Family Reunion

First thing I should mention before jumping into the family reunion is that John and I once again have jobs! We've known for a while, but about a week after we left Hawke's Bay we already had jobs set up in the South Island for Ski Roundhill! We got two interviews for ski fields: Roundhill and Treble Cone. Treble Cone is one of the major ski fields in the South Island, and while it's a really nice ski field the dates for Roundhill were perfect for us--not starting until July--which means we will have the whole month of June to explore the South Island. So, we are pretty excited!

Anywho, after being in New Zealand for so long with just the two of us, it was so great to see some family again! John's great Aunt and Uncle, Dave and Polly, came over from NC for their daughter, Alice's, graduation from Massey Vet School! Congrats to Alice and what a great reunion we had! Alice's boyfriend, Russell, also came up and the 6 of us had a great time together!

The afternoon before we got together was quite a rainy one in Taupo. We spent the early part of the afternoon trying to find a garage that would do a cheap oil change--which, turned out, was impossible in Taupo. The cheapest we found was $100 and it ranged up to $140-160. Crazy ridiculous. Turns out that's pretty standard in NZ, or at least in Taupo, so we may just have to do it ourselves if we can't find a cheaper alternative. But the good news is, the car is keeping up very well!

After our unsuccessful oil-change venture, we decided to drive just out of town to visit Huka Falls. It was a short visit, as it was quite rainy, but we got a nice picture of the river as it rushes through the gorge. It's more of a rapids than a falls, but the water is a really pretty blue.

That night we met up with the gang at their really nice Hilton hotel room (they had a pillow menu!) and spent some time catching up over some wine. Then we braved the bad weather to go out to eat and ended up finding a good place not too far away called "Plateau" for a little celebratory dinner! We raced across the parking lot in the pouring rain and by the time we got inside we were pretty wet. Most of us had to dry off a bit in the restrooms before sitting down for a delicious dinner!

The next day we met up for a nice walk night in Taupo. The 1 hr walk wound along the Waikato River, the longest in New Zealand, and ended up again at Huka Falls. However, it was a much nicer day--warm and sunny--and we enjoyed the company this time! 

At the end of the return trip was some free, natural hot springs right in the reserve. They were quite hot! The pools closer to the source were a bit too hot for me to stand, but luckily, at the bottom the hot and cold mixed into a nice waterfall that was much easier to stand under. Dave, who loves really hot water, was in his element!

It was a nice afternoon and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. We were hoping to top off the day with an Extreme Swing that John and I had GrabOne coupons for, as it was right up the road. I had called a few days before to make a booking and they said I didn't need one and that they closed at 4:30. We got there at 3, with the weather still beautiful, and the guy tells me that they are closing early that day . . . . on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon. Lame. 

We were hoping to do the Tongariro the next day, or any day we could really. But, the curse held up and every day we called the night before to find that it was cancelled due to weather or wind . . . one day . . . one day. . .

However, we still had a great rest of the day--stopping at Alice's favorite gelato place and we decided that John and I would cook for everyone in their well-equipped hotel room. We got some nice lamb and I made Lamb Provencal with roasted potatoes and pumpkin and green beans. A delicious meal!

The next morning, we tried the rope swing again. They were open this time, but the weather was rainy and a bit cold--decidedly a lot worse than the day before--which really annoyed me as it was a perfect afternoon when they randomly decided to close an hour and a half early. But, right before our turn the rain stopped, which was nice, and the rope swing was a lot of fun! Despite it being Friday the 13th, nothing bad happened! Check it out:

After that, it was off to smelly Rotorua! We stopped for lunch at a delicious little restaurant called the Fat Dog, with healthy, delicious meal options and portions that were huge! Check out the hamburger John got:

After that, the girls and guys split up and the gals did a bit of browsing and a stop at the Body Shop for some makeup. We soon met up and it was off to Zorbing!

For all of those who were confused by the photos on Facebook, Zorbing is a New Zealand born adventure activity where usually you were strapped in a big ball and rolled down a hill. However, the Zorbing place has since discontinued the normal version, as the last person that went down went a bit too fast and got hurt--but they still offer the hydro version! You basically get into a smaller ball within the bigger ball and they fill up the small one with some (warm!) water and down the hill you go! John and I were able to go together and it was a lot of fun (and very cold when you got out!) Here are some videos/photos of everyone coming down:

That night was an easy one with Hell's Pizza back at the hotel room, with some Lord of The Rings for the girls and rugby for the boys.

Our last day together was relaxing with great weather! We first met up at Kerosene Creek, however there had been some significant rain in the area, thus it wasn't nearly as hot as it usually is. 

It was still a nice little romp, and then we all headed back to Taupo as they all had the sailing to the Maori carvings and John and I were just going to relax. We ended up stopping at a glass blowing place right out of town. We decided to go in, as it was an active workshop and you could watch the artists as they worked. It was really fascinating to see how they molded and shaped melted glass, using tools and blowing it as well. There was a gallery filled with all kinds of cool pieces and we ended up buying one! (Not the ones below, they are just some of the cool ones)

After that we headed back to the Hilton, as Polly and Dave graciously let us use their room/free internet while they finished up their cruise. Ripping people off on internet is a very common thing here too--but they simply don't have the infrastructure yet that the U.S. does. We then met up again at Alice's favorite gelato place, as she was also meeting up with a friend from Massey Vet school. The boys hit the bar next door :) After deciding on Indian takeout for dinner, we all went back to that same bar to have some drinks while we waited for the food. Then it was back to the hotel for a little sauna/spa action! We went into the steam room for a while, which was quite nice (until breathing became an issue) and then John, Alice, Russell, and I ventured out to the hot tub which was equally as soothing. We went back to fetch Dave before we headed back inside to make sure he didn't stay there all night :) We had a yummy dinner and then it was time to say goodbye.

We were so happy to have shared some New Zealand adventures and memories with John's family. It was truly a wonderful time and we were so grateful for everything they did for us while they were here. It was also great to see some familiar faces after so many months of only new ones (not that the new ones are bad!)  I must say, after all the bad luck Taupo has brought us in the past, this time around it was nothing but good times with great company!