from the hostel.

On Monday we set off to go do some whitewater rafting! It was so, SO extreme!! Highly recommended wherever you are. The Kaituna River we went down is a Grade 5 river, the highest the grade is a Grade 6, so...yeah...

Gofor (our guide), two Aussies, Feli and Nicki, Me and Bastian

After the 7 meter (23 foot) waterfall!!

After 13 awesome drops, twisting rapids, and of course the risky 7 meter waterfall, we all survived. What an adrenaline rush! That night was the last night "the family" would have together for a few weeks because the next day I am off to Tui Glen Farm and the other three rented a car for two weeks to travel the east coast of the north island! We went back to Tandoori Palace because it was so so good the first time and it was just as good the second time! 

That morning I packed my packs again! After making the packs as full as they can be, there is always one more thing that doesn't fit. Push, shove, squish, squeeze, zip! Since I will be on the farm for a few weeks, I got my first hair cut in NZ!

I was then off to my first real job at Tui Glen Farm, 2km from Kawerau! I am so excited to be working with horses!! Lots of work with lots of fun! Can't wait!