SmaviesAdventures

Auckland and our final thoughts on New Zealand Sunset in Mangere I'd like to say that I have lots of things to say about Auckland and the exciting adventures that we had there, but I unfortunately don't. Truth be told we were quite tired after all our adventures in Hobbiton and Rotorua . We stayed in a place on the outskirts of Auckland called Mangere. Mangere was a little confusing as it wasn't clear whether we were actually in Auckland or just another place, but that is where the airport is, which was our main reason for coming to Auckland. My other confusion with Mangere is how it is pronounced. Man Gary? Man Jerry? Manga Ray? Like the french word Manger? The possibilities were endless but the bus driver merely nodded and took our money for a ticket, he didn't give us any indication of how it was to be pronounced. The view across Mangere Lagoon We only had two short days in Auckland and so decided that to make the most of it we would spend the ...

Rotten Rotorua, (just the smell) The Boiling Lake Rotoura is most famous for its eggy smell, and you guys are lucky you didn't have to put up with Andrew making farting jokes at your expense at every opportune moment. Many Rotorurian's are no longer under the illusion that their famed eggy smell comes from the sulfur being produced by the volcanic activity and the local pools, but are utterly convinced of my jet powering abilities. Thanks Andrew. (oddly there was a newspaper clipping in our accommodation implying that the smell was an aphrodisiac to men... Lucky chickens...) A Redwood Trunk Nonetheless, Rotorua was a lovely town to visit, we spent a few hours viewing the smelly swampy areas (sulfur bay), and all the beautiful wild life and birds there keeping their little leggy peggies warm in the pools and the nearby lake. The Eerie Dead Lakes The next day we went to a beautiful place called the Redwoods, with these stunning redwood trees that towered ove...

An adventure in New Zealand's South Island Our time is somewhat limited in New Zealand, we have just over two weeks to travel through the country and explore some of its sights, many would say that this is not enough. I am inclined to agree with this statement, however with financial constrictions and a desire to see a lot of South America and all the other wonderful places we've been, we were unable to spend too long in New Zealand's stunning scenery (but hopefully we will be back in the future!).  So we had a week to spend in the South Island where due to flights we started in Christchurch before moving to Kaikoura (I do now realise that a map may be helpful!) Ta da! Thanks to the Lonely Planet! So as you can see Christchurch is quite far north and we miss some epic sites from the rest of the island, but this was the best we were able to do. Christchurch Our time in Christchurch was somewhat odd. We stayed in a gentleman's house who was really...

Pacific Paradise Here you'll find links to each of our posts for our time in the pacific, covering both New Zealand and Fiji before we head off to South America for nearly three months. Below you'll find posts on 1. Fiji 2. New Zealand, South Island, Christchurch and Kaikoura. 3. Wellington, a Food Paradise 4. Rotorua, Hobbits and Glow Worms. 5. Auckland. 1. Fiji, an Albino trapped in Paradise Sunset on Mana Island 2. New Zealand, South Island A Misty Afternoon in Kaikoura 3. Wellington, A Food Paradise Olivia's happy face after eating 4. Rotorua, Hobbits and Glow Worms Bag End in Beautiful Hobbiton 5. Auckland. Sunset at Mangere Lagoon Extras! Overview European Ecstasy Adventures in Asia Pacific Paradise Southern South American Splendour Central Celestial Scenes Incan Delights Heading North See more photos  here .