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Gap Year
  • Maddie Boe

Gap Year

Une aventure de 57 jours par Maddie En savoir plus
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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Byron Bay Lighthouse

    5 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I was still on the bus till almost 9 today and only got about 2 hours of sleep on the whole bus ride. Luckily my hostel ended up being a short 5 minute walk from the bus station. Unluckily my room wouldn't be ready tell about 12:30 so I shoved my luggage into storage and then napped on a couch in the lounge for a few hours. When I woke up I was able to check into my room and take a quick shower. When I got back I met a girl in my room named Sophie who was about to walk up to the lighthouse with two other girls. I joined them on the walk along the beach and then up to the lighthouse which was a decent trek but definitely worth it. We even got to the most eastern point of all of Australia. On the way back to our hostel we stopped and swam in some of the most beautiful water I've ever been in. It was the perfect temperature and so clear it was crazy. After a little snack I met up with my Swedish friends and we went to a free pizza party being hosted by a travel agency. With full stomachs we headed off in search of a good bar/club and finally ended up at one right by the beach. We called it a night pretty early due to lack of sleep and having to wake up decently early.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Clark's Beach

    6 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I forced myself to wake up early today so I could try to go book a tour to Nimbin at a travel agency. Luckily I was able to book it just in time and then get to the bus station. Once we all had boarded I got to talking to a German girl but then the driver said that they overbooked so I could ride with them until they picked up the last people to see if anyone cancelled but if not I would have to get off. Turns out everyone showed up so I was kicked off the bus about 25 minutes walking from where my hostel was. So I got down to the beach and started walking. When I was almost to my hostel a French boy stopped me and started talking to me in very limited English. His two other friends helped him out and I ended up setting up my stuff with them. I spent most of the day practicing my French and even surfed for a bit with the board he rented for a few hours. Half way through the day we saw a pod of dolphins swim by only 200 feet off shore. At one point it started raining and I ran back to my hostel, took a shower and changed before going out and buying some food for dinner. I hadn't eaten for most of the day and thought it would be a good idea to eat two big servings of pasta. After waiting a little and talking to some friends I left to go buy a smoothie while my phone attempted to download a show. When I got back my friend was gone but instead a guy named Mike was watching my phone and so we got to talking and because he didn't have anything to do the next day he decided to do the tour I had rescheduled. I ended up having another early night in preparation for my Nimbin tour the next day.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Nimbin

    7 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Woke up quickly ate breakfast and made my way to reception where the bus would pick Mike and i up. We boarded the very hippy bus and started our journey to Nimbin. The drive there was beautiful and filled with rolling green mountains. We stopped at a waterfall on the way and saw some turtles swimming in the water below. We continued to our next stop at a pub and a overgrown railway. While most went into the pub for a drink we went exploring and found a beautiful old bridge surrounded by foliage. After wandering around for a little we boarded the bus and headed to out final destination. When we got to Nimbin our tour guide, princess Fiona, told us of all the places we could buy weed around town and then set us loose. Our group of about 15 seemed to stick together in the search for some cookies and brownies. For some reason it was particularly hard to find any today and most places said that it was the wrong time. After almost an hour we finally found some cookies and then walked down to the designated lunch place. We ate the cookies and then some delicious burgers with sweet potatoes and pineapple and then boarded up and started heading back just when all of us were starting to feel it. The bus ride back was much quieter with many sleeping and some bursts of random laughter. Once back both of us were tires so we took a quick nap before heading out in search of some food to quench our munchies. We stopped for some burritos before heading to the beach to look at the stars.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Tallow Beach

