September 30:

Well today was not at all what I had planned. My alarm did not go off today. I was supposed to have a tour around Rotorua, but I didn't. Instead I woke up around 9:30 to realize that I was not holding my alarm clock in my hand, as usual. Then I began to freak out when I read the time, great. Well, the bus had come and gone already, there was nothing I could do, so I just put the covers back over me and went back to sleep. It was actually a pretty good day.

The rest of the day pretty much consisted of me sleeping. I really needed it. Plus it was all rainy and gross outside. I did not want to walk around in that. And all the sights were far away from town, you needed the stupid bus tours.

For dinner though I went to a great restaurant - a Korean place. It was so yummy. I ate everything. It was a much better experience than last nights. On this trip, I made a promise to myself. I would not eat fast food while I was traveling or in school. I would atleast try to go out for food at a good restaurant or make myself food, just NO FAST FOOD. Well last night, I went to a decent restaurant. I went to Freos, a few blocks away from my hotel. It seemed nice, good decor, good amount of people, and clean. I went in and ordered a great meal: Corona, Parmesan crusted mussels and venison pie. It was all so bad. The beer had no lime, they just did not have any. But I am flexible, I said ok and drank it anyways. The beer was too sweet to drink. I forced myself to drink half of it, I didn't want to throw away $6, but the beer won in the end. The mussels were to chewy, more than I am used to. It was like rubber, so not very appetizing. I ate two. Then the real deal, venison pie. It was supposed to be like a shepherd's pie, creamy mashed potatoes with cheese hiding big chunks of melt-in-your-mouth venison, carrots, onions and a rich sauce. WRONG. I could not eat it. I think my taste buds are screwy. I gave up.

Dinner was not what I expected it to be. I paid the bill and went on my way. While walking out I remembered the golden arches, a couple of blocks back, so I went. The fries were cold, the nuggets were a little chilly, but it hit the spot. If you have ever traveled over seas in not so great places, you will understand. For those of you who have been to Russia, the cuisine over there is less than stellar. When I was there it was all boiled meat and potatoes, morning, noon and night. By the fourth day rolled around, the whole group, even the grown-ups were racing for the golden arches. Sometimes, it is a good thing to see the yellow arches....sometimes.


Today (October 1) was a good day. Over here it is day lights saving....I would assume over there as well, but maybe not. I woke up and got into a huge coach, fit for about 50...too bad there was only five of us, including the driver, a translator, me and a couple. We drove to Waitomo Cave - a large cave with a river that runs through it. The thing that makes this place so special are the hundreds upon hundreds of glow worms that dwell up above. It was amazing to see. The cave is limestone with stalagmite and stalactite's everywhere. The site was amazing.

The glow worms only live for about 11 months. They go through four different stages. Their last stage is turning into a fly. During this stage they have no mouth, so they die of starvation or being eaten by one of their own. The part that lets then glow is in their tail. When born and the glow worms are developing they give off this mucus from their mouth, which drops from the ceiling. This creates a web to attract their food of flys and mosquito's. It was all very fasinating, a little gross at times, but really cool.

Then we went to a buffet lunch at The Big Apple Cafe - a good buffet. Then boarded the bus again and took a 3 hours bus drive to Auckland, where I am now. The trip was not bad, the day was not bad. It was a good ending. Now I am in my hotel, showered and ready to go to bed. I thought I would write in my blog as my last entry for this particular journey, since today is my last day traveling around Australia and New Zealand. (Happy birthday mommy) Tomorrow beings my journey into culinary school. The actual day of start is October 3, but whose counting!?! I have a car coming to pick me up at 6 in the morning to take me to the airport. Where I will wait for hours and board my plane (if it's not late) around 9 for Sydney. After going through customs again, I will find a taxi and go to my place of residence in Ryde, New South Wales, Maharlika Gardens. Go get ready for chapter two of the journey!