Day 3

Monday 29 Nov
We loaded the bus at 7 AM and set off for Whakahoro. We stopped for a swim in the hot water of one of the hot springs. Had a nice waterfall massage! Then we drove to Huka Falls. It was absolutely beautiful! It was really funny on the drive up to the Blue Duck Lodge there was a radio station that seemed to be engineered to me and Nerissa! Hits from when we were growing up through today. It was a really windy and dusty drive, we had to open up the back windows and buckle up our seat belts. It’s a 23 seat bus with the red trailer on the back. The guy who owns the Blue Duck Lodge, Dan, has an incredible story and is doing so much for just one guy. He has something like 22, 000 acres. He farms sheep and cattle and cultivates honey from the natural bush of the manuka plant. He does tourism as a side project, just because it’s fun! Lol. He took the 6 of us and 4 dogs out in a Polaris Ranger to se some of the his land and what he does. The views were absolutely gorgeous (especially where he is building his Top of the World Lodge.) The best way to travel around was standing in the back with the dogs, wind in your face and views that never end. =) It was cool to see how well trained each dog was for their specific jobs. After that tour Dan dropped us off at the Depot (the last building left of the farming era) with Wendy. She told us a bit of the history of the place and took us down to the river to look for fossils and blue ducks. Then we kayaked under the waterfall and the cliffs. I swear everything we did was more amazing and beautiful than the last. After kayaking we climbed back up the muddy rocks and hopped back into the polaris. This time there were no dogs so Nerissa and I stood in the back. We showered and then hung out with the group before a delicious dinner of goat curry. We hung out and watched the staff play with the pet goat at the Blue Duck Cafe. N and I were pretty tired so we turned in early but we were just in timeto hear Claire play guitar and sing. I turne off my iPod and let her sing me to sleep. I have simply loved every minute that I’ve been in this country and it just seems to keep getting better. The land, the people, activities...I can’t keep a smile off my face! =)