Waitomo to Taupo
Trip Start
Aug 01, 2007
1
13
91
Trip End
Jan 11, 2009
Taupo,
New Zealand
Saturday, August 18, 2007
On the way out of Rotorua, we went to Te Puia, a thermal Park. We saw lots of steaming lakes, bubbling mud (which makes the best plopping sounds!), and active geysers! (you have to look closely in the pics!) It was pretty cool to watch them and think they have been going off twice an hour, for the past.. umm.. i forget how many years, but a LOT.
Then the rain starting falling, and didn't really stop. This means the caves in Waitomo were flooded, so no point rushing there as besides that, there is nothing to do! SO a bunch of people went luging, I decided to save my money, so 3 of us ended up goign with our driver, Q, to visit his mom for a coffee (we brought a carrot cake!) where she was house-sitting a B&B nearby. I saw some black swans! Pretty cool. Off the beaten track (as is the Kiwi slogan) for sure!
In the morning, I did a caving adventure! Wow, I am SO sore the next day.It was pretty cool, but definetely out of my element. We had a inner tube, which we had to climb down into a cav with (I'm totally serious, we slid down a crack into a cave) and proceed to climb, jump, and float through it for abotu an hour. Water was still super high (like, almost to flooding point), so it was super fast. It was tough work as the ground was really uneven. Well, we practiced before leaving how to do a backwards jump and land in the tube. Well, when it was my turn to jump off a waterfall.. disaster! The tube kind of folded back on itself, so there was no hole to land in! So i'm floating off (there are guides beloew, don't panic!) but I'm not sure if he saw I wasn't sitting properly so i actually said help me lol. (I was embarrased). But anyways, i had to lift myself up on a rope and he shoved the tube back under, then we all hooked on to each other, turned off ALL the lights, and floated down in total darkness, looking at the glow worms above. It was really awesome, looked like a starry sky. But I was never so glad to literally see the light at the end of the tunnel!!
Well, I lost my mobile as well. I thought I left it in the hostel room but they looked everywhere when I called, to no avail. I am going to try and track it down today.. otherwise, I'll have to buy a new phone/SIM :( Damn, and I splurged on a nice phone before I came here!
Today is a free day. It is actualyl really gorgeous out which is a nic change, so one of the guys from the bus and I are going to head out soon to walk to the lake.
XOXO
Shawna
Comments
WOW!!!
I swear to God Shawna, you could certainly vie for the Million dollars on 'Survivor'...
What do you think?
Mom xox