So much to write about!

It's been a while since my last post, and lots has happened, so let's give this a go! I spent until Monday evening in Byron Bay- there was a tsunami warning all along the east coast of Australia, and beaches were 'closed'. This did not seem to hinder anyone in Byron Bay from taking advantage of the amazing day, and the beach was still packed- hate to say it, but I too was one of those people who ignored the warning. Nothing came of it all though, by that I mean that the tsunami did not reach the east coast, so I witnessed none of the devastation that was the result. Monday night I boarded my shuttle back to Surfer's Paradise, and got stuck in a room with three girls and a guy who were SO loud when they returned from the bar, that for the first time on my trip I got mad at those in my room. Needless to say that after a broken sleep, I was up early and getting my ticket to Dreamland, a theme park in Surfers. I only ended up going on one ride (it was the only one that appealed to me- the park held nothing to Canada's Wonderland!) though I did get my picture taken with a very cute animal- I got to hold a koala bear for a photo- while it's obvious in the pic that I am super tired and hot, the koala looks super cute! After Dreamworld I took the bus back to my hostel to gather my things and jump on another bus to the airport. After about an hour on the bus I arrived at the airport, and spent some time reading before my flight- which was uneventful as they usually are! I got into Christchurch at 11:20, and after a very long shuttle ride involving a family of 4 kids under the age of 7, I arrived at my hostel at 12:40. I promptly dropped off my stuff and headed out to meet up with some friends that I hadn't seen since January. The night was fairly short,though after the day that I had had, I was beat! In the morning I was up around 9, and got ready to hit the road with a friend who I travelled all the way back up to Auckland with- saves me taking the bus, which was GREAT!!! The drive through the rest of the south island was fairly uneventful, and then it was time for the ferry- three hours of sea sickness! Well, it wasn't that bad, but part way through I was feeling the effects of the ocean! I got to see a bunch of dolphins swimming and jumping in the ocean and before long we were in Wellington! WE drove for another bunch of hours to reach Taupo, where I again was so tired that I fell asleep in no time! Today we headed for Rotorua, where I got to do the Zorb (rolling down a hill in a huge plastic ball with water inside- it was incredible!! The Zorb is located in a place called the Agrodorm, and wouldn't you know it, but there was a woolen mill there too- needless to say that I have now purchased another 2 kilos (4.4 lbs) of wool to post back to Canada- the price was right, how could I say no!!! Mom sent me an email the other day to let me know that my spinning wheel and hand dyed wool had arrived safe and sound in SK, so I am going to be spending some quality time with my wheel and my now 4 kilos of wool! Tonight I am back at the Brown Kiwi, where it all started, talking to people that have been here since I was here last- catching up with old friends- on that note, I should get back out there and chat- just wanted to update this thing as I was terribly behind!