So Erin has entrusted me once again with writing in the journal.
Day I
After Rotorua we made our way to Taupo. When we arrived it was freezing cold and windy! After checking into the Hostel we took a walk on the beach and then hung out and read in the park for a while (the parks in NZ are awesome, a ton of play areas, kind of wish I would've come here when I was six). After about an hour of reading I was on the verge of freezing to death so we made our way to a pub for a pint. We were talking to the bartender and he mentioned that Halloween was their best party of the year. We were pumped to be in a city where we could celebrate.
We made our way back to the Hostel and met our new dorm mates. One was from the states and after talking to him for a little while we realized that not only did he go to Gonzaga with us, but he actually lived next door to me. Kind of ironic if you ask me.
Day II
On our second day in Taupo we walked to Huka falls and then a dam. The guidebook said it was an all day walk, but I must have skipped over that part. Kiwi's call everything a walk, whether it is 1Km down the road or 100Km through the mountains. The walk turned into about 22K total and after a picnic lunch and waiting for the dam to open up we were gone for about 8 hours (I was expecting a 3 hour stroll). Huka falls was impressive and actually produced 15% of NZ electricity.
Day III (Halloween)
Since we decided to to go out for Halloween, Erin, Paul (the Gonzaga Alumni), and I needed some costumes. Erin and I went shopping and invited Paul, however he declined and said he would handle it later. If there is one thing in the world I dislike, it is shopping for Halloween costumes. I find it stressful and disappointing and I like nothing about it. Anyway, we went to three stores and each were equally lame. Who would have thought that buying a Halloween costume in a country that doesn't celebrate would be difficult? I finally found a pirate hook and decided I could make a pirate outfit, if you ask me it was pretty good. Erin stumbled across a shirt that read "personal trainer" and decided that it was a sign. Paul on the other hand was not so lucky, he waited till the last minute and ended up with a wizard hat. After shopping Erin and I went for a bike ride to the Honey Hive for some much needed wine tasting. I was kind of bummed about it until I realized that the ride there was all off road tracks. It turned out to be a blast and the Honey Hive even had Whiskey tasting.
Halloween was fun, we had some beers at the Hostel before going down to the bar. The bartender told us there would be games so I was on a mission to win something sweet. I didn't get picked for the first few games, but the last game was for couples and Erin and I were picked from the crowd. There were three couples on stage and the competition was to throw as many "Monkey Nuts" (peanuts in their shells) into your partners mouth as possible. It was dark and I couldn't see. Erin was throwing them with no luck, the judge started counting down and still no monkey nuts in my mouth. We realized if I didn't try to catch them Erin could toss them right in, 3-2-1 and we were on a roll. I caught a total of 6 monkey nuts, the other competitors only caught one. For our efforts we won a jet boat excursion for two, a $250.00 value!
All and all Taupo was a great time, and now we get to go back for our free jet boat ride!
