Tour day 3 - Wellsford and Waitomo

Woke 6.30am (ouch). Breakfast was @ 7am (yummy coffee, eggs, bacon and toast again) and we had bags on the coach @ 7.30.

Set off  @ 7.45 into the nicest day we've had yet. Through lovely rolling green hills and lots of cattle and sheep. It was so warm on the coach that I was finally down to one layer - yay!!

We stopped briefly at Wellsford (which is an anagram (?) of the first letters of the names of the founding families of the town) before heading back to Auckland. Weather still good.

I had sushi for lunch and bought a ski parka. I would have liked to go up the Sky Tower but didn't have time to do everything.

We picked up 20 new people and drove on again (still in great weather) to Waitomo. We arrived at the 'Kiwi-Paka' which is actually fantastic, dropped our luggage off and went to see the glow worms in the caves.

Walking through the caves themselves was awe-inspiring enough, especially since they have weddings and concerts in the 'cathedral' which is a perfectly shaped (acoustically) dome, but we then got into boats and drifted under the glow worms themselves. It was pretty amazing, especially the feeding lines they send down to catch their prey.

We walked back to the hotel, took some photos, got some snacks, walked up to Waitomo hotel, took some more. Waitomo Hotel is a wonderful grand hotel, built in 1909 and added onto in 1928.

We then went to the Tavern, had a drink, and then we all hung around getting very hungry. Dinner was finally at 8 o'clock and it was some pretty special gourmet pizza and salad. Woops, almost forgot the complimentary sparkling wine beforehand - cheap but not bad.

Went back to the Tavern after dinner for another drink and a party. Met Leif, a country boy from Taree who's worked in Narrabri. The similarities between him and James are uncanny. The same tight jeans, the same boots, the same (possibly perceived) drinking capacity, the same belief they can back up nights indefinitely and the same impression of their effect on women.

Tunes on the jukebox, games of pool, lots of laughter - good night. I sent James a message to say I'd found his twin, and quite incredibly, he replied, saying that he'd just got a new hat, and asking if I was having a good time. Funny.

Went to bed around midnight.