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I'm back...a week on and I have made it to windy Wellington. Whoo. It is actually a city known for being windy...and after today I entirely agree as I almost got blown over today - if it wasn't for the railings beside me I may well have fallen right on my arse. Anyway, let's rewind to a week ago...
Parasailing, oh yes oh yes...it was much fun and the views were incredible. So the girls jumped straight onto the parasailing boat as soon as they arrived back from their dolphin watching tour. No sooner had we jumped on the boat, a gigantic cloud appeared from nowhere and the heavens opened! It caught us all by surprise but we couldn't wait for it to pass as we were on a tight schedule to get back for the bus at 2pm. So Jo and Nadine went together first...strapped on and sat side by side they got lifted in the air and seemed to be miles away from the boat...hung just by a piece of rope...funny to think that hey. Especially as Nadine was scared of hights. Haha. They were both fine and a few minutes in the air the rain stopped and the sky started to clear up again. That's one thing I have noticed with the weather here is that it can change within a matter of seconds and you can have no warning at all. Oh well, it definitely keeps you on your toes and teaches you to always bring your rain coat with you wherever you are, and whatever the weather is in the morning. So the girls came down after 15 mins or so and then it was Beth and I. You could see for miles...hills hills and more beautiful green hills...or mountains should I say. And what really made the experience one I will never forget was the awesome rainbow that appeared in the distance. It really was like a postcard picture...however we were jolting around a fair bit in the air as you imagine and that it my reason for poor quality photos...sorry guys, it's one of those moments where I can say you just had to be there J I could have stayed floating in the sky all day and I would never get bored of the views. We eventually got reeled in and headed back to the hostel to collect our stuff and jump on the bus. The girls were awesome and complained about our heater not working the first night and that the hot pool wasn't working either so we got our money back for one nights stay which was nice. All 5 of us ended up sleeping and taking in the views on our return trip. We also got shown pink sheep. I kid you not we saw pink sheep...in all fairness Gollem, the bus driver, said they were bred pink sheep but I think in the end we established that they were just painted pink...for fun. Strange kiwis! Did I tell you all the stray bus drivers get given nicknames...so Gollem was our first bus driver and then we had Splash. It's kinda funny because they end up hearing lots of different rumours about how their name derived. I think they find it quite entertaining.
We arrived back to Auckland so Taryn and I checked back into Nomads as I knew we could get a room for $19. We spent the evening catching up on the internet, having a last drink with Beth who was heading back to England the following day, and getting an early night in bed ready for the next few crazy stray bus days.
Tuesday 25th, we were up at 7am to catch the 7.30am bus. We didn't quite expect that we would still be Auckland past 9am. So yes, the bus broke down within half an hour so we had an hour in a cafe waiting for another bus. We hadn't even collected Jo and Nadine by this point so I was getting phone calls from them asking where the hell we were and that they were moody and wet having had to wait outside for over an hour. Anyway that was a bit of excitement for the morning. We had a full bus heading south..so there were 23 of us on the minivan.
First stop was Raglan...where we got taken to a lodge up on the hills. It was a beautiful spot but it was overpriced at $29. Luckily Jo had already checked out the price of the lodge and noted it was $27 so we refused to pay any more than that. The lady behind reception was not in my good books by the time got to pay for the lodge anyway as Nadine had simply asked if we could all be in the same room and yet it was too much of a bother for her to leave 2 spaces and check in the other girls in another room so we ended up having to do a room swap and shoving some girls out of our room. It felt like school again at that moment, and I was starting to wonder if I had really made the right decision to jump on a stray bus. I didn't realise how it was all organised and planned out for you, and so most people stay on the same bus throughout the trip and just go along with whatever is organised for them by the bus driver, because it's the 'easy, stress free' option (but in my eyes not half as fun!). Also most of the guys on the bus only have 1 month so don't have time to mess about finding cheap accommodation and getting lost exploring the place etc.
After finding our rooms in the lodge, we went to see the 4 guys who signed up to learn to surf. I'm glad I didn't, it was flippin' freezing outside...a few of us went to "support" instead J Taryn and Nadine were learning so we went to take photos for them. After freezing our butts off on the beach we went back and sat in the sauna for an hour. It was so nice to be so warm when you know how cold it is outside! That's until you actually have to go outside to get to your room again. A hearty pasta dish was required, so Jo and I cooked pasta, vegetables and a sauce whilst the other guys were well on their way to getting intoxicated. And oh my did some of them get intoxicated...in particular Taryn who ended up vomiting in her bed that night. She was so unbelievably hung over the following day, she looked and no doubt felt dreadful, yet still joined in with all the activities (what a trooper!)
