We woke up this morning and the rain had not stopped. I have lived in many places where it rains a lot. But I have not very often seen twenty-four hours of non-stop rain. And this wasn’t a sprinkle or light rain. This was heavy rain with a wind continuously pushing it sideways to make sure it got right in your face. We had a very nice continental breakfast with Lois. She provided New Zealand clover creamed honey for the toast. I love honey anyway and creamed honey is one of the best things this world has ever produced. We had an itinerary so we gave her a hug, she gave us a blessing, and we made our way to Mt Maunganui. This is a great coastal area that in better weather would have been teeming with people on the beach, boardwalk, and hike. There were still many people walking around the various shops, but the beach was empty and the hike had a few people crazy enough like we were to be out on the trail. I will say that throughout the day I saw way more runners than I expected for the weather. Apparently cold rain doesn’t faze Kiwis from staying in shape. 

There were sheep dotting the lower reaches of the hill who seemed bored with all the people walking around their “home”. The hike was short, but not easy. I was sweating - possibly because I’m old and out of shape - by the time we reached the top. I’m sure, as yesterday, the views are amazing in good weather. Ours on the other hand were severely limited by cloud cover. We could barely see the 800 ft down to the water, much less the surrounding town and beaches. Nevertheless Mt Maunganui had been summited and we made our way back down. There are naturally heated pools at the base of the trail. We decided to give them a try. I feel most of the tourists and residents also decided this was a good idea as it was fairly crowded. They are like normal swimming pools except the water is heated to a nice warm temperature. Sitting outside with the cold air and raindrops falling on your head while your body soaks in warm water is quite a wonderful feeling. Getting out to dry off and walk back to the car was not something I really wanted to do. 

We made the short drive down to Rotorua following our bath. It’s a nice town and the hostel we selected is much nicer than the one in Auckland. This is the type of hostel I wouldn’t mind spending multiple days at. There is a lot to do around Rotorua. Unfortunately the second flood continues and we spent the afternoon and evening relaxing and reading on our beds. The rain is supposed to abate tomorrow and hopefully not rain on the South Island all next week.

A side note: Wifi is not very good here to say the least. Most places I have travelled in the world it is not especially difficult to find free, unlimited internet. New Zealand hostels, restaurants, service stations, etc either do not have it or charge you for it or it is impossible to stay connected to it. It’s not that I need 24/7 access to e-mail or news. In many ways it’s refreshing to disconnect. More than anything I am surprised this is an issue.