That is why I love this town

- or rather village - or better yet - collection of a couple of houses (aka Waitomo):

Well, I arrived in Waitomo after a great day yesterday on the Koromandel coast, spent among other things kayaking to Cathedral Cove. This was absolutely amazing! We went for about 3 hours exploring caves, islands and even going through a (small) tunnel. This coastline is just stunning. And I don't want to go on about the weather, because it's bound to make you feel jealous, but it has been, and still is, perfect. I rounded off the evening with a nice meal (and of course a glass of good NZ wine) at Crisp in Whitianga. (I tend to go off to dinner on my own, because I do love good food, whereas most people on the bus are younger and therefore on a tighter budget, so they like to eat a sandwich or cook in the hostel. Which is fair enough, but I'm not really willing to compromise on that and do enjoy my time alone after a day of travelling together anyway).

But when I thought the high point of my holiday was already behind me, we arrived here in Waitomo. This was one of the things I'd looked forward to immensely anyway. What's amazing here is not on the surface, but below it: A world of underground caves. I had booked a 3 hour adventure for tomorrow already, but on the spur of the moment went to a blackwater rafting tour with some others from the bus just as we arrived. This was a childhood dream come true: Just a small group in a dark cave, lit only by our lamps, or - which was even better - by the glow-worms on the ceiling. We walked, waded, drifted and swam through the cold water. At one point, we had to jump backwards off a waterfall! We couldn't take any photos, but check out the movie here to get an idea. It got pretty cold in the end, but it was absolutely worth it. Especially drifting along in silence, in the caves lit up by the glow-worms. Beyond words...

To warm up again in the afternoon, I took a walk up on Opakaka Pa, which used to be a Maori settlement. I walked through a forest (straight out of Lord of the Rings again) and climbed the hill and enjoyed the sun and the view.

I don't regret at all having booked two nights in this little place (they don't even have a supermarket or a cash machine) and look forward to the caving adventures tomorrow...