Why should you come to New Zealand?

New Zealand was an experience that all of us will remember. Regardless of whether you are going with a group, or taking a trip for some much needed alone time- New Zealand has what you need to have a fulfilling vacation. The tranquil passages and the long winding roads

New Zealand was a great experience - being that it is typically cold in New Zealand, you can expect temperatures to be cool enough for a relaxing trip without worrying about overheating during your travels.  The landscape of New Zealand’s countryside is incredible as you gaze upon the mountain ranges that seemingly touch the clouds.  The Hobbit’s Shire can be seen sitting at the foot of their magnificence, scattered along the river side.  You can relive the films’ most iconic locations; including New Zealand’s tour of Hobbiton, and Tawhai Falls, where the infamous Gollum can be found.  Glow worm caves are thriving with blue luminescence that sparkle like a thousand stars.  Culture, tourism, and history, they all come together during Anniversary Day; a huge festival, celebrating everything that New Zealand has to offer. We hope you take our advice and one day visit this beautiful country.

Day 13 - Febraury 3

Today we woke up bright and early at 5:30 am so we could all pack our luggage and get ready for the airport because sadly we are leaving the beautiful country of New Zealand today. We all moved a bit sluggish today because not only was it very early for us but we were very sad to leave this place and all the memories we've created here. While packing we all forgot that we bought a lot of extra goodies while we were here so our suite cases were overflowing and would barley close but we put some locks on so they would stay shut and hopefully keep all of our belongings together. We prepared to leave our room and walked around to say our final goodbyes, which may be silly because this was just a room that we didn't even spend that much time in besides sleeping but it still had some memories. Once the clock struck 6:45 am we knew that we had to head out so we got back into our rental car and started driving to the airport so we could not only return the car but make it to our plane in time for boarding. Alyssa started tearing up as we took our last drive in Auckland and although we are all very sad that were leaving we are also extremely excited to be able to be back home and see our loved ones again.



Since the airport seemed to be more crowded than usual the originally 20 minute drive from our hotel to the airport took about 30. Once we actually arrived in the airport it was extremely crowded so we had to wait a while before an employee at the car rental service would come see us and take our car back in, as we waited we each got more anxious as the minutes passed because if the car service was busy that would mean that the actual check in and security lines would be extremely long once we got inside the airport. After 15 minutes of waiting we were finally able to give the keys back to an employee and rush into the airport so we could get in line for check in. As we opened to doors to the Delta portion of the airport our mouths dropped, the lines were outrageously long and showed now sign of moving quickly, so we ran to get in line as quickly as we could. While we were in the line for checking in John constantly checked his phone to see the time and while he was getting more anxious Jill and Alyssa were looking back at old photos reminiscing on the trip which at some points brought tears to their eyes. After roughly 20 minutes of waiting in the long check in line we finally were able to check all our bags, to our surprise Jill and John's bags went over the weight limit so they had to pay a $50 fee to check their bag in. Although we were upset about the check in incident we rushed over to security so we could get to our gate as soon as possible yet as soon as we got in line people started getting aggravated with the employees and were causing the long line to move even slower than needed. Once we finally got the the end of the security line and placed our bags onto the conveyor belt  we started walking through the large machine and started getting scanned up and down by security. Everything was going pretty smoothly in security until when it was Rachel's turn because as soon as she walked through the metal detector it started ringing very quickly and loud which caught a lot of the security's attention, because of the Rachel had to step off to the side while 2 of the security agents when through her carry one before clearing her to continue. When Rachel got pulled aside we all got very nervous because if Rachel were to have stayed behind we may have had to leave without her and she would be left alone in New Zealand. The entire security ordeal with Rachel took about 5 minutes to get resolved which made the time we actually left security to head to our gate around 7:55 am which we were very lucky for because our flight was scheduled to board at 8 so we had to run across the airport to our gate and we barley made it before boarding, but luckily we did. After we sat down for about 3 minutes our flight started boarding so we got in line an waited to be seated on the plane, sadly on this first flight we all had seats spread out around the plane so none of us sat next to each other which gave us all the perfect reason to sleep on the flight. After take off we all passed out and woke up about 15 minutes before landing so we just played on our phones and listened to music until then. Our flight was only about an hour and 45 minutes because we were flying to the Sydney Airport which we hat a 2 hour and 35 minute layover at. 
                                 