    8 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today was one of the best and most relaxing days I've had since I've been here. Easy morning made breakfast and looked up where I might go next before running into Annika and Sophie. We talked for a bit and then Mike came down and we rode up by the lighthouse. We got off our bikes and walked further to a look out point where you could see the lighthouse and both beaches on each side of the peninsula. Then we descended into a beautiful lush national park with trees making a little tunnel over the paths. Here we saw a huge lizard that was about 4 feet long and looked like a Komodo dragon. We popped out of the trees on the same street our bikes were on just further down. Turns out that wasn't the way to the more secluded beach but with the help of google maps we realized we just had to walk down a nearby street and then on another beautiful path. It was an absolutely beautiful and huge beach with almost no one on it. Immediately got in the water which again left we stunned by the clarity and beauty of it. The waves on this beach were even more constant and the sand dipped down so quickly so that you could be standing in knee deep water and one wave could be up to your chest. The rest of the afternoon we explored the forest lining the beach where we saw a rare red necked wallaby, and continued going in and out of the water as we pleased. I also saw the most beautiful piece of wood with swirls and cracks and there was something so mesmerizing about it. I played with a little white crab before walking past some naked sun bathers to look at the rocks at the end of the beach. On our way back to pick up the bikes I unfortunately stood in a ants nest and got bitten by a very large unidentified ant. It hurt like hell for quite awhile but I tougher it out like always. Then we biked down to Clark's beach and walked around the base of the lookout point rock thing so we could watch the surfers on the other side. we stayed there till the sun set and then biked back along the beach and taking quick showers before heading to Earth n Sea to eat a crap ton of delicious lasagna. We walked around for a bit before settling on the beach once again to watch the stars and the light house.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Byron Bay

    9 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    I woke up earlier then planned to say goodbye to Mike but quickly went back to sleep. When I woke up the second time I made breakfast and the went to the beach to meet up with my Swedish friends who I hadn't seen in a few days. When I got there we played some uno before jumping into the water where Nick lost his sunglasses. Of course my one hidden talent is finding sunglasses in water and that's exactly what I did. Then I borrowed John's snorkel gear and swam around some rocks with a lot of very plain whitish fish. After we got out I realized just how swollen my foot and toes were which came along with a lot of itchiness. I lounged around for a bit before heading back for some lunch where I met up with Annika again. We then went and dropped her friend off at the bus station before a long shopping trip in search of ingredients for some healthy meals. We went back to the hostel and made a very yummy healthy meal before calling it a night.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Byron Bay

    10 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Got up, ate breakfast and went to buy some churros before scheduling the next few days in the Blue mountains. After all the clerical work was out of the way Annika and I biked to my Swedish friend's hostel to pick up the snorkeling gear for Annika. We then continued riding to some overgrown train tracks that Mike had told me about. Once we had worked up a sweat we went to find some frozen yogurt. Then we rode down to the beach to find some live music playing which we stayed at for awhile before continuing down the beach and watching some acrobats give a flying lesson. We dropped off the stuff at the hostel and I rode up towards the lighthouse to try to make the sunset and meet my Swedish friends. The ride was much longer and steeper than I thought so I missed the actual sunset but still got some good views. I had to go back down soon after due to the dark and my hunger. I made a lentil salad when I got back before showering and then sleeping.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Alstonville

    11 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today I woke up and quickly packed and ate breakfast before texting Annika who I had planned to go snorkeling with. She had found something else to do but it turned out John wanted to go too so we met up at the beach around 10. The snorkel site was a shipwreck only about 40 meters offshore on the main beach that was marked by the top of the mast that stood about 5 feet out of the water. It didn't look very far but as soon as we got in the water we knew we were in for a tough swim out against the rough and constant waves. After lots of complaining and mouthfuls of water we finally made it out to the mast. I tried holding on to it for a second but quickly realized it was a bad idea after a swell pulled all the water out from under me and I was left hanging only to be ripped off of it by the wave. I took a look and was met with utter disappointment that came in the form of one fish and the three feet down I could actually see before the water turned dark green. After one look I knew it was hopeless and we headed back to shore. We played in the water a bit and made a lumpy sandcastle before heading to the train station to meet the rest of the Swedish crew. After saying goodbye they boarded and headed off but not before giving me some free fries. I headed back to the hostel and had a quick shower and made myself some pasta before heading to the library in hope of better wifi. The wifi was still bad and it took a few hours to download less than an hour and a half of content. In that time I bought a book and had a nice long nap. Then it was time I retrieve my belongings and head to the bus station. Thankfully the bus was less than half full so I could put my bags anywhere and still stretch out over two seats. We stopped in two hours at a very small town named Alstonville which I explored for a bit before buying banana bread and a pineapple fritter. Then I sat under a huge tree with hundreds of parakeets until the bus left. We were off again and I started my book before I got distracted by a lightning storm we were passing by. I was pretty sleepy so I decided to put the book down and blow up my neck pillow and quickly fell asleep.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Darling Harbour

