Hike to Blue Pools and Jet Boat

After the flight, we took a 2-hour hike, passing by Blue Pools, which looked more green today due to the heavy rain overnight.

As we continued on, so many people stopped us on the trail to ask where the blue pools were, as they had passed them by, ignoring the signs because they hadn’t seen any blue.

On our hike we saw a Tui bird and a New Zealand wood pigeon. Great to see them in the wild!

Our hike ended at the river’s edge without a building, boat or person in sight. Courtney pulled a bottle of champagne and plastic flutes from her backpack and we sat on the gravel beach sipping and skipping stones until our jet boat arrived.

Jet boats were designed for New Zealand’s shallow rivers and are really fun, but kind of noisy. The boat driver would signal us to hold on when she was going to make a 360° spin.Read more