                                      

Once we got off our plane we immediately headed over to get some food because we had no time during our hectic morning so we decided to  grab some snacks from one of the shops in the airport. John decided to get a healthy breakfast bar along with 2 bags of his favorite candy because he knew that one bag wouldn't last him both the layover and the next flight. Jill and Alyssa got a large coke and a few bags of chips to share throughout our day of travel, and Jackson got a large bag of normal skittles to share with Rachel. We still had another 2 hours to spare after we got our snacks so we headed over to our gate and found a few outlets where we could charge and play some games on our phones while we wait. Surprisingly the 2 hour wait when by pretty quickly because we were all so invested into what we were doing on our phones that we didn't even notice the time flying by.We boarded our 12:20 pm flight from the Sydney airport to the Los Angeles airport, or LAX, but because of the time change we will actually be arriving in LAX at 7:15 am. 

Once we board the long flight we have ahead of us we all decide to put our ear buds in and get as much rest as possible because we don't have much to do during this flight. After a few hours pass Jackson wakes up and rushes to the bathroom and stays in there for about 15 minutes, for most of the time Jackson was in the bathroom everyone else was still asleep but Rachel woke up and was confused at why he wasn't in his seat. After a few minutes of Rachel waiting for him to return he tells us that he just got sick and is not feeling well, once Rachel told Alyssa this Alyssa immediately told a flight attendant. Luckily the flight attendant was very nice and took Jackson into the back and gave him some medicine to hopefully help him feel better, the medicine should also make him very tired for the next couple hours which is great because he will just be able to sleep through the flight. Rachel, Alyssa, and Jackson went back to sleep quickly after that and it wasn't for another hour until John and Jill finally woke up. Once John and Jill where awake they couldn't fall back asleep so they decided to play a card game on their pull out trays because they were sitting right next to each other. Once John won the game of Phase 10 Jill didn't want to play again because she knew that she would most likely just loose again therefore she pulled out a book, put in headphones and started reading a book which left John bored playing on his phone. Rachel and Alyssa started waking up a bit before the flight was going to land so they started getting their bags ready but didn't want to wake Jackson up until he had to get off the plane considering he was sick. After the plane had a rough landing we all starting getting off the plane and Alyssa informed John and Jill about how Jackson got sick so we decided that once we got off the plane we would go buy him some medicine in a store and hopefully he would feel better. 

We were very upset because we had a 3 hour and 15 minute layover at the LAX airport and had to wait for our 10:30 am flight from LAX to RDU. We decided that we would go to the cafe that was in our section of the large Los Angeles airport and order some food which would hopefully help Jackson with his sickness. Once we sat down to order we realized how expensive this restaurant was because they charged us $8 for a glass of Diet Coke. Although the cafe was very expensive we enjoyed the food very much, we all got the mac and cheese with a side salad.  Eating at this restaurant took about an hour and a half which knocked a lot of time off of our layover. Jackson said he started feeling better about 30 minutes after eating which was great, so we decided to start watching a movie while we waited to board our plane. Once our plane started boarding we quickly got up and ran over to the gate to get on our last flight so we could hopefully have a smooth plane ride home. As we got onto our plane we all started falling asleep and decided against finishing the movie and just taking a long nap, we all slept for about 3 hours and then couldn't go back to sleep so we just went on our phones and talked about our trip until we landed. Once we landed in RDU we all were very emotional about leaving each other while we gathered our bags form baggage check. We said our emotional goodbyes and slowly started leaving one by one in a cabs that were going to take us home. We all enjoyed this trip very much and and hope to return again sometime soon. This vacation was not only relaxing but involved so much learning and new experiences that we all enjoyed which made our friendships grow stronger.

Day 12- February 2

This morning we woke up around 8 AM and drove over to the airport to wait for our flight back into Auckland, which was at 9:20 AM. None of us were particularly hungry which is very unusual considering we all normally wake up with raging appetites. We just decided to all buy little snacks, as we would eat later when we got back to Auckland.

