It’s time for another wrap-up of photographic odds and ends of the past week. And I promise there’s a good reason for the title of the post; we’ll get there shortly.

When the Stray bus passes through Waitomo, I’m itching for something else to do (I’d already explored its Ruakuri and Gloworm caves the previous week with my friend Allison). Our bus driver suggests a short hike which passes through pretty countryside and farm animals. Sold!

“Hey cow!”

At first I am stumped by this “trick” fence, but then I notice a faint arrow pointing down on the yellow placard.

Voila! The fence opens. Very sneaky, local farmers… very sneaky.

Next I come across a series of what I first interpret to be odd-looking picnic tables.

But it’s actually another fence crossing… those are stairs.

After I successful cross all of the fences, our group reconvenes and we drive over to Mourea for our overnight cultural stop. We arrive early and visit a nearby waterfall.

The next day in Rotorua we explore the free hot springs open to the public in the local park. Several of us roll up our pants and wade into the water; it’s glorious.

That night I check out trivia at a nearby bar with my new friends Susan from Australia and Emma from the U.K. Even though the bar is next door to the hostel it’s mostly filled with locals.

We ROCK the movie quotes category.

But we bomb the “Know Your Kiwis” category. Most of them are Rugby players and we’re clueless.

In the photo below we’re attempting to identify celebrities by their tattoos. We don’t score too well here either.

In the end we come in second place to a huge group of people who may or may not have been cheating with their smartphones. But it was a really fun night regardless.

Fat Dog Cafe is my favorite restaurant in New Zealand and my friends and I visit here FOUR times in three days.

Quotes line the walls, chalkboards, and even the backs of chairs.

And here’s how I picked the title of this post:

A good lesson to remember on a trip of solo travel.

Here’s a fun surprise in the cafe aquarium. I bet he keeps the fish in a perpetual state of fear.

Coffee… my lifeline… I love you…

This is my healthiest meal of the trip so far — a bowl full of roasted veggies for lunch.

Susan orders this monster of a burger that is stacked so impressively high I feel compelled to snap a photo of my friend’s food.

Emma, you are delightful.

L&P soda is a product of New Zealand. It tastes like a lemon soda or a variation of Sprite.

This is a Cambodian style coffee I ordered at a cafe in the town center of Raglan. It’s the stuff dreams are made of… Erica’s dreams.

Have you ever heard of a Boston latte? It’s got hazelnut, honey, and cinnamon. Delicious.

This was a treat at the general store in Waitomo… yum.

I didn’t go inside this establishment, but I paused to snap a photo. They serve only carnival foods. It’s not my thing but I imagine this might excite some people.

I love these miscellaneous posts. Hope you’ve enjoyed the random photos of my week!