Sunday (the 20th) was my last day on the Flying Kiwi tour, and one that would take me back to Auckland where I started, via Waitomo. Almost all of the day was spent driving, with the only real stop in Waitomo, famous for its caves.
There was no space on any of the caving trips, so we went for an hour long walk through a section of rainforest to see various caves, waterfalls and the like, before heading back to the bus for lunch. It was then on to a farm for a 'Kiwi culture show', the like of which I've never seen before.
The farm show turned out to be performed by one guy and his collection of animals. When he wanted a donkey or sheep on stage, he cued them by pulling a string which would then open a pen outside in the yard, sending the animal trotting down a path and into the barn where the audience were sitting. The main theme was how the pioneers of New Zealand turned the country into farmland, and it eneded up being quite interesting. All of the grassy fields, for instance, were created by hand as the trees were chopped down and replaced with grass seed. Not a task for the faint hearted!
Talking of tasks, the show was quite audience orientated, even with only about a dozen of us. He got Jenn to light a fuse and then a handful of us to help sheer a sheep, which some of us found a little awkward to say the least. Anyway, it was an enjoyable show, even if it was a little eccentric.
From Waitomo, we continued on to Auckland, where we checked in to Base Backpackers. Helene, Pascal, Rebekka, Jenn, Gesche and I then went out for a meal and a drink before heading back to the hostel after an exhausting day.