    12 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I was awoken on the bus a few hours later as everyone was getting off at a gas station. It was still pitch dark but it was required we get off so I grabbed my phone and book and left the bus. I looked around the gas station store for any edible food but found none and quickly gave up an went outside. For the next 20 minutes I watched a flailing cockroach on it's back that had been kicked out of the way and injured a leg. Right before we boarded I flipped him back over so he could fly on and disgust some more people. We rode on and after a little tv I was back asleep only to wake up as we were driving through the outskirts of Sydney. We were at central station soon after and with nothing to do I fell asleep across some chairs in a little lounging corner. I was awoken to a boisterous somewhat uneducated women who ended up giving me some tips on where to go in the blue mountains and even convinced me to go to Adelaide. After about five hours I was let into my room. I ventured out and explored China Town a little and went into Market City where I saw an adorable little bag that could replace my purse that was in the process of breaking. Unfortunately they only took cash and had about 20 minutes till closing so I ran back to my hostel to get some money. I made it back in time and continued walking to Coles only to stop and get a weird Asian pastry that had fuzzy stuff on top and had "cream" and beef in it. It was cheap and I was intrigued so I got it only to discover the cream was mayonnaise. I threw it away after a bite and then bought some peas and chicken at Coles. I found a nice park with a very weird fountain and accidentally ran into Darling Harbour on my way back. Went and ate dinner before passing out in my room of elderly men.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Blue Mountains

    13 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today I woke up and checked out before 10 and put my luggage in the storage room in the hostel. Not wanting to get to the Blue Mountains before I could check in I started planning the next few days including booking a flight to Adelaide. After some food and planning, I headed to the nearby travel agency where I booked the Kiwi Experience for my New Zealand stay. Once I returned I was pretty much ready to go when I ran into a friend I had met earlier that day. He was with another guy now and I started talking to them. They wanted to go to eat somewhere and although I had already ate I tagged along and decided to get the next train. Once I finally did get on the train the two boys had decided to come along up to the blue mountains for the afternoon with me. It turned out to be a long train ride where we met a Canadian girl and some twins who lived in the blue mountains. We finally arrived around 6 and once I dropped my stuff off we immediately headed to Echo Point to get a good view of the "mountains". We then walked to the three sisters where it started to drizzle on us before we descended down the Giant Stairway into the forest below. After an hour or so it was getting dark and we were still in the forest so we ran a little and finally made it to the Ferber Stairs and climbed our way out in the dark. It was after nine when we found civilization and after a quick run to the supermarket the boys had to take the last train back and I returned to the hostel. Hoping to get an early start tomorrow I had a short night before heading to bed.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Katoomba

    14 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Although I didn't wake up that late, by the time I had showered and eaten it was after 11. I asked around for some good hikes and settled on one that brought me by lots of waterfalls. I descended the same steps to get down to the forest but went the opposite way of last night. It was a very nice walk filled with fun animal sounds and a weird peacock looking thing . Trying to follow the advisors instructions I stuck to the right and ended up heading down the beginning of a 15 km hike. After a small swamp and lots of grasshoppers I turned around realizing I was going the wrong way. I backtracked and headed up some stairs and finally found Leura falls which I stood under to cool off. I headed back out of the forest seeing little water falls everywhere and popping out on the other side of town. Unfortunately I couldn't walk on the street I needed so I went through a park that lead me in the wrong direction. It ended up taking me over an hour to make it back to my hostel where I collapsed and took a short nap. When I woke up I showered and by that time it was almost dinner. After dinner I met a nice Swiss guy who agreed to go on a long walk with me tomorrow and then we both went to bed.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Castle Head

