Escape from Taupo

*View from the tree*

*Henry and Tane and the big cave*

*Brinna, Phil, Peter, Sam, Lukas, Martin, Me, Henry, Mollie*

*Henry and I halfway up a hill*

*Pretty sand on the beach*

My 2 day trip to Auckland turned into a fleeing from Taupo.

I realized that i was, in fact miserable there and that it was time to leave.

So i put in my one day's notice at work, packed my bag and hit the road (only after a big night out with all my friends of course.

Spent a few days in Auckland, then took the train to Bethell's beach to stay with the lovely Henry (who had 2 days prior returned from England) and her boyfriend Tane at Tane's Beach house. It was awesome and just what i needed after a thuroughly crippling homesickness breakdown in the Auckland Starbucks a few days before. Happy now though.

We played in caves, walked on the beach barefoot in jeans and a tshirt (in mid winter!), saw a dead seal, climbed a hill and then climbed the tallest tree on top of that hill, went to a lake behind a sand dune in the middle of teh woods, read, napped, watched Fantasia, made pizza and drank milo. It was exactly what i needed. Of course, Henry would probably be able to cheer me up if we were living in a sewer.

Now i am back in Auckland. It is sunny and beautiful. I don't think i will be as lucky when i come home to my northern hemisphere winter....

No solid plans.

Wish list:

-Get to the damn south island!

-Take a train trip.

-Go to a Rugby World Cup game (17 days!!)

-Use my tent at least once before i go home.