So in the morning, we got taken to Watamo Caves which is a popular caving location. We all signed up for Hells Caving as it was half price, at $125. We got kitted up in thick wetsuits, welly boots (or gum boots as the kiwis call them), helmets and harnesses. We had a quick training session on how to hook ourselves to the abseiling rope before heading down under the hills. The next 3 or so hours were so much fun...clambering through tiny holes, abseiling down 3 waterfalls, crawling through streams, climbing up rocks, seeing glow worms at their best (so little fact for you here which may actually sway your opinion from loving glow worms to thinking they are rather vile...the glow worms...are actually maggots but glow worm sounds nicer and the green light that you see is actually their poo! So they don't have a bowl at all so end up releasing a gas/liquid, which in fact in the pretty green light you see.) Everyone managed the caving, even those with the hangovers so I was proud of the group. No one freaked out, we all just got on with it and enjoyed our time down underground...80 metres underground in fact. A warm shower was enjoyed by all before we headed on to the Maori culture evening just outside Rotarua. This was a cool evening. We arrived to the Maori family, who 'welcomed' us into their house as part of their family. We had to sit through a chant and then shake hands and clash noses with the family. Ok not literally clash noses, just touch...twice, not three times because that means you want to have a relationship with them and marry them so a mistake we were not to make! After the chant and an interesting cultural talk about their beliefs and guidelines they follow, we tucked into a chicken, vegetable and mash potato dinner...and yes, we had GRAVY TOO!!!! Yummy. I can't remember the last time I had gravy, it was a lovely home comfort and very good food too. After filling up on dinner, we went for a night walk in the nearby forest where they showed us some plants and explained what they used them for. It was actually very interesting and fun in the pitch black...we just had a few torches to share between us. We headed back to the house and had tea and biscuits whilst the family prepared for their show. We enjoyed listening to their Maori songs (great harmonies) and were taught a bit about their beliefs and then the girls learnt a dance with mini pompoms whilst the lads went off to learn the haka. Then we took turns to present them in front of each other...it was rather funny especially as the lads were forced to take off their tops and half of them were really reluctant for the first 5 minutes..but they all ended up doing it in the end! After a crazy busy day we went to the house where we all got given really thick sleeping bags, silk liners, big mattresses...oh it was so comfy! I ended up spending the rest of the evening chatting with Franzie, a sweet German girl who I had been chatting to for most of the day -we seemed to get along together really well.
Thursday 27th June was interesting...we had a lovely breakfast, but had to leave the Maori house without a pair of shoes. Our drivers brand new shoes had just vanished...we could not find them anywhere! And 7 days later he still hasn't found them or heard from the family to say that they have been found - we can only think that the family stole them! Oh not good, but also rather funny because we just don't know how we can lose a pair of shoes just like that. We headed on to Rotorua with a shoeless driver (poor Splash)! Whilst the group went off to participate in more activities, I asked to be dropped off in the town so have a walk and see what was about. I ended up being shown around by an old man who gave me a tour of the garden and took me to the other side of the town to show me some other famous buildings, and I got given some fruit that I have never tried before...it's called >>>> I didn't like it at first, but the more you each of it, the better it tastes and I quite like it now J Nice man who just spent his morning looking after me! It was nice to wonder alone again, things like that don't happen when you are with other people so it reminded me that I needed to go alone some times and not stick with the group, which is great fun, but also much fun meeting helpful locals alone. After the activities finished, Splash took us to the geo-thermal pools at Whakarawarma. Oh how could I forget to mention that I felt so at home in Rotarua...it smelt like dad...yep dad I thought of you whilst wondering around in that town and you know why? Because it STUNK of rotten eggs :> haha...the geo-thermal pools were scattered all around the town and it stunk wherever you went! Love you really Dad! Next stop was Taupo - where 4 of us went off to jump out of a plane. So we got taken to the sky dive centre in a limo, sat through a 5 minute video of health and safety, put on some overalls and jumped on a small pink plane! And up up up we went! I didn't have time to think about what I was doing...i just went with it and enjoyed the moment. Or should I say enjoyed watching Taryn, Nadine and Tristans faces as we went higher and higher in the plane. They all looked so ill - they were all petrified of heights...I guess that doesn't help situations! The only time I got a little shocked was when the door opened and we were literally hanging out the plane. Then I had to tuck my feet back and rest my head on the instructor's shoulder who was strapped behind me. Then we went! Just poof, free falling out of a plane 12 000 feet high. The first 2 seconds was when you feel you leave your heart behind, but after that initial feeling, it felt AMAZING!!! So free, if a little windswept to say the least J but the views were incredible. Its quite hard to describe but the entire time I had a massive smile on my face and the occasional 'wahooo' would creep out too. I was the first to land as the others went 15 000 feet, another $100...so I had the pleasure of watching them land and walk off the field. That was another laughing matter - Taryn's face was hilarious, she was constantly shaking her head. I'm not sure if she enjoyed it or not - I know her ears caused her lots of pain as she was falling so I don't think she got to enjoy the moment as much with popping ears which is a shame. Back at the hut we watched their videos of them jumping out (rather funny) and then headed back to the hostel. Spalsh joined us in the sky dive...as the driver he got it all free, with videos, photos, jumpers and t-shirts. I'm starting to think he's not got a bad job at all! When we got back to the hostel, we had $5 chilli con carne which was delicious and we chilled in the bar for the rest of the evening with a bit of beer pong too.