    15 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today I woke up a little later than planned but we still got out of the hostel early enough. We were headed to castle head and it took about an hour to get to the trail head. The whole hour we were attacked by flies but once we went more in the trees they disappeared. I was the leader and ran my face into every spider web there was as we squeezed between the foliage of an unkept path. We got some nice views as we ate lunch but left once the flies returned. We went down the golden stairs on the way back and walked along the valley floor before running into the very touristy Scenic World that has a vertical train. We opted for the strenuous Ferbur stairs I had climbed two days before. Once out we headed straight to the supermarket to buy ice cream. I got a pint of chocolate brownie and I almost finished it. It was time to head back to Sydney to prepare for the early flight tomorrow. I fell asleep a few times on the train but then they moved us all to a bus due to some railroad repair. I got to my hostel around 8 and took a shower then went out in search of some dumplings. I found them in China town and once I ate those I went and bought as many fried emperors cream things as I could(they were very small). I went back to the hostel finished packing then had an early night.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Adelaide

    16 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Woke up at 4:15 today and quietly got dressed and ready for my flight. Went and made a very quick breakfast before packing the last of my things and headed to the train station. Luckily I got there right before the train left but quickly realized I was way ahead of schedule when I made it through security with over an hour to spare. The flight went by quickly due to the fact that I slept the whole time besides when I woke up and asked for a muffin. Landed in Adelaide at 8:20 due to the 30 minute time change and after getting my checked bag I went back through security so I could chill on the couches until 1:00 which is when I could check into my hostel. I also slept for most of the time there. Once I woke up I quickly found the right bus and after 15 minutes got off and walked a short 5 minutes to my hostel. After throwing all my stuff down I went and bought an açai espresso bowl which was both delicious and filling. Next I ventured out into the blazing hot town to explore a bit. I came across some very old beautiful buildings and ran into a small China town. Then I headed into a big cycling festival thing. Apparently the Australian equivalent of the Tour de France is coming through tomorrow or starting here (not really sure). So I looked around at all the expensive bikes and went through a very dark maze that was representing what it was like cycling in the dark. It was complete with trucks backing up and almost hitting you, flashing lights and even a car door abruptly opening that blocked your path. I got out and received an awesome picture of a very frightened Maddie in the maze. Next I wandered into a booth with a coloring contest for kids competing to win a bike. I asked if I could do it and he said yes so I digitally colored a girl on a bike for the next 40 minutes. He even made fun of me for taking so long but I think it turned out really well. I'll find out next Monday if I won. Then I kept wandering around the city and came across the Supreme Court building and the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral which I went in briefly. The heat forced me to head back to my hostel and I stopped for some shower supplies and food on the way. When I got back to the hostel I showered and did laundry for the first time in awhile. Then I ate some chili con carne made by the hostel before reading my book in the lounge and going to sleep.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Lazy day

    17 janvier 2017, Australie ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    Today it was over 100 degrees and it felt like you would melt if you stayed outside for very long. I took this opportunity to to hangout with my new friend Marlene who was a German girl in my room and also book my flight back from New Zealand. We also played ping pong for a few hours and even signed up for a tournament that was happening in the evening. We met a few more people including Marcel, another German, Steph and Andrew the cutest couple from Sydney, Jinny and Patrick more Germans and Fraser from Scotland. Me and Marlene even tried pool but after failing miserable we gave up. Eventually I forced myself outside to go to the Woolworths that wasn't very close. Even the wind felt disgustingly hot. Once I was back I ate my dinner before running back out to get some alcohol before the tournament. Sadly I lost in the first round along with most of my friends but Andrew actually won the whole thing. Once it finished we gathered the gang and headed out in search of a bar. For some reason me and Fraser, the drunk ones, were leading the way. We eventually found The Little Pub and played lots of pool and darts there before four of us headed out for some late night pizza that was delicious. We got home very late played more pool and ping pong until there was just two. Me and Fraser were the only ones to make it to sunrise but unfortunately after searching for a good place we realized there was no chance of seeing it in the middle of the city. So we listened to music and pretended to watch the sunrise then went back and slept for a few hours. (I took literally no photos today so here are some random ones I couldn't put on before.)En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    New Zealand

