This week started off with a geocaching adventure. Katy, Jamie, Ariel, and I went on a treasure hunt with the help of the GPS. We searched forever and then a bird pooped on my head. The girls told me this was a sign of good luck but I think they are the ones with the luck. I mean a bird did not poop on their heads. Finally, we located our geocache box.

Then we headed to the Marea to visit with the Maori. Chris was our chief and he led us into the meeting house where we watched their song and dance and then responded with ours. It was really cool to learn about their traditions and values. That night we all slept in the meeting house on blankets... if that isn't bonding I don't know what is! We woke up the next morning and had breakfast and headed to a sheep show. The puppies were so cute, I wanted to take one home with me!

After the sheep experience, we headed into Roturua and the town smelled like sulphur, then onto Whakatane. Our White Island trip was postponed due to bad weather but we got to see Mt. Monganuey instead. I couldn’t believe how many seashells were in the rocky intertidal zone at the base of the mountain.

After a fun day out in the sun, we headed back to our home in Hamilton. Yesterday we got up early to start our journey to the Coramandel Peninsula. We hiked down to Cathedral Cove which was absolutely beautiful. We ate lunch there and swam around in the ocean. It was so much fun jumping off the big rock into the water. We visited the hot water beaches and I enlisted the help of random boys to dig a deep "hot tub". The water that came out was so hot it actually burnt my feet! I didn't understand how the water could be this hot but I learned that the beach was located on a geothermal fault line causing the water under the ground to be extremely hot.

I'm SO excited for this weekend and I hope everyone has a relaxing and fun time! Remember to see and do everything guys... this trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity!