G-adventures tour start.

Part 1:
So it is now morning on Dec 1. Its the first official day of my NZ tour. I'm hanging in. I got to bed around midnight I think and the alarm was set for 630am so it wasn't exactly a great sleep but better than nothing for sure. I woke up several times...I think due to the jet lag but seemed to fall back quickly. I stayed at Nomads Auckland. The street outside was very lively but also noisy as a result. We had the windows open in the room because there was no AC (this is the budget part of the tour). It must be like the main street in Auckland. I could hear people and music throughout the night.  There are a lot of student travelers here. Luckily  I was so exhausted I didn't even care.

There was a free b-fast of toast and cereal which was cool.  I met my entire tour group. There are about 15 of us. My roomates are Carrie and Lynn from Norway and Sunny from Germany. The Norwegians are really nice after all.

I'm now sitting on a bus waiting to head out. We apparently have a 3 hour drive to our next destination. Apparently today will involve swimming and/or kayaking. Sounds fun...but so does sleep! Maybe ill catch some zzz's on the bus.

I haven't had internet since I left the airports so I'm not sure when ill be able to publish these posts. No time to get a Sim card yet.

Part 2:
After the bus ride we arrived in Raglan. We stopped at a local farm. They gave us a presentation on the animals they farm, which include fish, alpaca, sheep and donkeys.  They gave us some fresh honey to try as well as locally grown macadamian nuts. Yum!  We then headed down to the river (alpacas and donkeys in toe) where we started our sea kayaking trek. We kayaked for over an hour in VERY choppy waters. We transitioned from a large fresh water river (one of the longest in NZ i think)  to the salt water harbour.  it ws tough and WET and we were all pooped. Just what i needed eh?  I got to kayak with one of the locals because there was an odd number which was nice tho cause I got a bit of a guided tour.

We arrived at our destination and then boarded a small motorized yacht. We then had a yummy bbq (burgers and salad) and tried to dry off.  It was chilly. The sun was behind the clouds and the wind was strong. I would guess about 15 degrees maybe and windy. This does not bode well for the cold that I am trying to kick.

Ps. I'm still going strong despite the lack of sleep and kayaking marathon.

Part 3:
After the bbq we took the yacht back to raglan and stopped in town to by snacks/lunch for the next day.  The town was quaint...we were on a main street lined with shops. Sorry not many pics lately since I wasnt able to access my blog for a while and I only took pics on my slr camera which I had no way to transfer to my cell phone.  I've almost given up on the idea of getting a new sim card in NZ as I hear they don't work so well in small places and I havent exactly had time to shop anyway. Also, its nice to be unplugged every now and then.

Now I sit on the outside deck of a lovely lodge where we are spending the night. Here is my view:

the lodge here is called Karioi Lodge and adventure centre and it is really nice. Its not super fancy but it has lots of character. It kind of has a log cabin feel...all the rooms are open anf there is a hot tub outside. They even have a washer/dryer! 

Me and three other girls kind of got  bum rap in that we r staying in a caravan outside...we volunteered cause there wasn't enough room for everyone in the main lodge.  

We are about to head out for a fish and chips dinner in town.  Sounds right up my alley doesn't it????

Update:  Just got back to the lodge. Went out for yummy fish and chips at Raglan Fish and then went to the Yot club to taste a bit of Raglan nightlife. This is very much a town filled with hippies/granola. Lots of dreads, pearcings and likely pot.  Came back to the lodge for a small b-day gathering for one of the girls on the tour.  its now almost 10pm and im ready to call it a night.  Gotta re-energize for surf school tomorrow!

Night all...T