Welcome to Rotorua, home of the thermal baths and all things muddy, bubbly and smelly.

This is the oversized bath in our hotel room. Any guesses as to how long it will take to fill it?? I’m afraid the one we get for the BBQ in August won’t be this large, but Mr Fogg and I will try this one for size and let you know how it goes.

Rotoruans also have renamed the place Roto Vegas. Driving in we can see why so far.

About the hardest thing we have to do this evening is select somewhere to eat- and there looks to be hundreds of restaurants to choose from. It’s a hard life eh?

[Posted from Mrs Foggs super cool iphone]

Today we are touring the Waitomo Caves. You get lots of choices for tours- they range from Rambo ratings out of 10 right down to pussy level. Although Mr Fogg would have loved to do the tours that included a 100m abseil, riding rubber tubes through pitch black underground rivers and jumping into waterfalls (Rambo rating 6/10), I’m afraid I bottled and we did the pussy tours(Barbie rating 0/10).

First one is Ruakuri caves which Maori legend says is named after two dogs (rua as in two). The Maori liked the caves and ate the dogs. The caves themselves are pretty good, we walked for about 1.5 hrs and got to see teeny gloworms on the roof of the cave. Very pretty.

Next stop is the main cave where we will get a boat ride in an underground lake. It’s a short tour but the 5 min boat ride at the end is well worth it. A dozen people sitting in silence (well apart from another screaming child) in the dark (which is why said child was screaming) staring up at hundreds of gloworms. Fab, and not a rubber ring or abseil rope in sight.

Apparently Waitomo means in Maori Wai- water and Tomo- tunnel or shaft.

Haha Mr Fogg, some history stuff for you!! And Mr Fogg actually knows a descendant of the people who found the caves. How cool is that?? Such a cool place to visit, but surprisingly very few people around even on a Bank Holiday.

Next stop is the finding decent restaurant food challenge (we failed this last night and ended up with chips, more chips, potato wedges and burnt fish) before we head off to Hobbiton tomorrow to visit Bilbo.

Stay off the roads Frodo!! Wraiths may be about.

[Posted from Mrs Foggs super cool iphone]

We’ve had five nights in New Zealand so far and this is about to be our sixth. Of all the evenings this is the absolute best for me. Sitting here outside a hobbit hole watching the sun descend down over the far hills, listening to bird chatter across the valley is the closest I have been to Tyddyn for a long time. This is pure perfection. No shops, no loud music, just the incredible sound of nature.

Sitting here on a bench in front of our little hobbit house I am enchanted by small birds as they flit endlessly between the trees, shrubs and eaves of the little house chasing each other and the insects they crave. The flutter of wings and patter of feet blending with the constant song from what could be a hundred different birds. Sheep are grazing around us ( and on the roof of the hobbit house) and spirals of sun glazed clouds drift slowly across the valley sky as the sun slowly descends on the far hills. An eagle shrieks nearby and although I cannot see him I know he will be soaring high, hunting before dusk settles. Below us a camper who has parked for the night gently strums on a guitar accompanying and surprisingly complimenting the birdsong.

Pure bliss. Give me warmth, nature and a bench to watch it all and I’m like a pig in mud.

Now, where’s that nice glass of red?

[Posted from Mrs Foggs super cool iphone]