Glow worms!

My next WWOOF’er hosts (still make it sound like I’m a parasite of some kind in my ears) were lovely too, they are in the middle of getting a sustainable tree wood type thing going. First day there had been an emergency, Clyde is a substitute teacher although in NZ it has a different name which I can’t remember. Anyway seeing as everyone was going to be out I spent the day in Hamilton I looked at Hamilton Gardens, which were ok, walked along the river for quite a way which was very nice. Then I spent the rest of the day in the cinema as it came on to rain. I watched Ghost Town and My best friends girl, both comedies and both hugely enjoyable.
In the evening I had the joy of being able to watch Clyde teaching some Aikido classes. It was quite interesting to compare this Japanese Martial Art with the things that I’d learnt (and I realised am forgetting at an alarming rate) in China. Then we went out for an Indian. The whole family – Mum Diane and the two teenagers Aaron and Rowan were vegetarians so I decided ‘when in Rome’
I did feel a bit bad about having had some food and two nights board without actually having done anything so it was good to get on the next day and start planting trees and clearing weeds etc.
In all I stayed with the family for a week. I was even getting on pretty well with the boys by the time I left which was a surprised considering that my age is equal to theirs combined – just goes to show that it’s less important than I sometimes give it credit for. I also greatly enjoyed some of the more philosophical chats that I had with Clyde. He’d been in a family cult for quite a lot of his life – not sure about the specifics but still it gave him and interesting view on things. On leaving their house I went to the ‘famous’ Glow worm caves in Waitomo. It was very beautiful but didn’t last all that long as I chose a cheaper boat tour option as opposed to black water rafting – whatever that is. From their I went straight on to Taupo, another adrenaline fuelled city. And close to the Tongariro Crossing, a one day hike right across the volcano cones in the middle of the north island.