![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thejohnsonsjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/DSCF1916.jpg\" "\\"DSCF1916\\"")
<\/a>Pretty town of Picton<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>View of Wellington from the top of the cable car<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Wellington Botanical Gardens<\/p><\/div>\n
We left Wellington for a long drive north to Lake Taupo for a 35-minute jetboat ride on the Waikato\u00c2\u00a0River. \u00c2\u00a0The jetboat was amazingly fast doing spins and going over rapids. \u00c2\u00a0What an adrenline high!<\/p>\n
Then we traveled on to the town of Rotorua. \u00c2\u00a0In Rotorua we spent the next few days\u00c2\u00a0visiting\u00c2\u00a0the geothermal sites, fishing (Scott), relaxing at the Polynesian Spa, kayaking on the lake, and experiencing a Maori hangi and cultural show.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Champagne pool at the Geothermal Wonderland<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>More fishing<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Food cooked underground at the hangi<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Learning about Maori cultural<\/p><\/div>\n
From Rotorua we traveled north to the Coromendal Peninsula and spent the day relaxing on Hot Water Beach. \u00c2\u00a0This was one of the coolest\u00c2\u00a0experiences – about an hour on either side of low tide you can come and dig holes in the beach that will fill with hot spring water. \u00c2\u00a0It was a little bit of an art\u00c2\u00a0because\u00c2\u00a0the water was 150 degrees\u00c2\u00a0Celsius, so you need some cold ocean water to mix with the spring water otherwise you were in a world of hurt.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Tons of people on Hot Water Beach digging hot spring baths<\/p><\/div>\n
Our last stop in New Zealand was the city of Auckland. \u00c2\u00a0We visited One Tree Hill, a volcanic cone that has 360 degree views of Auckland and surrounds. \u00c2\u00a0 We also did a bit of shopping and met up with Andrew and Danielle (who you might remember from this post<\/a> in Fiji). \u00c2\u00a0We finished off the trip with dinner overlooking the Viaduct Harbor before waking up the next morning to catch an early 8:00 am flight back to Melbourne.<\/p>\n