The plane ride was short, and we arrived back at the Auckland Airport at 10:15 am. We drove back to the hotel and talked about what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. Rachel suggested that we drive around for a bit, and see if we can’t find something to do. By the time we leave, it’s around 11:30 AM. When we were driving around, we reflected on the community and culture we saw while on the South Island. We also reflected and om different the culture in the US is to the culture in New Zealand. It's very slow paced- no one is really in a rush like most people are in the United States. There weren't many densely populated areas, just small towns and mostly open land. The people are super nice to each other, as well as to tourists. The places we went were mostly made up of young thrill-seekers, so the atmosphere in certain parts, like Queenstown, which houses many "X-Treme" sports competitions throughout the year. We didn't get to go through Queenstown, but we spoke to a few locals who told us a lot about it.

It's during the summer (Weather) in New Zealand, but the temperatures ranged from 68 to 70 degrees the whole time we've been here so far. Even though the numbers were a little low, it felt very comfortable, and it was nice to catch a break from the freezing temperatures back in North Carolina

We stopped for lunch at a McDonald's, where we all bought a Chick'n McCheese Meal Deal. As we were pulling out of the McDonald's, we saw a bunch of people running around in a field, throwing around a ball. Jackson’s initial thought was that they were playing Football, but we son came to realize that they were playing Rugby (Sports). Rugby got its start in 1823, when a man named William Webb Ellis completely disregarded the rules of football, and just ran around the field with a football in his hands. The game developed from there, and has since been a very popular sport in the UK and European countries, as well as in New Zealand.

We watched the Rugby players for a while longer and then continued to drive around. Seeing all of the rolling hills and towering mountains off the horizon was incredible- I think we were all kind of sad that it was our last day here in New Zealand, and we're trying to take it all in while we can. Auckand isn't a very big city, so even though it's the largest city in New Zealand, it doesn't feel like we're trying to cram a ton of last minute sight seeing into one night.

Buta Niku Kinchi Gyoza

By the time we made it back around to the hotel, it was 5 PM. We went back up to our rooms and got packed up, so that we were ready to leave in the morning and didn't have to worry about packing up in a rush. We decided to eat out for dinner, so at 7 PM, we headed out to a restaurant called Masu. Masu is a contemporary Japanese robata restaurant and bar. The restaurant has a traditional vibe and is not too expensive. John ordered Miso Shriu, which is a soup and rice dish, and Alyssa got a Gohan, which is another soup and rice dish. Jillian ordered the Buta Niku Kimchi Gyoza, which is a pork dish, with kimchi gyoza, pickled cucumber, and soy vinegar. Rachel ordered the Akaza Ebi No Tenpura, which is a tempura dish with scampi and sour dashi. Jackson ordered Gindara No Saikyo-Yaki , which is a seafood dish. The food was amazing, and we all agree that it was worth all the money we spent on the meal.

After we left Masu it was around 9 PM, and we were ready to go home and relax for a while. We talked about how much we enjoyed the trip, and shared with each other our favorite memories made on the trip. We all wish it could be linger, but are grateful that we had this opportunity to go on the trip.

Day 11- February 1

We decided to meet in the lobby of our hotel at 9 am so we could all get breakfast and have enough time to go to the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony (ecosystem) as well as get back to our hotel so we can fly out tomorrow and get back to Auckland. As we are getting into a cab we realize that we are all very hungry and ask the driver to take us to his favorite restaurant in the direction of our final destination. Our driver takes us on a roughly 40 minute drive to the Ida Valley Kitchen, upon arrival Jill looked up reviews and this restaurant was rated 5 stars! Therefore we were very excited to eat here and taste the raved about dish. Once our waiter come to our table we all ordered the same thing, a “Bacon, Parmesan and Crouton Salad” but Jill ordered it without the bacon considering she is vegetarian. While we were eating we discussed our favorite activity the Glowworm caves which we all loved so much and wished we could return. After eating our delicious salads we were heading out of the restaurant and saw that they had chocolate cake so we decided to treat yourself and get a couple slices for us to split in the car ride to the Penguins. Although it may seem weird to have a salad and cake as our breakfast we all enjoyed it very much and complimented our driver on his choice, we were lucky enough that he was willing to not only stop at the Ida Valley Kitchen but also take us to the Oamaru Penguin Colony which was another hour and a half drive away. We left the restaurant around 10:50 am and because of the traffic we didn’t arrive to the Penguin Colony until 1 pm. Yet as we pulled up the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony we were extremely surprised at how long the walkway was and how tiny the penguins were. We started walking towards the penguins and could hear their squeaking from down the parking lot which we all thought was extremely cute, mainly because we all just love animals so much. While entering the long walkway we saw all of the penguins swimming and going back to their nests to feed their children and then head back out to get more food. As we approached a tour guide we asked when the next tour would start and luckily it was in 5 minutes so we had a little bit of time to just walk around before we go out on the group tour. While we walked round for these 5 minutes John and Jill caught some cute photos of the penguins and posted about them all over social media. Once our tour started we were all ecstatic to be able to see and feed the smallest penguins in the world. As we walked towards a big cluster of penguins they were very happy to see us, although it was probably only because they knew we would be giving them food. John reached into the bucket of cut up fish with a glove on and handed on the the cute little penguins a piece of fish and he nearly got pecked because the penguin was so excited to grab some food. While we were handing out some fish to the cute creatures one of the started making a deep loud noise and a few of us started getting concerned but our tour guide told us it was just a territorial call that the male penguin was making to protect his family and nest. We were also informed that the typically blue penguin lives about 8-10 years and only grows to be about 30 centimeters tall which is not even a foot tall!

