Day One

Leaving Ohakune behind we made our way to Rotorua.  Driving along Lake Taupo, which is the largest lake in New Zealand.  Once in Rotorua, we stopped at a Kiwi sanctuary where we got to see some Kiwis!  We had a tour of the facilities where they showed us how they cared for them.  They showed us the ways they were trying to help protect and increase the numbers of these animals in the wild.

After checking into our hotel, that evening we enjoyed a Mitai experience.  Here we had a traditional dinner cooked for us underground.  We then saw some of the Mauri people teaching us about their culture in a show.  We ended the night with a bushwalk and saw some glow worms.

Day Two

Today we had the day in Rotorua, after checking out some of the geothermal pools there I enjoyed a lovely massage.

In the afternoon we went out and did the ultimate canopy tour.  This involved getting harnessed up and zip-lining across the forest.  It was incredible, we did zip-lines up to 400m long.  Travelling through valleys in the rainforest – the views were amazing.  Our guides were brilliant, they made the whole experience so enjoyable and were very informative.  One thing I liked about this experience was that whilst having fun we got to learn about the conservation there.  All across New Zealand, they are working towards removing all the pests and introduced species there.  These are animals that are killing species which are native to New Zealand – such as Kiwis.