Our penultimate stop in the campervan was Rotorua. A popular tourist spot, the town is, quite literally, a hotbed of geo-thermal activity. Clouds of steam billow from drains in the road and over people's garden fences and there is a lingering small of sulphur in the air. There are spurting geysers, bubbling mud pools and countless opportunities to soak your weary bones in naturally heated mineral baths - at a cost. Our caravan park was a little pricier than usual but included some relaxing thermal pools, which we sat in until our fingers turned wrinkly.
As we hadn't yet indulged in any of the adrenaline activities that NZ is famous for, we decided Rotorua would be the place. We had our hearts set on zorbing (rolling down in a hill strapped into a clear plastic ball) initially, but apparently it was too windy to run the option we wanted that day. Instead we opted for the 'Swoop' just down the road.
You basically get strapped into two sleeping bags and hoisted by a crane to a great height. You then pull a cord and hurtle towards the ground until the rope is taught enough to become a giant swing that speeds you along through the air, and back again, a few times. The first bit is a lot like a bungy jump and the photos of us in mid-drop convey quite well the horror of falling really fast. It was really good fun though, and we were glad that we got the chance to try it.
After a slightly more sedate walk through the pretty redwood forests, we stayed one more night in our thermal caravan park and then headed off towards Auckland, stopping at the Coromandel Peninsula to sleep in a campsite in the woods.
When we got to Auckland, it was time to say 'goodbye' to the campervan. It had served us well, but we dropped it off at its rental depot and got the train into the city. We decided to stay in the suburb of Ponsonby, a pretty area, with lots of cafes but a disappointing nightlife if you don´t like shiny wine bars. On the Saturday night, we wandered into the city and K Road, which is apparently the place for a good night out. We were starting to get disheartened, as there didn´t seem to be anyone out and about and the bars we passed were either playing host to bad live bands or cross-dressing cabaret performers. Then we stumbled across a small shopping arcade (I made a beeline for the second-hand clothes shops) and discovered a band playing upstairs, and a really nice small bar downstairs with a half-decent playlist. We ended up staying there for a good while and had our first proper night out since New Year´s Eve!
After a few days in the city, we hopped on a train to the small town of Clevedon, where Greg, my brother-in-law´s Mum and brother (and family) live. His Mum was incredibly hospitable and we had a lovely couple of days, seeing where they live and generally enjoying staying in a nice house with all mod-cons.
Then she kindly gave us a lift to the airport and it was the start of the hellish flight pattern which would eventually land us in Lima, Peru.
