After driving through the Waikato countryside, which I referred to as the Shire, the backdrop of Taupo emerged from the other side of the hills. It was one spectacular sight. The three volcanoes, or should I say active volcanoes Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe (Mordor in Lord of the Rings) and Tongariro towered above the massive Lake Taupo, which was once a crater. Tongariro still had snow on the peak, showing how high it is even in the heart of the summer. I had originally planned to hike it, however it had begun erupting slightly so have placed this on my bucket list.
That night we had a BBQ with my friends parents and watched the first of many beautiful Taupo sunsets.
That night we had a BBQ with my friends parents and watched the first of many beautiful Taupo sunsets.
A leisurely start the next day, we headed over to Huka Falls. This is an impressive rapids river which daredevils can fly down on a speedboat.
Then a quick stop off at popular camping spot Reid's Farm. My friend Ben decided he would have a swim, and I wish I had been more adventurous and jumped in...
During lunch at the Jolly Good Fellows Pub, a British pub, we met Jen and Rob, friends of Linda and Ben's. There was a general consensus that we had to make the most of this stunning day and get down to the lake. A quick pitstop to fill up the chilly bin, and we found ourselves the perfect spot near the waters edge. Jen and Rob joined us in their boat, which they anchored and set up their gazeebo. I was incredibly grateful for this as it provided me some refuge from the sun.
At around 5pm the decision was made to go and see the Maori carvings, which were carved back in the 70s. A bottle of bubbly was popped and the New Year was toasted looking at this view:
The next day I decided to put my life in danger by throwing myself our of a plane at 15,000ft over Lake Taupo. Arriving at Skydive Taupo Centre it turned out one of the planes was deemed inoperable, so it meant my dive wouldn't take place for another three hours. We took a walk round town to fill in time.
Finally they kitted me out in a fetching blue overall and lots of straps. I was handed a cap, goggles and oxygen mask which made me look like a surgeon. My instructor was in the air, so I had ex IT consultant Joe make sure everything was in place. He also reassured me that Matty, my instructor, would adjust my straps again as they all have their own preferences. It then dawned on me that these guys risk their lives every single jump they go on. Matty was not very talkative but was very precise, he had already been on three dives that day!
In all honesty, I don't think I was scared at all. I didn't even think about the parachute not opening. I just wanted to experience the freefall.
The climb to 15,000ft was slow but beautiful. We could see for miles across the Lake and the countryside surrounding Taupo. There were about twenty people packed into the tiny plane and whenever someone jumped, it tipped a little.
I was of course last to jump, and was positioned like a banana on the edge of the plane. The next minute, we were out of the plane and freefalling. It took my brain a few seconds to adjust to what was happening, but it felt incredible. I was loving the sensation until Matty pulled the cord. Then the pain came! The straps which were there to keep me safe cut into my legs, and were bruised afterwards. They reminded me that I was a tiny human being compared to the elements, and that a slight gust of wind could eradicate my time on this planet easily. In a way it was a humbling experience, and made me appreciate my life more. The adrenalin rush I got when we landed was crazy, and I had to be taken on a long walk to calm me down! I think Linda and Ben were just happy I was ok. Later that night I realised it would have been my gran's birthday, so perhaps she looked out for me when I jumped.
After a lovely Indian meal with Jen and Rob, we headed home and stopped off to see an incredible sunset on the lake.
The next few days I took day trips to other places in New Zealand, which was so easy as Taupo was the perfect central base. Each night I would come home and have dinner with Linda and her family.
My last day in Taupo was spent preparing for the next part of my journey, and also squeezing in some last minute shopping and sights of Taupo with Linda's mum, her sister and niece. We also met up with Linda for lunch at this amazing cafe/gallery called L'Arte.
That night I would be taking the overnight bus down to Wellington. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing friend, with beautiful family and friends who made my first few weeks in New Zealand so memorable. I had been given the true kiwi experience, and will always be thankful to Linda for that.
At around 5pm the decision was made to go and see the Maori carvings, which were carved back in the 70s. A bottle of bubbly was popped and the New Year was toasted looking at this view:
The next day I decided to put my life in danger by throwing myself our of a plane at 15,000ft over Lake Taupo. Arriving at Skydive Taupo Centre it turned out one of the planes was deemed inoperable, so it meant my dive wouldn't take place for another three hours. We took a walk round town to fill in time.
Finally they kitted me out in a fetching blue overall and lots of straps. I was handed a cap, goggles and oxygen mask which made me look like a surgeon. My instructor was in the air, so I had ex IT consultant Joe make sure everything was in place. He also reassured me that Matty, my instructor, would adjust my straps again as they all have their own preferences. It then dawned on me that these guys risk their lives every single jump they go on. Matty was not very talkative but was very precise, he had already been on three dives that day!
In all honesty, I don't think I was scared at all. I didn't even think about the parachute not opening. I just wanted to experience the freefall.
The climb to 15,000ft was slow but beautiful. We could see for miles across the Lake and the countryside surrounding Taupo. There were about twenty people packed into the tiny plane and whenever someone jumped, it tipped a little.
I was of course last to jump, and was positioned like a banana on the edge of the plane. The next minute, we were out of the plane and freefalling. It took my brain a few seconds to adjust to what was happening, but it felt incredible. I was loving the sensation until Matty pulled the cord. Then the pain came! The straps which were there to keep me safe cut into my legs, and were bruised afterwards. They reminded me that I was a tiny human being compared to the elements, and that a slight gust of wind could eradicate my time on this planet easily. In a way it was a humbling experience, and made me appreciate my life more. The adrenalin rush I got when we landed was crazy, and I had to be taken on a long walk to calm me down! I think Linda and Ben were just happy I was ok. Later that night I realised it would have been my gran's birthday, so perhaps she looked out for me when I jumped.
After a lovely Indian meal with Jen and Rob, we headed home and stopped off to see an incredible sunset on the lake.
The next few days I took day trips to other places in New Zealand, which was so easy as Taupo was the perfect central base. Each night I would come home and have dinner with Linda and her family.
My last day in Taupo was spent preparing for the next part of my journey, and also squeezing in some last minute shopping and sights of Taupo with Linda's mum, her sister and niece. We also met up with Linda for lunch at this amazing cafe/gallery called L'Arte.
That night I would be taking the overnight bus down to Wellington. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing friend, with beautiful family and friends who made my first few weeks in New Zealand so memorable. I had been given the true kiwi experience, and will always be thankful to Linda for that.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the essayist has put a considerable measure of diligent work into this.
ReplyDeletefree walking tour stockholm
You know your projects stand out of the herd. There is something special about them. It seems to me all of them are really brilliant!
ReplyDeleteeasyjet flight cancellations