The Black Lung is a Procrastinator, but that doesn't mean she didn't enjoy the last few days of vacation, Part 7: The End

The morning after we became super accomplished blacksmiths was the steam punk parade in Thames, the town where we were staying. That weekend was the steampunk festival, which our host thought brought us to town in the first place (I may have already talked about this, but if I can't remember writing it, you almost certainly can't remember reading it). Our host was in the parade for some reason, I think just because she had friends who were doing it. So we went and watched. It was very weird and only kind of related to steam punk as Leah and I understand it. But still kind of fun. Also this morning was when our host told us about a big steam punk ball she went to the night before. Apparently a man (not her boyfriend, who we met) invited her and said he had bought an extra ticket, so she went because it sounded neat. Then it turned out, he didn't have an extra ticket at all, he was just going to sneak her in. I'm pretty sure she had never felt more alive.

Wee! A parade!

After the parade, we decided to go on a hike to see an entire grove of Kauri trees! We had seen one Kauri tree previously, but as you recall, they're in a lot of trouble due to intense levels of logging in the past and Kauri dieback disease now. So seeing a whole grove sounded pretty neat. Unfortunately for us, we were still feeling the physical strain of the last several days. Also, to get to the trail head, you have to drive across very, very low bridge. I think the water was only a couple of inches below the surface of the bridge. If I'm recalling correctly, there were line on the bridge that said not to cross if the water was above that level, but we were a little nervous about it anyway. What if it started rainig while we were out??? Spoiler alert-we did not die from drowning, so it worked out.

From where we parked, it was about an hour hike to the Kauri grove. Also, other people parked past us further up the trail, because they are wimpy cheaters. Plus they don't fear breaking rules about parking like we did. Most of the walk was not too bad. We did have to cross some water and got very wet feet, so that was a bummer. And we passed some abandoned mine shafts, which I always enjoy. We also passed a bunch of other people coming and going from the grove. The big problem was that right at the end there are a bunch of staircases to take you to the top where the grove is. No!!!! Stairs are the worst. We had come prepared though, with water and snacks, so we could at least rest when we reached the top.

This is part of the path. There is literally no way across without getting your feet wet. 

Crossing into the danger zone for the Kauris. Much like our other Kauri hike, this is where we had to disinfect our feet.

This stile made me feel like a genteel lady, even though there were no handsome gentlemen to help us over. Good thing we are strong, independent women who don't need help from no man!

Mine Shaft!

I still can't get over how green and beautiful everything is in New Zealand.  

Some of the many stairs to the top. Most of the Kauris were growing along the sides of the stairs with some really big ones at the top. 

 We made it! I think this was the biggest of the Kauri trees that we saw, but there are a bunch. We counted at least 20.  

A bunch of Kauri trees together. Pictures didn't capture how giant these trees are. 

Like they're giant around and giant tall. Crazy big trees. 

A new fern, getting ready to unfold. This is what we tried and mostly failed to capture in my doorknocker. 

After a nice rest we headed back to the car. There were a lot of other trails into the bush, so if we had been hardcore backpackers or people who wanted to hike all day, we definitely could have gone farther. I mean, we obviously didn't want to, but if you ever plan a New Zealand trip, you could! We were also very hungry, in spite of our snacks, so we went to the Cheese Barn for lunch. Alas, we did not take any pictures, but it's a place that sells cheese pretty exclusively. They also have a little farm with animals. So it's basically great. We very much enjoyed our cheese platter, plus we bought some cheese for later. Yo, I just consulted Leah, and maybe we got cheese before we hiked? This is the problem with procrastinating. We just don't really remember. But both of those things definitely happened on that Saturday. Maybe other stuff also happened? There's no way to know. Hey, I'm pretty sure we also went grocery shopping. Such a thrill filled life.

After all of these definitely happened but not necessarily in that order, we decided to be lazy and watch a movie. We bought the 1960s version of Batman, plus some Cherry Ripes, which are a great and delicious candy. Then we watched it on Leah's computer and had a great time. Honestly, this was the kind of activity we mostly did when we both lived in the same place. 

Sunday morning was time to head back to Leah's house. Our host at the Airbnb was very disappointed that we didn't want to say and eat a leisurely breakfast with her. I hope she has made some friends since then. But we had to leave early to get to church in Rotorua on time! This day, Rotorua was exceptionally stinky. Like way more than the other days we were there. But church was great, and so was our delicious lunch that we ate. We were mostly taking the same route back to Leah's because it was fastest, but we did get to stop along the way and see the giant boot! I think they make rain boots in the town where the giant boot is, but I couldn't swear to it. There was also a "walk" behind the boot, which was short, but insanely steep. Leah was like, "Nope!" but I powered up the hill and made it to the top. And since Leah wasn't there, there were no witnesses to how hard I was breathing.

This boot would protect your whole body from the rain, not just your feet.

The whole path up the hill was not this steep. Only about 75% of it.

No witnesses to my breathing, but I did document my sweatiness. 

The tiny town below. It was a good view.

The rest of the day was driving and stopping to admire the scenery, and then driving some more. We were very happy to get back to Leah's, even though we saw some beautiful sites along the way. Monday was the day I was heading back to the US, so we decided to have a pretty chill day of just hanging out like we used to. We ate some ice cream and watched Mystery Science Theater, 3000 on Netflix. We also went to a really nice botanical garden and looked at roses and other plants. It was a great reminder that autumn in Baltimore is spring in New Zealand. 

A beautiful wintery mountain that we saw along the road. No idea what it is, but we liked it. 

 I just love yellow flowers. I can't help it. 

 Back on the "ugly" side of the mountain.

I took so many pictures of roses, you guys don't even know. 

 I am only sharing the best ones.

But there were many, many more!

Palmerston North's wind farm up on the hill. We saw this from the botanical gardens. I wish I had a wind farm.

Then it was time for me to go home. Not gonna lie, I cried, and not just at the thought of travelling so far again. It was sad to leave my friend! Hopefully she will live there long enough for me to be able to afford to go back. There were many things we didn't have the time or money to see, so another trip would be great. I am also happy to report that the trip back didn't seem quite as long or as traumatic. It was definitely both of those things, but I handled it better for some reason. Still gonna be more careful about layovers in the future though.

Farewell for now, cool friend and cool place!

See all y'all next time on...The Black Lung!!!