Kia Ora for starters which means hello or welcome or is generally just a nice greeting that maoris give to each other. So far, my time here in New Zealand has been quite action packed and pretty fun. I am travelling with a tour company designed specifically for backpackers called Kiwi Experience. I am enjoying it but at the same time, if someone else was here with me or if I had befriended a couple of fellow passengers before the trip began, I would have preferred to hire a car and drive around myself because then I could just go at my own pace and not have to rush through things or spend too much time in other places.
 
The Maori culture is so alive and thriving in this country. It is actually quite refreshing to see, especially after seeing how the Aboriginal culture is treated in Australia. A lot of the good aspects of the Maori way of life and attitude are generally permeated throughout everything that is done here. I flew into Auckland, which was quite a cute city. I wasn't there too long at all so unfortunately, didn't get a very good feel for it. That said - I think I would enjoy it if I was there longer. However, it was VERY COLD there. I'm pretty sure the South Island of New Zealand is going to be even colder because it's the dead of their winter so that should be interesting.
 
So, while I'm in New Zealand - what is there to do??? It pretty much comes down to 3 things. Lord of the Rings, Rugby/Adventure Sports and Maori Culture
 
1) Lord of the Rings
For this, I went to Matamata which is the home of the private farm that Peter Jackson used to build the "Shire" for the hobbits. Unfortunately, virtually all of the sets are gone now and the only thing left is the "Welcome to Hobbitton" sign. The town actually renamed itself Hobbitton but too many locals or tourists couldn't find signs anymore pointing in the correct direction so they changed it back to Matamata. There might be more LOTR stuff to see on the South Island but all the formal tours are VERY expensive so we'll see what happens.
 
2) Rugby/Adventure Sports
I saw the New Zealand National team (the All Blacks) play an international test match against Ireland last night at Waikato stadium in Hamilton. It was a lot of fun and quite a fun sport to watch live, especially because the All Blacks came back and one the match in the end. I definitely liked watching this brand of Rugby (Union) over the match I saw in Australia two weeks ago (League).
 
As far as Adventure sports go, well I've already done a few and have a few more yet to experience. For starters, I went Sea Kayaking in the Corundal region in a place called Mercury Bay. It was a beautiful afternoon. We got to see some sea lions and enjoyed hot chocolates on the beach (which were amazing especially when the sun went down) And man, when the sun went down, it got COLD.
 
I also tried a relatively new activity. Something called Zorbing. Check out the link. Yep, that's right - I rolled down a hill in a ball filled with water. I did it with 2 other people - a couple of UW engineers that I met on my tour. The cool part is that I went to school at UW with Jess' sister Amanda about 4 years ago but the two of us had never met before.
 
I also did an amazing trip called the Black Abyss in the Waitomo Caves. It included Absailing down a narrow 35 metre cave in the dark (with only a headlamp). I was quite scared during this because you are literally just hanging from a rope the whole way down. Once inside the cave, we got to do some Zip Lining, which basically meant that our harness was connected to a line and we went for a 50 metre ride over the water. Doesn't sound that bad does it? Try doing that in complete Pitch Black Darkness. Absolutely scary but totally beautiful especially with all the bioluminescent glowworms hanging around on the ceiling, The trip ended with us climibing up 3 waterfalls. No ropes, no nothing. Just old school climbing on slippery rocks to get out. Simply amazing!
 
AND TODAY, I jumped off a plane at 12,000 feet above the ground. Yep that's right. I WENT SKY DIVING!!! I experienced 45 seconds of freefall. It was absolutely amazing. I think I built it up in my head to be a lot scarier than it actually ended up being. But wow, it was such a cool experience. Definitely a once in a lifetime thing. Words can't describe the freefall feeling. Once the chute was opened, I was just sitting back and enjoying the view. What a beautiful way to experience the lovely scenery around here. I saw snowcapped mountains, a great lake and amazing greenery for miles and miles.

 

I attended a traditional Maori dinner and experienced first hand the feast called a Hungi and the concert. It was a site to be seen and definitely worth it if you ever come here. As I said earlier, the culture is so rich and beautiful.

I'm off to the East Coast tomorrow for a few days to experience true Maori culture. I'm definitely looking forward to it. And seeing Whale Rider last week has defintiely made me more pumped.