                       

Their small height, which makes them the smallest penguins, is one of the reasons why the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony is such a popular tourist attraction. While the tour guide took us around we noticed that some of the penguins started digging into the dirt and sand which is because that is how the make their nest but because they are normally flooded or ruined their are man made nests for the penguins so that their nests last longer, yet some penguins don't use them. We kept seeing all of the penguins dive in and out of the water so Jackson asked how often do they normally go into the water and our tour guide said roughly 800 times a day! Which shocked everybody because we couldn't understand how the smallest penguin could have the energy to jump in and out of the water 800 times a day. We decided to walk up and down the entire colony a few times after our tour to take more pictures and enjoy the penguins and the environment. After Rachel got tired and asked if we could head out we decided that we had enough time with the cute little penguins and that we needed to head out and go back to the hotel so we took a few more pictures and then called a cab to come pick us up. As we were walking out John saw a gift shop and decided to go into the gift shop and buy some souvenirs, we all ended up getting some shirts, sweatshirts, and stuffed animals. We were very sad to leave but decided it was best because if we stayed any longer Jill and John may have started crying because of the cuteness and love they felt towards the penguins. While we were driving we passed the Richmond mall and Jill pointed it out so we told our driver to turn around and drop us off at the mall so we could go shopping. John came up with the idea that we all buy another person a gift like secret Santa, and everyone agreed so we downloaded a randomize app and had everyone get a person and then we split up and started shopping. John and Jill went into The Body Shop to see if there was anything that they wanted to buy in there, which they both got 2 bottles of lotion, shower gel, and lip balm. John decided to get a candle for Jill because that is who he got in the gift exchange and Jill decided to get a bottle of lotion for Rachel which she got.

While John and Jill where in The Body Shop Rachel, Jackson, and Alyssa went into Jay Jay's which had a lot of athletic wear which was perfect for the flight home because they would have very comfortable clothes for the flight home. Alyssa found some cute joggers for John which she got in her exchange and also got a pair for herself as well as a few shirts. Rachel had Jill and decided to get her a headband because she always complains about her hair being in her face, but she didn't get anything for herself. Yet Jackson got Alyssa in the gift exchange and decided to get her a pair of pants that she decided against getting because of the price but didn't get himself anything because nothing there was really "his style". After we all met up in the mall food court we exchanged gifts and everyone was extremely happy with their purchases and decided that it was time for dinner since it was around 5 pm and everyone was extremely hungry. We decided to have McDonald's once again because we all knew we would enjoy the food and it wouldn't be too hard to order, so we all got our usual order and enjoyed the food very much. After eating we decided to head back to the hotel so we called a cab and walked around the mall until it arrived to take us back to the hotel. Once we got into the cab we all took a nap and didn't wake up until we arrived back at our hotel around 8:30pm and we immediately got into our rooms and watched TV until we feel asleep ready for our flight back the next day.

Day 10 - January 31

Waking up at 8 AM with the breakfast buffet again calling our names, we headed downstairs to get some food in our bellies for the eventful day ahead. Right as we awoke, we called a cab to pick all 5 of us up at the hotel. This cab is going to take us to Schnapps Bar which is right by the destination of Tawhai Falls(ecosystem) where we want to spend some time today. This car ride is 3 hours and 48 minutes long to the restaurant and we ordered a Venison Pie. The 5 of us ordered just one large venison pie to split for lunch before heading to our first stop, the Tawhai Falls.  This pie is similar to the cultural pie of New Zealand called Kiwi Meat pie. This pie is a soft pasty with a crust exterior wrapped around a filling which is often mixed beef. They have a dollop of tomato sauce on it generally and are served in huge fast food chain restaurants within New Zealand.