    28 janvier 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today was one of the more brutal mornings which started before 4. After brushing up and getting the rest of my stuff packed I started the walk to Southern Cross station. On my way there I cut through a park and saw a possum walking around by some trees. After it got within two feet of me I went on my way and just barely made the airport bus. Once I got to the airport all mayhem broke loose apparently there are a lot of rules to get into New Zealand including having a flight leaving New Zealand, the right visa and for me I had another problem being they said that my Australian visa would expire before my flight back. I eventually got it all scheduled as other travelers frantically bought tickets from New Zealand to anywhere. After waiting a little I got on the plane and almost immediately fell asleep. Once in New Zealand I cruised through customs and found the bus into town. Right after I bought the ticket I dropped it and the wind blew it away and I couldn't find it. Fortunately the woman remembered me and I was still able to get on the bus. There was a bus stop that was very close to my hostel which made things a lot easier. Once settled I headed out to the supermarket to buy some groceries and then returned and ate some late lunch. The rest of the day I chilled around the hostel took some naps ate some dinner and went to bed. (Barely took pictures today)En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Auckland

    29 janvier 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I woke up at 12:00 today despite going to bed rather early. After a shower and breakfast I headed out to the Auckland Domain, a big park with live music,ponds, and gardens. The mile walk to the park didn't take very long and soon I was walking through gardens and ponds and eventually ended up on a rainforesty walk. After walking around in the forest I continued up to the war memorial. It was quite a building but it was pretty expensive to walk around inside so I continued walking through the park. Once I popped out I headed to the supermarket in search of a reusable cooler bag. After I winded my way back through little streets until I arrived back at my hostel. I waited a little bit and then had an early dinner before heading to bed.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Auckland

    30 janvier 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I refused to get up with my alarm today so woke up around 10:30. Not great but definitely better than yesterday. I went down and had my normal eggs and then had some family time through FaceTime. Then I ventured out, first to see if I could find where my bus would pick me up tomorrow but then just to wander. I ended up walking all the way down Queen street stopping to get some iron filled cereal but then continuing until I got to the harbor. I walked around a market down there that was located in a very strange white building. After taking in the views I headed back stopping at two street performers shows which included lots of knives and balls. Then I headed into the downtown Countdown where I finally got my reusable cooler bag along with some iron filled meat. Then I thought I'd take the scenic way back and head through Albert Park and see the university while I was there. Unfortunately, there was a big concert thing that engulfed the whole park and with the fences I wasn't able to see anything. The college ended up being a dud too seeing as it just looked like all the other building and one hall length was blocked off for the concert. So I headed back to the hostel to eat my meat and let it settle in time for my sunset run. I ran to Mt. Eden which wasn't very far but as you can imagine there was a lot of uphill at the end. It was so worth it though. I made it in time to get a 360 view of all of Auckland in the last light of the day with beautifully colored skies in the background. It started getting a little chilly so I headed back only to do a few more hill sprints at the hostel. Then I went in for a nice meal featuring the leftover meat from lunch and decided not to go to the ice cream place I was thinking about visiting. After some tv I headed to the shower and then it was off to bed in preparation for an early wake up.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Hot Water Beach

    31 janvier 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    I dragged myself out of bed a quarter past seven and went and brushed up before finishing packing. I headed down to the kitchen and ate a small breakfast. Then I headed to the bus stop where I met Caroline and Sylvain, the bus was late but we got on and left to pick up more people. Once the bus was full we headed out of the city and to our first stop. It was a cute little town by the water where everyone got some food and then we carried on to Cathedral cove. We had about a 45 minute walk before getting to the beautiful beach. The water was a little chilly but very refreshing. At one point we explored some caves and went through the big tunnel to a connecting beach. After an hour there we walked back and headed to Hot Water Beach where we quickly unpacked our stuff and then headed to the beach. The tide was almost to the hot pools but we managed to enlarge a previously dug pool and enjoy an hour of soaking. There I met Sandy, Tom, and James before heading back to the hostel and making some food. After food a few of us went and jumped on a big trampoline looking thing before rejoining the rest to be social. After a long night of music, star gazing, and lots of talking we all passed out in our beds relatively early so we could wake for the sunrise.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Waitoma

