I made it to the Coromandel. When I got to Thames (said like the river in London), I wanted to head up north to a different part of the mountains than my bus was traveling to. I asked the bus driver, and he told me to hitch-hike. Now, I have heard from several smart people here in N.Z. that hitch-hiking is very safe and easy.
I wasn't on the side of the road for 5 minutes before a white toyota pulled over. In it were 3 American college students from Indiana University (Shen, Evan and Phil). They gave me a ride and we made fast friends (Hemingway, Budha, Orson Scott Card, and many other classics). So I stuck with them and ended up in Wangamata (not in my original plan). Today we are heading to Hamilton (going to hike and fish along the way).
If I have them drop me off at Waitomo in a couple days, I will be right back on my bus route. We will see; it is nice to have some travel buddies for a while. These are the kinds of stories I wanted to have. I might also go WWOOFing in this area for a while.
I also made friends with two Kiwi guys at the Backpacker lodge in Auckland. I hope I find them in Wellington. Never do we know what's in store...that is why we have to grow our trustfulness.
