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Hi everyone, well lots has happened since I last wrote but we are always so busy and rushing around everywhere so we never seem to have time to write our journal! But……..got lots to tell you, the main one being ( for those of you that don’t already know) I threw myself out of a plane on Good Friday!!!!! Yep that’s right, Little Laura, scared of practically everything, big wimp, I did it, I did a skydive and it was AMAZING!!!!!! Sam and I both did it but I’ll tell you about that in a bit as we’ve also done loads of other cool stuff.
After Auckland last week, we got on the good old Magic Bus and went down to Rotarura, which is a pretty city, but its really smelly as its built on a volcano and all the sulpher and thermal activity STINKS!!!!! Lots of people had already waned us but until you smell it for yourself, its rotten!!!! But it’s a great place though as theres lots of thermal pools, so loads of hot pools and springs to swim in, most of them free too which was good. On the way down to Rotarura we stopped on the coach and decided to go Black water rafting and caving which was good fun, a little scary. Basically we were put in wetsuits and then walked right out into the countryside and then down lots of rocks and off we went, underground. We climbed through tiny caves and holes and eventually we were 100m underground and it was so scary!!!1 There were bats too which wasn’t good but that wasn’t the worst bit, the deeper down we climbed, the more water there was and you could feel it all getting in your wetsuit and in your feet. Yuck. The guy who took us down there asked us all to turn our lights off on our helmets so it was pitch black and it was so beautiful as all you could see were the glowworms lighting up the caves, they were like little starts, so pretty. Then we started crawling through these tiny caves, which was awful, I hated that part and then again the guy asked us to hold on to the person in front, so we all made a line and turned our headlights off again and were walking through these tiny tunnels in the pitch black, it was crazy, the next thing we know, we’re walking through freezing water up to our necks, and then I realized I couldn’t actually stand up so I was swimming…….in the darkness, 150m underwater!!!!! It was just madness. Sam and I were screaming like babies, esp when they told us that there were eels down there!!!!!!! We also had to swim underwater through these tiny holes, which for me was the worst part as you couldn’t see anything and just had to hold your breath and swim through and pray that you didn’t get stuck between the rock!!!! It was great fun though and at the end, they give you a rubber ring and we had to jump off these rocks into the water below, it was great. There was also a big water slide at the end too which we went down on. I really enjoyed it. We were freezing when we had finished but they were so lovely and we even got to have a hot shower and soup after!!!! Really good fun. So glad I did it!
So we spent a few days in Rotarura where we also carried on the fun by going up to the Agrodome, which is a big field where all the extreme stuff takes place.( Aunty Sue and Em don’t worry I can tell you all this now as I have done it and I’m still alive so no panicking!!!!) So I decided to just go for it and the first thing I did was this crazy thing called the “swoop”. Sam and I both went into do it but Sam had this crazy panic attack bless her just as we were getting strapped in so I had to go up with a random guy. We were basically zipped up in a body bag and then joined together, and then dragged up backwards, 50 metres, facing the ground, ( look at the photos they are class), my god I was sooooooo scared but the view going up was amazing, it was crazy though as all that was attached to us and holding us up was this rope thing, so we get to the top and I was petrified, we were hanging at the top for a good minute and then the guy shouts GO and I had to pull this cord and release us and then we literally FLEW to the ground, head first, my god I was PETRIFIED, all I could see was the ground coming towards me, and then we literally skimmed the floor and flew back up the other way It was an amazing adrenaline rush!!!! Once we got down, my little legs were shaking, hehe. My face is a pure picture of fear though, so funny.
After that, I wanted to do more so I paid to go on the “Agroboat” which is one of those jet boats, it was so much fun. Sam didn’t do it ( again) but I went on with our other friend who we were sharing a dorm with, Cathy and we both loved it. Cathy was really scarec though bless her. The guy was crazy who was driving the boat, he told us after that we had taken the corners at 70kph, before spinning us around 360deg, it was great, I loved it.
And then…….Sam and I finished off the day by going “zorbing” which is the quite possibly the most fun I have ever had!!!!!! We were basically sitting in a giant bouncy ball at the top of this steep hill which was full of water and bubble bath!!!! And then we just rolled down the hill, really fast! It was sooooooo funny, Sam and I were like kids and its crazy as you cant see out of the ball so you have no idea what direction your going in and your just falling and sliding about all the place. I loved it!!!! So we had an action packed day and I was exhausted by the end of it!!!!
