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Arriving in New Zealand Airport was a feeling of relief we never thought would come around so quickly! As I arrived off the plane I had my cousins Bev and Ron meeting me which was so nice to have family welcoming you after such a horrendous journey...although I barely had a minute to greet them before a man approached me with a camera, asked me if it was ok to ask me a few questions and I was on New Zealands news called TV One that night for being the first flight to arrive here from Chile!! So as if the journey wasn't surreal enough I had that to contend with...but we watched it that night and the cousins were receiving phone calls from friends who had seen them in the background...they seemed to feel more famous than me!!
We then went back to the airport a couple of hours later for Reanne and Lucy to find that Lucys bag was currently being flow to Sydney...bare in mind we were already behind on the Kiwi Experience and were supposed to be starting the next morning it was quite stressful, so we went and she brought new clothes but luckily it came by the skin of its teeth the next morning! That night was lovely, we got a home cooked dinner and was able to do our washing which was a god send!!
The next morning we got up ready to start the kiwi experience (a bus that takes you on a specific route stopping off at places you would never find by yourself...we did Auckland to Christchurch) and didn't really know what to expect but our bus driver Ma started off with a game so everyone got talking...I ended up sitting next to a boy called sebastian from belgium who by the end of our first journey obviously felt close enough with me that he felt it was ok to fall asleep on my shoulder!!
We started off going to a place called Maungawhau which was one of 70 dormant volcanoes and had great views over Auckland! We then stopped at a place called Cathedral Cove that had really good views of the coast and we were able to walk down into the caves...next stop was a hot water beach, which we didn't think could be that hot but the water was boiling!! People had made pools and were sitting in them on the beach, using the sea to cool them down...we sat in someone elses which was boiling!!
We got to the hostel which was nice and all ate dinner together, had a drink, played some cards and all played killer pool!! I didn't win but beat Lucy which annoyed her slightly as I am awful at pool and she's actually not too bad!!!
The next day we had an early start heading to a place called Roturua, we stopped on the way at a place called Karangahake Scenic Reserve to see the bush clad gorge...we walked across two swing bridges and then walked a kilomentre through a railway tunnel in the pitch black!! We then went to a town called Mata Mata which was the filming location for Hobbiton in the Lord of the Rings...I got a picture with Gollum!!
When we got to the hostel we met up with Jamie, Spike and Will and then went lugeing which was really good fun...the town is known as sulphur city as there are boiling hot mud pools that cause sulphur dioxide gas which gives the town quite a distinctive smell!! That night we all drank and danced with everyone from the bus and the guys which was fun!!
The next day we head to Waitomo and walked through the local caves which was good and then did a walk in the Ruakuri Reserve to see different types of rock formations! The hostel we stayed in here was like a set from a film set in texas...it was in the middle of nowhere and as we didn't do black water rafting we explored around finding a river and sunbathing!
That night there was our bus and another companies bus in a bar and we had a boat race...unfortunately our team didn't win...although lucy was on our team and did better than another player who could potentially have lost it for us!! But it was all good fun though!!
Our next stop was Taupo and we met back up with the guys here and were on the same bus from then on which was good!! Taupo was such a nice place...a little town surrounding a lake, when we got there we went down to the lake and went out to a platoon in the sea and chilled out there whilst the guys did a skydive!! We then went for a walk around and explored and got ready for the evening! That night we went to an Irish pub and then ended up in our hostel bar...earlier that evening a guy who worked in the bar drew around me whilst lying on the ground outside the bar in chalk and then squirted ketchup out of my head...apparently it makes people stop to see what it is, he then swoops and tries to get them in!! So I felt slightly famous again!! After talking to the guys about their skydive we decided we wanted to do it the next day! We really wanted to do it at Franz Josef but apparently the weather there is temperamental!!
So the next day we woke up without even having time to think or worry about it and booked the skydive!! It was at that point I started worrying...and whilst waiting to be picked up we have never been so silent!! A limo came and picked us up and took us there, and after signing our lives away, going through a safety video, choosing our songs for our videos and getting kitted up we were ready to go!!
They made us wait for the weather for about 20 minutes and at this point I had calmed down...I had told the guy I was jumping with (who they said was david bowies cousin) to just make sure I get out of the plane..it was then time to go...the walk up to the plane my tummy started going slightly but I still held it together, until in this tiny plane, sitting on my divers lap looking out of the window and seeing how high up we were I said.."Oh god...any minute and we'll be going" he replied that we were only at 2,000 feet and were heading for 15,000 feet!! Another diver then turned around looking at me quizzically asking who put me in my suit...looking at the size he started shouting that I was in the wrong suit, at which point feeling not too bad turned to horror and I was ready to scream at the guy who had given it to me! He went on for a while until he realised I was so scared...he then started laughing...a common joke apparently they like to play on the person who looks most scared!! We gained more and more height and the plane started levelling out at which point my heart was in my stomach...I was petrified and everyone could see it! I was supposed to go out last but as the guy could see my pure terror he started pushing me forward and neither me trying to hold onto the sides nor grabbing onto the bar above the door stopped Steve, he smacked my hand down, grabbed my head and threw us out....
The feeling was like no other you will EVER experience it was absolutely literally breath taking, the wind is cold and tastes like the sea side! We were freefalling down...down for 60 seconds until your mind settles, the parachute goes out and you spend a second registering that you have just jumped out of a plane and are now paragliding over the most magnificent lake...it looked so much nicer from its birds eye view! Steve tried to talk to me as we were coming down and I was literally speechless...I couldn't say anything!! After some swirls and spins in the air we landed safely on the ground! One word...AMAZING!!
That night for all surviving we treated ourselves to dinner and hung out at the hostel bar again!!!
The next morning he head off to River Valley, we stopped off at Tongariros National Park and looked in the visitors centre and had a picnic in the reserve! We then went and walked around a waterfall (no iguassu however?!) And then head into River Valley which is as it says on the tin...a hostel/lodge in the middle of a huuge valley which a really nice river running through although very isolated!! We all hung out by the river and played on the zip wire which goes from one side of the river to the other!! It was really nice hanging out with our bus we all turned into a little well rather bis family as we just spent all of our time together and everyone just got on so well!! That night we ate our standard 'chicken noodle soup' as we did for most of New Zealand as money is slightly restricted!! And then played games the the owners organised which involved climbing round a huge take without touching the floor...a really tall guy called Oli did it I have no idea how?! And from sitting on a chair sideways picking up paper from the floor with your mouth not touching the floor...a balancing game!!
The next day we headed off to New Zealands capital Wellington although we didn't get there till really late and it was raining so we didn't really get to see Wellington at all but it did just look like any other city...
That night was our last night together as our original bus as the next day was the crossing over to Pickton down to the south island and some people were staying for longer...so we started in the hostel bar and drank and danced the night away..we then moved onto another bar and a few hours in the lights went out which we thought was our cue to leave only half way to the hostel and there we realised there was actually a power cut and inside we could see nothing! No lifts, lights or any staff around! Very glad we were on the 5th floor there!!
The next day we were up bright and early to catch the boat over to the south island...
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