Today we were blessed with a 9.30 start which was a good thing because everything has been so full on just lately! I was however up by 8 though to head down the post office to send a few things home. My bag is now 2kg lighter, although as you can imagine its not cheap sending a package that weight to the other side of the world! When boarding the bus there were too many people like in Auckland, although I was fine. The whole booking side of things on kiwi experience isn't great as they don't give booking confirmations and they have a confusing stand by system which works as pot luck over first come first served. This worries me for my leg after Wellington!
First stop of the day was Te Puia where we had the option of visiting a park full of big geysers and to learn more about the Maori culture. At first no one got up, but eventually half the bus emptied after the guides sale pitch. I opted against this as I saw a smaller version of the geysers in the park yesterday, and also had the Maori thing last night. To be honest the guide selling it us was more worried about the free wifi aspect when selling it to us.
I instead opted for the free option which was a walk through the redwood forest near Rotorua. It was very relaxing after eventually setting off through the tall pine trees and ferns, and due to the fact we had time on our side we extended the walk deeper into the forest. I have the option of going mountain biking up here on my way back to Auckland, which I am tempted to do.
After returning to the bus we drove back to Te Puia, passing the tot trot en route where loads of toddlers walked past us! When at Te Puia the people told us how they had a hard boiled egg cooked through the steaming volcanic waters. From here we took the short drive down to Taupo, passing through the forest before entering more countryside. The scenery we see from the bus each day is so diverse! En route we stopped off at Huka Falls which was this waterfall, although it was more like really fast flowing rapids. There were many good vantage points to view the blue frothy waters, and after a few photos we continued to Taupo.
Taupo is a small town located on the big Lake Taupo, which is bigger than Singapore. The lake is said to be have formed from the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history, and is the resultant crater. This highly volcanic active area lies on one the worlds five super volcanoes, which if erupted could be catastrophic as the ash would block the sun for a year! Taupo itself is a small town with all the facilities you need and more. It is basically the adventure capital of the north with so many activities ranging from bungy to giant swings, and even a booze cruise. Today is the day I opted to do a skydive!
After checking into the base hostel which was pretty modern with loads of internal activities running, and even plugs by the beds in the 4 bed dorms, I dumped my stuff and headed into town as my skydive pick up wasn't until 4. Like Roturua I soon found the free WiFi in the shape of burger king, and from here I explored the shops which were arranged in a grid formation. The supermarket here was also really cheap! It was then back to the hostel to relax and psych myself up before the skydive!
The pick up was bang on time, getting transferred by limo to the airport just outside town. Upon arrival we had a safety briefing, although they were just trying to scare us, before watching a video about the photography packages they offered. There was a choice between freefall cam or handycam, and I opted for handycam which was basically the person I was diving with taking a video including interviews. We also had to choose our music on this one and we had a choice of 5 songs in 3 categorys, one for going up, one for the dive, and one for the parachute down.
After filling in all the necessary paperwork for everything, we moved onto the dressing room where we had these suits and harnesses put on us. It was then a matter of hanging around and waiting for the plane to come down whilst the others jumped. They all came down in quick fashion with a matter of seconds between them all, which meant it was my time to jump. I am doing the 15000ft jump which includes 60 seconds of freefall!
By now I had met my diving partner and he told me I was on the last one of the day and that I was stopping him from going to the pub! After a short interview we boarded the plane, the door still open and headed to the runway where the corrugated plastic door was shut. We then took off in the bright pink plane and began our ascent, getting a scenic flight commentary and the odd random selfie and interview on the way up. At about 8000ft we had to put on an oxygen mask which I broke, probably because I was absolutely s***ting myself! By now I was firmly attached, and we soon reached the 15000ft mark where the door was opened and this waft of cold air came in like a vacuum!
After getting told if I was ready, we shuffled along to the point where my legs were dangling out, and before I could even appreciate the views I was falling in mid air! I asked to flip out the plane but I lost my bearings so god knows if I did. I always thought the feeling would be falling, but it was completely different, something hard to explain! I was never worried about the ground coming closer as I was always so far away, and at about 5000ft after a minute of freefall the parachute was opened. From here my next interview was awful, and after viewing the stunning lake and volcanic scenery I had a bit of fun with steering the parachute. I was just spinning round in circles. By now the ground was in sight, and after a quick landing lesson I landed straight on my feet! It was all over so quickly in the end, although the experience was amazing!
After landing and getting unchanged, we were able to go into this cinema room and watch our video. Mine was awful because my mouth was wide open from the freefall, although it was better than some peoples who's faces were squashed! My interviews were also awful but they kind of portrayed how I was feeling! After watching everybody's video it was back into the limo to go back to the hostel, getting the sunset on the way home. I got myself dropped off a countdown though as I needed lunch as I am going hiking tomorrow.
When returning to the hostel I simply relaxed, although I soon ended up in burger king with a sundae and frozen coke to get a warm room with WiFi. It was a really cold evening. I then headed back to the hostel where I followed everyone else in sleep as we had a 5.30am start tomorrow. I didn't want to be one of the people going to the bar and hiking the next morning!
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