McD was the first interaction with a proper Kiwi, and it was very pleasant. My school friend in Wellington had just called in and confirmed what I already suspected, that Auckland had a lot of Indian and Chinese population, and that the customer service improves as we get further down south. McD had a lot more drink options than what we were used to back in SG, which was a pleasant surprise. We choose a wide variety, from hot chocolate to frozen Fanta, but didn't take another instant liking to some of those. But the whipped butter was so rich and fresh, a true testament to the daily dream that is New Zealand. The dairy products are something I am sure we will gorge on in this tour.
With time against us, we discovered another thing - that Google maps shows the commute time for locals who drive, so as a foreigner getting used to the mountain drives and curvy roads, the commute is often a lot longer than what is shown on the maps. I threw caution to the wind and were going as fast as I dared to, causing the ire of my family members who thought i was on a mission to get them killed. Yet, I didn't make up much time and barely managed to check in in-time for the Waitomo tours trip. But the drive itself through vast farms, herd of cow, horses and sheep was mesmerising on the eyes. A couple of smashed cars along the way was a gentle reminder on the main cause of accidents in New Zealand, the sheer beauty of the landscape dwarfs any other distraction!
Waitomo Glowworm Caves were pretty small, but the guide ensured we got the lowdown on the glow worms that call them home, the only species in New Zealand. The tour included a small boat trip to get the angle from the underground stream.
We had a relaxed lunch before heading out to the nearby Ruakiri caves, but an incorrect reading of the maps meant we went the opposite way for 15 km before doing an U turn, meaning we missed our appointment by 7 min. Thankfully they rescheduled it to a couple of hours later, and in the meantime kindly suggested we explore the Ruakiri bush walk track. This is an highlight in new zealand that even if you miss one, you have 2-3 alternatives ready to take its place to take your breath away! Ruakiri bush walk was one such thing. It was rated an "easy 30 min track with granite footpaths", which was a running joke for us as it would easily be classified as "hard" in Indian speak. I would say the track would be very difficult for any unfit or 60+ Indian adult. It took us 1.5 hours for a round trip.
The different shades of leaves and flowers left us spellbound as we walked through the thick folliage winding through the stream below. The highlight was a tunnel viewing platform at the other end and a couple of waterfalls.
Making our way back to the Ruakiri cave tour, we were taking into the limestone caves 10 stories below ground, which are about 4km long. The darkness of the Caves were jarring, but you quickly get used to it. The different limestone formations were explained to us in detail as we made our way through. These Caves were also considered a Maori sacred place, and I was honoured when the tourists sang an impromptu "Happy Birthday" song for me in a Maori citadel inside. The pitch black room was awesome, where you couldn't see a thing including your own hand. The air vent reaching down 150m below surface was cool to look at, the only source of surface light down there. The temperature is around 14 degrees, so better to have a jacket on, which we realised too late. It also has Glowworm to boot. Anyway, while Waitomo Glowworm Caves is a bigger tourist attraction, I felt that this cave was a lot more worth the time and money!
From there, it was a 2.5 hours drive back to Rotorua. Again, Google maps played havoc choosing some lesser roads because it saves 5 mins as per its calculations. But for tourists, I would strongly recommend sticking to the main State Highway roads, unless you want to explore lesser treaden paths. Anyway, the detour was worth lovely lavender farms and lots of flowers adorning beautiful houses, although it took 30 mins longer, so no regrets!
We checked into the Novotel hotel right by the lake and walked along the line of nearby shops for a nice Indian Vegetarian dinner at BailwalG restaurant. The quantity was too much though, but that take away settles a meal tomorrow.
Day 2 really got us going into admiring the natural beauty of NZ while showing us more gotchas. Looking forward to Day 3 with a lot less travel.
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