Stranded in Tauranga...

Well, as I'm sure many of you have heard, our weekend in Tauranga didn't go exactly as planned. We arrived at about 6:00 on Thursday afternoon, and headed right out to scope out the town. It turns out that we were actually in Mount Maunganui, but this wasn't a problem, because they have a beautiful town, gorgeous beaches, and tons to do. We spent Thursday and Friday night pretty low key - just bar hopping and experiencing the locals. Our days were spent relaxing on the beaches and getting a little shopping done. Basically, we were just living the life. Saturday night however, we decided to go on a little cruise. This was by far my favorite night in New Zealand. The cruise took off from Pilot's Bay, which is right at the base of the mountain. We even got to see a wedding take place before leaving the dock! The sunset was beautiful on the water, and so was the company. From Pilot's Bay, we cruised for two hours over to Tauranga, where we were dropped off and given the opportunity to experience the night life there. So, apparently, when we came home, we made a little too much noise, and were awoken the next morning at 8:00 to the manager asking us to pack our bags. This was a little surprising because nothing like this had ever happened to any of us in the states, but we quickly learned that this is a big part of Kiwi culture. Staying at a hostel is completely different than staying at a hotel in the states because hostels are really trying to create a community atmosphere. In hotels, you have more private space and the walls tend to be thicker, but in hostels you are basically staying in a dorm with people of all ages who you do not know. For this reason, they are less tolerant of many things. That being said, this is the only hostility that we have received on this trip from any Kiwis. EVERYONE has been so nice to us, and they have all really helped us out. The taxi drivers are especially kind. For example, after we had been barred from Pacific Coast Backpackers, one taxi driver picked us up and never even ran the meter because he felt bad for us. This is the kind of generosity I see everyday in New Zealand.
So, unfortunately, we did have to leave Tauranga a day early, but the weekend was well worth it. I am really looking forward to our weekend in Wellington, and then the last couple of days that we have here. I never want to leave!!