Uncomfortable Bus Rides, the Pinnacles, and Overeating

So... it's been a while. We went to Thames a while ago. On the bus ride, I took a seat with some guy because the bus was pretty full. I never realized how big he was until I sat next to him. He was huge, he took up almost two seats! So, I was already seated, so I couldn't move without being rude. I spent the whole two hour bus ride half in the aisle with my arms crossed. My music distracted me until it died. Thames was pretty nice. The hostel was really close and the town has about 10 000 people. The next day, we got a ride out to a hike. It was a hike to the Pinnacles, these rock formations that were originally plugs for volcanoes. Now, after erosion, only the pinnacles remain. The walk would have been okay, but there were thousands of steps cut into the stone. They had been made for horses when the area was used for forestry. Walking uphill on steps is different than just walking uphill on rocks. You have to think about it more, it seems like more work. So the steps were a bit of a challenge, but the scenery was beautiful nonetheless. Then, to get to the top, there were 627 (we counted) wooden steps. It was difficult, but totally worth it when we got to the top. The Pinnacles were gorgeous and you got such a good view from the top. After the Pinnacles, the hike kind of dragged out. Most of the way down was downhill and we'd already seen the highlight of the hike. But at the end, we got to relax by the river and wait to be picked up. We also got to go out for ice cream, which was awesome. I got goody-goody gum drop ice cream, New Zealand's equivalent of bubble gum. It is sooooooo good! Then we went back to the hostel and ate sweet potatoes (kumara they call them), cauliflower, and tomato sandwiches. We also met a Scottish surfer guy who talked a lot about rugby. The next morning, I woke up early and tried to use up some apples that I bought that were bad (no wonder they were in a bag and were cheap). I also donated some clothes to the Salvation Army, I definitely overpacked. When the girls were up, we hit the farmer's market and bought a few Christmas presents. Then we headed back to the hostel to wait for our bus. I was bored, so the Scottish guy taught me how to play this Maori game called "poi". It involves spinning around hacky sacks on chains and crossing them over. It was a lot of fun, but was a lot of work. That took up about an hour and a half. With still extra time, I went in search of a piano to play, but very few churches are open on Saturday, so I couldn't find anything. Then we took the bus to Hahei. The next day we headed out to Hot Water Beach, my first hitchhiking experience. But it was totally okay, we had shovels so I could have hurt anyone weird who picked us up. The beach was much hotter than I anticipated. We had to dig a cold hole of water and divert the hot stream into it. Even then we almost burned ourselves. After getting back, we walked to Cathedral Cove, this gorgeous white sand beach. It was really nice. We hung out with some new people at the hostel that night, eating and reading trashy magazines. I made some tortilla chips, which weren't half-bad. Plus, we gave this German girl peanut butter for the first time! It was crazy, but she really liked it. Today we caught a bus to Tauranga. For dinner, we found this Chinese restaurant. You buy a container and fill it to the max with food. I ate it all. So now I feel really full and bloated, but full nonetheless. Tomorrow we're headed out to Rotorua to spend a couple of days. Then Raglan next, to learn how to surf. I'm pretty excited about that. Everyone in the hostel right now is watching "Family Guy". I think it is more popular here than in Canada! Anyways, wish me luck in downsizing my luggage more.