First days in New Zealand

I don't have much time to write now, so a quick run-down on the past few days:

Auckland: I had a great couple of days in Auckland with my friends who live there. Unfortunately the weather was a bit miserable, esp the day we planned to bum around the city, but I still saw quite a bit and liked what I saw. Also got to see a black-sand beach, very lovely, I miss beaches like that, more like Oregon beaches, except for the black-sand bit. Also saw a band from Portland play, which was a great show and fun to see a gig in another country.

Waitomo Caves: There are a few caves in one area a couple of hrs south of Auckland where you can just go on a little tour, or do adventure stuff like abseiling, black-water rafting (going on a inner-tube in the dark), and rock climbing. I did the easy options, mostly because they were cheaper. So I went to one cave that had all these limestone formations, it was amazing, and there were only 6 of us on the tour, plus a very friendly guide, so it was all just cool. I think I got quite a few good photos. They think the cave might actually extend much further, but there was a cave-in at some point and they can't get past it. The cave is actually fitted out with lights, so you don't need a lantern or head-lamp, plus it even had a locking front gate. Funny to head out turning off the lights as we went and the guy locked the cave behind us... The other cave features glowworms, which are larvae of bugs that hang sticky strings down to catch other bugs in, then they pull the bug up and eat it. But they glow as well to help catch the bug. There was a river in this cave and you go on a boat through the dark and the ceiling is full of these glowing blue points of light. It's like a lot of blue stars. Absolutely beautiful and we were very quiet because noise makes the worms dim their light, so there was only the sound of the boat a bit and distant dripping water. The tour was marred though by a school group that joined us, a bunch of cynical teenagers who didn't give a damn, but I tried to ignore them.

Thermal area: Today I headed towards the thermal area of the north island of New Zealand, there are a few places where you can go to see geysers, mud pools, multi-coloured pools, etc. I went to one recommended as being a bit more off the beaten path and it was gorgeous. I came down the road and first I noticed this lovely lake and then across the lake, a bunch of steam rising into the air. A boat takes you across to the thermal area and yeah, it's just steaming everywhere. Little holes by the path are just releasing steam and there's boiling water coming out of other holes. There were mud pools as well, which I find meditative to watch, in a silly kind of way because it is kind of humorous, the sound they make. In this place there is also a cave with water in it, it's not boiling, but steam comes off it and I dipped a finger in and it was like a warm bath. The water is very clear at the edges, plus there's no wind disturbing it, so you can't really see where the pool begins. I saw an older German guy dunk his whole right foot in the water because he thought he was just stepping on rock. The whole area did stink though like rotting eggs because of the sulfur. It was ok usually, but if you got a cloud of steam blown your way, it was quite choking. And now I'm in a town called Rotorua which is surrounded by these areas and the town has a general sulfur smell. Blech, but the town is pretty cute and is on a big lake.