We also went to this gorgeous spa in Rotarura called the “Polynesian”, it was only $9 to get in and there were 8 hot pools which we just lazed about in, it was open til late so we were there until 10pm, was so relaxing and nice. All of the pools are natural and all different with different minerals in, so they were a little smelly but soooo hot and nice, and all outside overlooking the lake so we just sat in them for hours watching the stars!!!!
We left Rotarura on Good Friday and as we got on the bus to taupo at 7am in the morning, our bus driver asked us if we wanted to do a skydive and we just said that wewould probably do one when we got to taupo, but the guy said if we were going to do it, to do it today as the weather was perfect for it, clear blue skies, nice and hot and no clouds, so…….. we just signed up for it and 6 hours later, we were there!!!!!!!! I can honestly say that Ive never been so scared in my life, my whole body was trembling but I knew I had to do it so I just went for it. I did a tandem jump, with this cool instructor who was really nice and calmed me down loads, I went up in the teeny went plane with Sam ( who was so scared too bless her, but she cried the whole way up and then my heart really went out to her when she was the first to go out of the plane) we jumped at 12,000ft and my god it was high, we had only been in the plane 5 minutes and I said to my tandem master that I was sure it was high enough for us to jump at that height but we were actually only 3,000 ft high!!!!! It took 25 min to climb to the top and it was the worst 25 min of my life. I didn’t feel secure at all in my “gear” and was convinced that we were went strapped together properly but then literally the plane slowed down, I saw Sam tumble out and then I was 3rd to go….it was all over so quickly. I remember just sitting on the edge of the plane, breathing so fast I’m surprised I didn’t pass out with fear,and then the camera man jumped out first ( I had my freefall filmed and the DVD is great) and then that was it, out we went, we were freefalling for 45 seconds, for 7000ft and it’s the strangest feeling, it was like I was falling in slow motion, I couldn’t breathe very well and I just remember thinking, my god I am actually going to die!!!!!! But within what seemed like 10 seconds, the parachute had opened and we were floating and it was the BEST feeling ever!!! I honestly cant describe it, but when I was freefalling it wast so weird. The guy said after that we would have been freefalling at over 200kph!!!!! Eeeeeeeek. But coming down was great as I managed to relax a bit and the view was incredible, we had jumped over Taupo lake, and then came down over the mountains, it was soooooo pretty. When we landed it was such a fab feeling, 1) That I was still alive and 2) I had just jumped out of a plane over the most amazing scenery. I was so proud of myself ( and Sam as she was sooooo scared bless her) and was on a total high all that day. I wouldn’t rush to do another one, hehe, but it was the best experience ever!!!!!!
So we spent a few days in Taupo, and did lots of walking. A big group of us did the Tongararo crossing which is voted the best walk in NZ. It was 17k and was brilliant, but totally exhausting as most of it was uphill and up mountains and very steep hills, but the views were incredible!!! Ive never seen anything like that before, we were all just stunned half the time as it really was just so pretty. It took us 6 hours to do it which wasn’t too bad but Im still feeling it now!!!!! My legs are soooooooo sore still. Totally worth it though. Taupo is a really nice town, loads to do.
So now we are in Wellington, and plan to stay here until….; well until Halyley meets us really, but we haven’t heard anything from her, only that she arrives into Auckland today and she knows we are right down in the South so I guess we will just sit tight and wit for her. There’s lots to do here though, its right by the water and really pretty. I cant believe how much walking we are doing, Sam and I are loving it. It’s all so pretty though, that’s all we want to do. So when Hayley gets here, we’ll get the 3hr ferry down to the South Islands and then I will only have 2 more weeks left in NZ, and there’s still so much I want to do and see.
But my skydive was just soooooooooo great, I could fly home tomorrow and be so happy that I have already done so much!!!!! My body is still in total shock though from everything Ive managed to cram in, in 2 weeks!!!!
I hope you all have had a great Easter ( Sam brought me an Easter egg bless her and we also had hot cross buns in our good old YHA Hostel) and enjoying the warm weather.
Lots of love, kisses and hugs to you all, Laura. Xxxxx
p.s I am NOT doing a bungee jump, after that swoop thing I cant do it, that and the skydive is the most pain I can put my little body through for a lifetime!!!!!!!, hehe.
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