I write you from Paihia, a small town known as the "gateway" to Northland, the northernmost part of New Zealand. To be honest, there's not much here. It's a fairly sleepy vacation town on the coast, but things here don't really pick up until after the holidays. I have spent the past couple of days here, hiking and kayaking, and will head down to Rotorua today via bus. Rotorua, a major destination of NZ visitors, is home to much geothermal activity, including a big geyser that explodes several times a day. Pictures to come.
I've enjoyed NZ so far: it is beautiful, accessible, and the people are friendly. However, one thing I have noticed is how touristy it is. The tourism industry is an integral part of life here, and it shows. On the one hand, this makes it very easy to do/see certain things, but on the other hand, everyone else is doing/seeing those things too. I have met other travelers from all over the world: the Netherlands, France, the US, Germany, Sweden, UK, Australia, China, etc.
On a practical note: In a moment of Seinfeld inspiration, I recently decided to start naming each of my blog posts like a Seinfeld episode. I love the show and think the new titling system will add a little something interesting to the blog.
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