Tahiti and New Zealand

aneta — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:52:00 GMT

Tahiti

Total stay: 9 - 15 Nov (6 nights)
A Stopover in Tahiti was the only way out of Easter Island heading west, thus we thought we could make a short stop and have a closer look at the exotic place. The French Polynesia Franc currency notes were very decorative, but so large that we couldn't fit them in the wallet.

Fast Facts
Capital: Papeete
Known for: black pearls, exotic islands
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahiti

Flag (French Polynesia)

Papeete
9 - 10 Nov
We arrived at midnight and stayed at a small family run B&B place (there are only two rooms for rent). The first encounter with the French culture was a one-meter long fresh baguette for breakfast (fantastic!). We did some grocery shopping and head by boat for Moorea Island.

Moorea
10 - 15 Nov
Moorea is a volcanic island and has both white and black sand beaches. We stayed at a camping place (recommended by the owner of the camping on Easter Island) on a white-sand beach with an ocean front view bungalow. The only thing we did was to relax, talk to people, have a dip in the ocean, eat French baguettes straight from the oven and drink some wine. We met some guys from New Zealand and we decided to hook up again in NZ, which was our next destination.

While waiting for the bus to take us back to the boat terminal (at 5.30 am!), a huge rain cloud soaked us pretty serious. The funny thing was that the bus passed us on the opposite side of the road just seconds before the rain broke out, but before he turned back it was already over and we were dripping like wet dogs.

Map of Tahiti

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New Zealand

Total stay 16 - 24 Nov (7 nights)
Crossing the date line while flying to NZ resulted in one less day this year.
NZ has a great range of outdoor activities to offer, but there is no doubt that you need more time than a week and it will empty your wallet pretty quick. Every tiny activity costs money, even if it's only a mud bath in the nature.

Fast Facts Capital: Wellington Known for: kiwi (both the fruit and the bird), diverse nature, lambs Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NewZealand	Flag

Auckland
16 - 17 Nov
The city was clean and reminded us a little bit of Scandinavia and Scotland, because of very similar look of the houses, which were built of wood and concrete.
We took a 4,5 hrs drive bus to Rotorua. Our driver was an extrovert and funny elderly guy. He was telling stories about the areas we were passing and singing in Maori language.

Rotorua
17 - 21 Nov
Rotorua is rich in volcanic soil and there are plenty of thermal springs, dynamic geysers and bubbling mud pools. Some people call the place Fartopolis, because of the high odor of sulfur. The public park (Kuirau Park), close to where we stayed, has a crater lake, pools and boiling mud, plenty of hot steams and mineral baths for dipping, heated by the active soil. The "holes" were fenced in, but it looked, as the place would crack beneath us anytime. Actually there was an eruption in 2003, which covered most of the park in mud.

We visited Mitai Maori Village to catch up on Maori culture. The evening started with a concert where the Maori sang and preformed dances from their ancestors. The hangi (earth oven-cooked meal) was delicious, especially the lamb, which just melted in the mouth. The visit concluded with a guided walk to the bush serving Maori mythology, medicine and cuisine, where plenty of glowing worms were to observe.

To explore the nearby nature we rented a car. The water at Kerosene Creek's was quite hot. We couldn't stay inside for more than 15-20 minutes.

Mt Maunganui & Tauranga
21 - 22 Nov
We drove to Bay of Plenty, which is blessed with stunning sandy beaches and sunny weather. They've built a 250m artificial reef here. Fist we stopped at Mt Maunganui to catch the panoramic view from a 232m mountain (the Mount) and then explored Tauranga.

Hamilton
22 - 23 Nov
The day after we drove to Hamilton to hook up with the guys we met in Moorea. It was Per-Ove's birthday and we celebrated at a local reggae concert.

Auckland Airport
23 - 24 Nov
We stayed at a motel close to the airport, because we had an early flight to Melbourne.

Map of New Zealand

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Pacific photo collection:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/perove/collections/72157616062241707/

Video from New Zealand

Joakimsen.COM - Travel Blog : NewZealand, Pictures

Tahiti and New Zealand