Non stop fun!
Trip Start
Nov 26, 2007
1
8
17
Trip End
Mar 01, 2009
Nelson,
New Zealand
Saturday, January 5, 2008
On the 29th we headed back to Auckland for an overnight stay to then catch the next magic bus to waitomo on the 30th. This was when the action started! We went black water rafting with CaveWorld where you travel through the caves on a small black rubebr tyre, together with a wetsuit, helmet, headtorch and really fetching white wellies! It was really cool as you layed back and looked up at the glowworms all lit up as you sailed down through the caves..
Tane mahuta - Lord of the Forest
. however then you had to jump off a 2 metre high ledge into the black behind you, which was a little scary but managable. There were loads of creepys down there apparently but thankfully we didnt see any, thanks in part to the darkness.After Waitomo we headed off to Rotorua where we stopped for a few nights for New years. We continued the rafting craze with white water rafting on the Kaituna river, which is a grade 5 raft (it only goes up to 5!)... Again we donned wet suits and jumped into a big boat this time to navigate the river. We started with a few gentle drops leading up to the big one - a 7 metre water fall! The boat actually went vertical before dumping us all under the river and out the other side, with us all hanging on for dear life. It was certainly an experience and my heart was going full throtle! In the afternoon of New years eve we went on a gondola up the hill and went on a luge ride down to the bottom of the hill. This is like a little go cart which you just stop by pulling the handles towards you. Its great fun and great catching the ski lift up to the top again - not been on one before!
New Years eve, evening was im afraid a little bit of a let down. We started off at The Shed in Rotorua which had some great oldie music, and a big band of bagpipes came in while we were eating, slightly random, but good all the same
Hugging a Kaori
. For some readon we left to see the festival on the lake front.. which im afraid was rubbish, so we headed back to our hostel and The Lava bar... not good, there was a really bad vibe about the place and lots of big scary maoris clearly looking for totty! So we left fairly early after the bells. However, we definitely had the best day ever.On New Years day, we headed off to Hells Gate where we partook in a spot of mud bathing! A perfect hangover cure.. you jump into a warm mud bath and smother mud all over. The you run screaming through an ice cold shower (to get the mud all out of your pores) before jumping into a boiling hot spa. Very nice and although he wasnt that interested at first, I think Jonathan was suprised at how much he enjoyed it! In the evening we went to the Maori show in a maori village. It was pretty cool, with a display of different maori songs, the Haka and different traditions, together with all you can eat Hangi (the food is cooked under ground in a fire). A great evening.
The next day we got our bus out of Rotorua to Taupo. Although its only actually an hour away, we stopped at a few places along the way. First stop was at the Wai -o- Tapo thermal wonderland, where a lot of the geysers are (there were some at Hells Gate too, but this is much better). We saw some pretty amazingly coloured waters and rocks - Martin, you would have been trigger happy with your camera - wish i was a better photographer! Then we went to the Rock n Ropes assult course.
Now, i had seen this advertised but didnt know much about it and so off we went to get signed up as i decided we were both going to do it
Dont i look fetching?!
. (whatever 'it' was!). It wasnt until we were harnessed up and fully payed that we found out - just as well as think i would have chickened out! We had to climb up a huge pole (about 25 metres high, one at a time. At the top you had to put one leg up onto the top (theres nothing to hold onto up there so its a lot harder than it sounds). Then you put both hands on the left knee and try to push off so that your right leg comes next to your left with you standing up. Now when you are at 25 metres up, with just a small area to put your feet on and no room to spare let alone that you cant hold onto anything, and then try to put all your weight onto one leg, its very difficult as all your legs want to do it shake! It took a little longer for me (than Jonathan) but i managed it and the next task was to jump off the pole and grab the trapeze in front of you! We both managed it and it felt really good, especially as everyone below us clapped! With one part of the task over, the next was The Swing. We again climbed a huge pole and stood on a platform this time at the top. They clipped us one at a time to a long rope and we jumped off the side of the platform - like a bungy but half the size and without the stretch! It took you in a huge arch and then you kind of swung back and forth. This definitely confirmed my need not to do a bungy. Good job as the bus then took us to the bungy site over lake Taupo! Pretty cool place to do a bungy, but a no no for me thanks!After over nighting at Taupo we got the bus down to Wellington where we stayed one night before getting the boat over to Picton yesterday. So now we are in Nelson, the start of our journey around the south island. We went to the WOW museum today - amazing, i want to enter! It stands for World of Wearable Art and is a yearly competition of very creaturey/big costumes. Really cool. Anyway better go and explore more of Nelson, its definitely our favourite town in new Zealand so far. xxx
Comments
Wow - what an adventure
It's great to hear of your travels. Reminds us of ours when we were on honeymoon back in 2001 - we didn't get to Nelson though, and it sounds like we missed a great place.
Keep smiling :)
Love mum and Peter
Lovely England
Lovely photo,s you both look really well. Enjoy all the experiences, green with envy. Lots of love Mum and Dad. Just to add raining here petrol 110.00 per litre gas and electric gone up 28%. bet you miss it.