    1 février 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    I had set some very early alarms so I could wake up and go to the hot pools at low tide with most of the others. I was way too tired to wake up then so I decided I'd just wake up for sunset but that plan failed as well. I woke up around 6:30 and quickly got ready and had a half assed breakfast before boarding the bus again. After a very restless bus ride we stopped at a supermarket and ate some lunch before driving the rest of the way to Waitoma. Our first stop was at the Black Water Rafting center where all of us had to pay and get checked in. Then those with later times went and checked into the hostels. I tried to get some sleep for the hour I had to spare but my room was quite loud due to Daniel, Felix, Kk and Siri and I gave up after awhile. Then it was time to go to the rafting so I changed bought some caffeine and then jumped in the van. We all got suited up and ready to go in our cold wet wetsuits. After a short little drive we were at the entrance to the cave which we had to abseil down into. Besides the fact that I was so light that I couldn't go very fast it was very fun and a great first abseil experience. After that we walked a little and then zip lined in the pitch dark as we watched the glow worms. Next was snack time consisting of hot chocolate and a very large flapjack. Then we jumped down into the water and pulled ourselves up the stream where our guide told us all about the glow worms. After rafting back down we continued walking and sliding our way down the cave. After another stop for chocolate we climbed our way out of the cave through a series of waterfalls which was a great way to end the trip. Once back at the rafting center we had some bagels and soup before heading back to our hostel, showering, eating then going down to the bar. I played quite a few games of pool (all of which I won) and had the best shot ever to win the game after I had already scored three in a row. After some swinging and talking at the play structure across the street we headed back and quickly fell asleep.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Rotorua

    2 février 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I again did not wake up early enough for a proper breakfast so after some fruit we boarded the bus again. We quickly stopped for a nice walk by some caves before continuing on to our next stop, Hobbiton. I explored around the gift shop before deciding 300 was too much for Gandalf's hat. Then those who weren't going on the tour went to Rotorua and got dropped off at our hostel. After some food a group of us ventured out to the hot pools that seemed to smell worse and worse. We then walked along the lake with all the black swans before running into the museum and heading back through town. After an attempted nap and some games of war most of the group headed out to a cultural experience activity and I went down to use some wifi. After that I finished my leftovers and then walked around town for some cheap dessert. Unfortunately, everything was too expensive so I ended with nothing and went back to the hostel for a shower. When I came out everyone had returned but it wasn't too long before we went to bed. However it took forever to fall asleep due to the insanely loud bar right next door. (Forgot to take pictures today so these are from black water rafting)En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Rotorua

    3 février 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Wake up was a little later today but we still were up before 9. Without eating breakfast I headed off to watch my friends zorb. We got on the bus that dropped us off at the place and I was somehow convinced to do it as well. My friend Jess and I went to the Sidewinder with water twice because it was so fun. It was impossible to stand up but still amazing. After, we headed back to the hostel for some food and next was wifi time. It was quite hot today so I mostly stayed inside playing a card game called asshole with Jess, James, Daniel, and Felix. When we did venture out we headed down to the pool that felt like a hot tub. There I met some more Americans that would be joining our bus tomorrow. After a shower me and Daniel went in search of alcohol but after a long walk realized neither of us had our passports. So we grabbed some fruits and vegetables and went back. It was dinner time at that point so we went and looked around before settling on LovelyIndia which was absolutely delicious. After we went back to get the alcohol then headed to the bar for our free lava drinks. After I drank my two I convinced everyone to come play cards. We quickly realized 11 people in a tiny room trying to learn a card game is a bad idea. We slowly got smaller and smaller until just my roommates were in the room. Then it was packing time which took quite awhile. After a few more attempts at some new card games we brushed up and tried to go to sleep to the sound of a packed bar.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Taupo