This being said, it is similar to the pie we ordered and got an even better feel for the original food cuisine. After leaving the restaurant at about 1pm we decide to head on over to the Tawhai Falls which is not only a beautiful waterfal but also an amazing sight that is in multiple scenes in the movie The Hobbit. While we walked around the water fall we enjoyed seeing the familar sights from the movie we just recently watched and seeing all of the beautiful wildlife within this enviornment. These falls are beautiful, refreshing, and breathtaking. Hearing the flow of water and the crash against the rocks, it is amazing. Becuase we took the bottom bath we were able to see and be near the part of the waterfall where the water crashes. Jill and John wanted to get higher up without going all the way back up the trail to be ablke to get to the top so they climed over a few rocks to catch some amazing pictures.

We spent 2-3 hours there and then left the falls at around 3:30 PM. We got another cab to head over to Mt. Ngauruhoe which is 16 minutes away from Tawhai Falls. This quick drive was filled with peace and tranquility from seeing and hearing the falls. We enjoyed the car ride very much and although it was very short in time Jill still found a way to take a quick nap before we got to Mt. Ngauruhoe(ecosystem).

Once arriving at Mt. Ngauruhoe we hiked up to the top with a tour guide and saw over the landscape. This hike was very long because we stopped multiple times to talk about the enviornment aorund us such as to why the dirt was such a dark deep brown which almost looked black, and that was because of volcanic ash that had spewed out from Mt. Ngauruhoe because it is still an active volcano. Overall the sights were beyond what the great reviews said because the tour guide was very infromative and made us feel very safe although you may not while walking on an active volcano. With the feeling of freedom and adventure coursing through our veins, we sat as high as they would let us and we admired the beauty of New Zealand. Taking all of this in was stunning and ended our day on a great note. Still feeling inspired, we loaded into a cab and headed back to the hotel. We stopped at McDonalds right outside of the hotel for a "late snack" as Jill likes to call it. After ordering 4 cheeseburgers and a wrap, we walked back to the hotel and ate our food. We all immediately headed to bed and turned on netflix to help us fall asleep after finishing a very busy day!

Day 9- January 30

So many areas celebrate but they are all in the Northern part of New Zealand. Going around to different shops and walking in the streets we can absorb the culture, ways of life, and see the history behind this historic day and get to be apart of a New Zealand celebration. Pack up after celebrating for a flight to the Southern island.

Today was an especially exciting day of the trip because it’s a New Zealand Holiday! The holiday is called Anniversary Day and it is celebrated by the Northern Islands in New Zealand and Auckland. In 1842, the holiday was officially created by Governor Hobson and has since then been celebrated the Monday closest to January 29th every year.

We walked around for hours buying things, eating new foods, and taking in the celebratory culture around us. As we walked around we saw the The 175th Ports of Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta(Holiday), which was a tug boat race that is highly competitive and is celebrated every year on Anniversary Day. The strangest food that we saw was Paua- a Paua shell that is commonly used for jewelry as well as being a dish for Paua fritters- Jackson was the only one with the gall to actually try it. “Tastes like mushrooms.” He said with a pleased smile- Jackson hates mushrooms.

After that, we walked around and went into several shops, buying things and tokens for our families and friends back home. We all bought t-shirts that said “I <3 NZ”, then we took a photo of us all in our shirts, and Jill put it on her Instagram with the caption “#touristlife”- because what else does Jill do on a once-in-a-lifetime trip?

It wasn’t awfully cold, so we continued walking around outside until lunchtime. We went to the Thai Village Restaurant, a beautiful restaurant in Remuera, Auckland. The place had a dim lighting, as well as the natural light filling in from the windows, and the place had a cheerful setting, as many people were celebrating Anniversary Day. Jillian, because she is vegetarian, got the Tow Hoo Pad Kapao, which is a stir fry dish. Jackson ordered the Guey Tiew Thai Village, which is a soup. Rachel and Alyssa ordered Kow Pad, which is fried rice. And John ordered the Pad Bai Ka Pao, which is ALSO a stir fry. We had never laughed so hard at John when he was ordering. He couldn’t pronounce the menu items right, and we’re pretty sure he accidentally swore at the waitress in Taiwanese- she got a really big tip at the end of the meal.

