So, I got a new car for my birthday- we traded our troubling old one for a newer and safer subaru station wagon- and headed to South of Aukland to Waitomo caves. Opting only for free and independent experiences, Sam and I had a long, relaxed dinner well paired with New Zealand wines, as we waited for night to fall so the area's famous glow worms could illuminate our trail. That short night hike alone was incredible- a maze of a trail, along a serpantine creek, through forest and rock tunnels that sparkled with the tiny lights of glow worms, living among the rock walls. Prior to the hike, we got directions from some other travelers to find some uncommercialized caves right off of the same trail. The following morning was spent in these underground caverns, usually wading knee-deep in water, and scrambing over, under and through unique rock formations, which sparkled with glow worms, water droplets, or minerals. That everning we headed to Turangi, gave ourselves a day of relaxation, day hiking, pizza making, and our first night back in the tent since Chile. After sleeping in the back of a station wagon every night, we were like little kids on Christmas about getting to sleep in the tent again- and slept better than either of us had since Chile. Yesterday, we made the famous Tongaririo Crossing (Mordor), over twenty-five km, if you include the 2200m volcano (Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings) and the 1900m mountain we climbed as side trips. The trail itself traveles through very interesting volcanic scenery, including lava fields, colored craters and thermal pools, which is why it is said it be New Zealand's most popular trail, which is also why, on a regualar Wednesday when school is in session here, we hiked it with about five hundred other people. Seriously. Without any real plans following the trek and with an renewed eagerness to escape the masses, we changed our ferry ticket to last night, and crossed over to the South Island early this morning. We are very excited for increasinly impressive scenery and already hard at work trying to figure out how to cram it all in to the month we have left. Cheers!