    4 février 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today we made the drive from Rotorua to Taupo. On the way we stopped for a walk in the woods and then again at Huka falls. Once in Taupo, me, Daniel and Felix walked around the town for a little and went down to look at the water. Then we headed to the supermarket to get some food for the Tongariro crossing. Once we did that we went back to the hostel and found that people were going down to the water to go swimming. I went down a little after to find all of them just sitting by the water because it was too cold. I went back and made some dinner before we went to the bar next door for the half moon party. I also asked people about the crossing and was informed that it would be impossible to do both summits. When we got to the bar people put paint on our faces and gave us glow sticks. The rest of the night was filled with lots of dancing and singing with all of us together for the last time.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    Climbing Mt. Doom

    5 février 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    This was a very early morning that started around 5 giving me just 3 hours of sleep. We all threw ourselves on the cold bus and got ready for the long ride up to the start of the trail. When we finally arrived everyone piled in line for the bathroom but I just started walking. I soon caught up to Fredrick and we realized we were ahead of our whole bus by a lot. We reached the bottom of Mt. Doom in half the time they said it would take. We started up the hill which was quite brutal and very long. We ended up walking with a German guy for the whole way up the mountain and only at the very top did Daniel, Joe, and Rupert finally catch up with us. We had lunch at the top as we looked at the amazing views of surrounding lakes, mountains and snow. We wasted no time and after a short lunch we found ourselves sprinting and falling down the mountain. More than halfway down we saw Siri, Rhi, and Jess slowly trekking up but after a short hello we continued on. I kept up with the boys with much difficulty due to their very long legs. We reached the turnoff to the second summit and decided to do it because we were so far ahead of schedule. This summit wasn't too hard and didn't take too long but after we finished it I realized we still had 13 kilometers to go until the end. After awhile I gave up on keeping up with the boys but seeing as none of them had any more water, they never went very far. At one point me and Daniel held back while the other two boys started running down the hill. The last half of the hike was very slow and somewhat boring with all the slow walkers that jammed up the pathway. I finally got to the end and found Rupert and Joe waiting by the bus at the bottom. We loaded soon after and while we were all loading Daniel arrived. I fell asleep for most of the drive back. I took a nap while everyone else came back and when I woke up I went down to find Siri who told me that Jess and Rhi had missed the last bus. We all went to eat some pizza and I went back early to look for Jess. Luckily she had made it back thanks to the bus leaving half an hour late.En savoir plus

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  • Maddie BoeGap YearVoyageur

    River valley

    7 février 2017, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today I woke up to late for a normal breakfast again so I just ate some of Jess's porridge before going and buying some nectarines while we waited for the bus. It finally arrived and we all boarded and prepared ourselves for the long drive. After an hour or so and we stopped at a beautiful lookout point of a mountain by a lake. Then we continued driving up a mountain to the ski resort that currently had no snow but was still shrouded with fog that made it difficult to see. After climbing on some rocks in the fog we continued on and stopped at a supermarket where Jess and I bought some food together for River Valley. That was our last stop before we hit the windy roads to River Valley. When we got there there was a truck to load all our big bags on that would take it the rest of the way down the hill where the bus couldn't go. Then we had to walk with the rest of our stuff down to the lodge. Luckily me, Siri and Leo walked so slowly and were left behind that the driver of our bags let us hitch a ride in the van. Right when we got in he started moving and I flew backwards on the seat with the door still open. After being made fun of for being so ungraceful we made it to the lodge where they welcomed us and told us about the orgy rooms and much more. After releasing us to our rooms we quickly changed and headed to the river right outside our room. First step was pulling this dangling trolley over the river so we could get on it and jump off halfway through. Then we climbed a slippery wall to jump off some rocks a few times before warming up in the showers and making our food. The next few hours we spent in the main lodge playing card games, Mafia, ping pong and Jenga as most of the people around us acted drunk and crazy. Apparently there actually was an orgy thing that night but I had been in bed long before that happened. However I was constantly woke up by the shrieking skinny dippers outside my window and the loud roommates that liked to overuse their flashlights.En savoir plus

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    Fin du voyage
    7 février 2017