On Friday, we headed to the most landlocked place in the country - a place called Whakaoro. It's on the West of the North Island. The place we went to is called Blue Duck Lodge. It was initially a farm, but they turned a few of their huts into cute little lodges for a bit of extra money as farming was very hit and miss. They would sell a kg of meat for $10 one year, and the next it wouldn't even sell for $2 so they had to think of something else. Not only were the rooms well built, but we had a really cosy living room with a wooden fire,,,oh it was just amazing! A nice little retreat, no phone signal, in the countryside, in the middle of nowhere...surrounded by fields, mountains, trees, lakes and a few too many sheep! But it was fab. Taryn and I went climbing up the mountain to see some incredible views - it felt like we made it to the top of the world we could see for miles. And the sun was shining for us too J The hike was challenging, we were on all fours at times, clambering up the rocks and roots of the trees, it reminded me of the time I was hiking in the Cameron Highlands. But it was worth the climb and Taryn and I had a good old natter too. That night, Jonny had agreed to cook us all dinner if we just put in $5 each, so we ended up eating a delicious chicken broth thing with mash potato - it was bloody tasty, and to top it off we got served home-made garlic bread too with a glass of wine. We all sat around the table chatting and enjoying a healthy dinner. There was even enough for seconds! Splash managed to get a bonfire going outside so after dinner we gathered around the fire and played a few games, chatted, drank, watched the stars, met the staff of B lue Duck Lodge...all in all is was a wicked night! I was really tempted to stay at the lodge a little longer but I had heard that the weather was meant to be great for the Torangioro crossing the next day and I didn't want to risk missing out on a clear sunny day for that hike! 5 hours of sleep and it was time to get ready for the famous Torangioro Crossing. We all jumped on the bus at 5.45am, watched a beautiful sunrise on the bus and then got kitted out with crampons, gaiters and ice axes in preparation for the 7 hour hike that we about to embark on. This is probably my best day in New Zealand so far...incredible views and a really fun climb up the mountain (despite the ankle trying to challenge me too, but hey I managed!) I had a few silly moments that day...firstly, I almost left my ice axe behind as I forgot to pick it up after taking a photo. Then as I was putting another jumper on, I put my helmet on the floor...which didn't stay put for long so almost fell off the mountain edge. OPS! And I may have had a few trips too! Luckily I got chatting to this American guy who seemed to end up looking after me throughout the entire hike, so I was grateful he was there! We had lots of laughs and on the way down ended up sliding past everyone as we just slid on our bums down the snow, passing the standard 'walking track'! We arrived back at 4pm, and straight away jumped into the hot pools back at the lodge...enjoyed a cool beer and looked up at the stars! What a tiring but incredible day J and in all fairness I was expecting the hike to be much more challenging than it was so bring on more fun mountain treks...I can't WAIT for the south island! YIPEE!
Sunday morning we were on the bus heading to Wellington. We stopped off in a couple of towns, did a bit of Gum boot throwing (and I think I won out of the girls J), saw the end of a rainbow (now have you EVER got as close to a rainbow as to find the end...well I can now say I have! I didn't think it was possible but it is J, but no treasure unfortunately); we passed a town called 'Bull' where they tried to put every shop name with the word 'bull'...so we had 'recycla-bull', 'consta-bull', mcdonalds had 'consume-a-bull', 'move-a-bull'...and so on! Quite entertaining driving through that village. That evening we had a quiz in Base backpackers, then spend my last night with the bus guys dancing and chatting. They were all heading south the following morning, but I decided to stay in Wellington and explore the city a little bit before heading south. It was sad to say bye, but it has also been a good thing to stay put somewhere for more than one night too...
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