Next stop... Auckland.... albeit briefly... the bus journey there was pretty quiet (and can i add for once i wasn't hungover on the bus!!) We got to Auckland by mid-afternoon and checked into ACB hostel. The rest of the afternoon was spent running around on a wild gooschase trying to find the post office that mum had sent a parcel for me to. Without success i returned to the hostel and got my head down early as it was another early start for me the next day... at 0715 i was off to the Bay of Islands for 2 days. Named so due to the 144 islands dotted around the area and famous for being where the first settlement was in NZ. I did manage to call home before bed though, today is my lovely brother's 25th birthday so thought I'd call the 'old' boy and say hello. Map - I hope you had a fab day and got spoilt lots, I'm sorry i couldn't be there. Love you lots x
Not bright, but early the next morning I was on my way up to Paihia, 4 hours north of Auckland.... we hotfooted it up there and were there my late morning. The girls were actually up there too but they were heading back to Auckland and as I'd bookec myself on the Swimming with Dolphin's tour that afternoon we wouldn't manage to catch up which was a shame. Anyway, I was excited that I'd finally get to swim with the Dolphins so early afternoon headed out on the tour... the waters were calm and things were looking promising.... but it wasn't to be! We saw lots of bottle nose dolphins and they were amazing but despite several attempts, getting very wet and cold, when we got in the water they were more interested in catching themselves some fish than playing with us. I was gutted I have to admit and kicking myself that i didn't swim with the ones in Kaikoura who were so playful. So, i returned to shore a little downhearted but figured that I'll try again somewhere else so c'est la vie!
The evening was spent at the hostel just having some food, chatting to Ehuka - one of the Stray drivers - who took pity on my dull pasta meal and kindly gave me some tuna to spice it up a little - then headed to bed and relaxed with my book. I was booked on a cruise out to the famous Hole in the Rock at 9am the next morning so thought I'd get an early night -not to mention try and save some pennies.
Despite the early night, i still managed to have to run to catch the boat the next morning - much to the amusement of Anna and Jonathan, 2 peeps I met when out of breath i made it on to the boat!! I ended up spending the whole cruise with them, Anna a kiwi and Jonathan from Israel are both lovely and made the cruise fun - especially as much to our disappointment, we'd woken to grey skies and rain.... resulting in rough waters, seasickness for yours truly and not a hope in hell of us even getting close to the hole in the rock let alone sailing through it!!!! We managed to have fun though and amuse ourselves watching Anna beat Jonathan at arm wrestling - the male ego took a little beating on that one, bless you Jonathan!! heehee!
I had a few hours to kill before the bus back to Auckland but as it was raining so much there was little else to do in Paihia so i just chilled out in the TV room at Pipi Patch, the hostel i was staying at. To be honest, the whole 2 days cost me a fair bit of the little money i have left and thanks to the weather and the dolphin swimming not happening, was something I could've done without really. The place is amazing and you can tell in the sunshine why people would love it so much but i don't think I really saw it at it's best. I'll have to go back in the Summer when I've more time to get 
up to Cape Reinga, go sandboarding and see where the ocean's meet - that's supposed to be wicked... the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea i believe it is!Anyway... the journey back to Auckland passed painlessly enough, we watched Wedding Crashers and bantered away with driver Jarrad... I was excited to be going back to Auckland as Becky and Aideen were there and we had a big night out planned. I was looking forward to being back with the girls - I'd missed them loads and it'd only been a few days! x
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