This is Bill

I have met many people even in just one week of staying in hostels. All of them fun, unique, kind, and adventurous. My favourite person is not a person I expected. His name is Bill and Bill is the best.

Bill drives the Waitomo shuttle. He has lived in Waitomo his entire life and he loves everything Waitomo.

When I met Bill I needed a ride from my hostel to town to catch the train, I walked to the end of the drive to meet him where he promptly informed me that HIS shuttle is a door to door service and I didn't need to meet him. 

Once on the road he told me that he was going to give me 50 pages worth of information on Waitomo. For reference, the population of Waitomo Caves Village is about 500 people. Pretty much the only thing in Waitomo is Black Water Rafting and a copious amount of glow worms. HOWEVER, Bill knows about all these things and so much more. 

Bill took me to see the kiwi fruit and reconciled my misconception about the location of the first ever kiwi bird breeding. Bill told me the history of "King Country"* where Waitomo is located. Then Bill took me to get eggs from a local store, and dropped me off at the train station assuring me he would be back in 30 minutes after he went home for a cup of tea to make sure I made it on the train. 

BUT FIRST he insisted I walk down an alleyway of glass cases and push the buttons to hear the recorded history of New Zealand. 

When Bill returned he brought me a strange Vegetable, which he instructed me on how to cook, he explained to me the expression "Rattle your Dags," and brought a person dressed up as a Kiwi bird for me to take a picture with. 

He also insisted on carrying my luggage to the luggage car on the train, got me a free luggage tag and told me to email him after I eat the vegetable. Bill is the best. 

If you're ever in Waitomo get the Waitomo shuttle, and tell Bill I sent you. And ask for 50 pages of Waitomo history. And maybe a vegetable if you're feeling brave. (it was very good) 

*So there was a Maori king and an English guy. Everyone was fighting over land in New Zealand. The English guy goes to the Maori king and says essentially "I wanteth land but I doth wish not to fight, let us halve the land and live in peace" so the Maori king took english guy's hat and took his knife/sword/weapon and acted like he was going to cut it in half. The English guy goes "woah, woah, woah, holdeth up. if thou cuteth my hat thou shalt spoil it!" and the Maori king said "If you cut my land you shall spoil it!" so the king put down HIS hat on the map and said "you can have everything around the rim, what is inside is mine" and so that area became known as King Country and no english were allowed in it.