After we left the restaurant it was 2 PM and we decided to drive back to the hotel and pack up for our next flight into South Island. When we got back to the hotel, we all unpacked all the things we’d bought in the past 6 hours, and fit however much we needed for two nights in our smaller bags.

We arrived at the airport around 4:00 PM excited to get on the plane to be able to see the beautiful sites tomorrow. After we charged our phones for about 30 minutes the flight started boarding and we rushed to get onto the plane. We decided against sleeping on the plane because we thought we should wait to sleep at the hotel because the flight is only 50 minutes long. We all bought the internet on the plane and just decided to be on our phones the entire plane ride, John kept showing us all funny pictures he was finding on twitter. Once we landed we decided to just head to the hotel and watch some movies that we could by through the tv. We had to take a cab because our car was back at the Auckland airport, catching a cab may have been the hardest thing to do along this trip so far because of how busy the airport was and not many taxi cabs were taking 5 people. After spending 30 minutes trying to catch a cab we finally got a driver's attention and luckily he was very nice and gave us all free lollipops. After we got to the hotel we were looking through the movie options and we saw the Hobbit which is perfect because of our two sites were seeing tomorrow which were featured in the Hobbit and are main settings. The movie was amazing but after we finished we were all tired and decided it was time to go to bed and rest for tomorrows adventures.

Day 8-January 29

The Jet lag is starting to ware off and our sleep schedule is slowly lining up with the New Zealand time zone. However tired we were, we still want to get as much into the little amount of time we had in New Zealand.

Our venture into New Zealand starts with eating breakfast at The Parenting Place Cafe located only 2 min away from the hotel. Though the ride was short, driving on the other side of the road was as stressful as you could imagine. Jackson was driving, and he completely forgot about the road switch until he saw a car coming towards us. I don’t think I’ve ever screamed so loud in my entire life. He swerved to the other side before we were in serious danger, but not without the other car rolling past us, it’s driver screaming expletives out at us. We pulled into the cafe’s parking lot, more than ready to jump out of the car.

This cafe is special because all the food is vegan friendly and gluten free, which accommodates Jill's needs as a vegetarian and gives us all what we want! The cafe has a four star review, and it definitely lived up to its reviews.  This being said, Jackson, John, Rachel and I (Alyssa) ordered 4 vegan Cheesy bacon & potato bakes, and one Roast veggie frittata which is gluten free, for Jill. We also picked up 2 vegan chicken wraps for later- we figured that some of us might get hungry when we went out to hike. After this, we visited the Mount Saint John Domain (ecosystem) and hiked for 2 hours. The views were spectacular, and we all could finally appreciate the beautiful landscapes that belong to New Zealand. It's funny that they named St John's a mountain- considering it is a collection of somewhat large hills. Either way, the rolling hills and beautiful green grass had us all absolutely stunned. The crisp breeze and clear skies created an atmosphere of pure bliss. We sat down and took in the views from Mt. St. John’s crater, a beautiful spot where hills create a shallow valley. We talked for little bit, enjoying the fresh air until close to 11:00 AM.

After this we went to the hotel, which is a short drive away, to relax for 45 minutes before we headed out to go to the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Million race (culture). This is located in Ellerslie Racecourse. Having to drive on the other side of the road to get to the racecourse was still a very thrilling experience. We all felt nervous because Jillian, of all the people in the group to drive, had control of the wheel. She tends to get distracted easily. Haha! 

Upon arrival from the thrilling adventures from the mountain and on the road, we are ready to watch the race and support those who are running. General admission was ten dollars, and we got settled in a good spot where we could easily see the race. The horses were all gorgeous. None of us have ever been to a horse race before, so this was a really amazing first for us all. We all placed 5$ bets on what horse we thought would win. Rachel won the bet, her guess, Xiong Feng, won. The race was great, and the sense of community at the stadium was overwhelming. People in New Zealand are very kind, especially to clueless tourists like ourselves. The only bad run in any of us have had was when Jackson was on the wrong side of the road- but who could blame the guy?

We end our day with a nice meal from the Hotel. We watch a movie in John and Jackson’s room, and then the girls retire back to our room around 12 PM, excited for what the next day brings us.