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Apologies if this entry is rushed... at a wonderful hostel where my computer crashed towards the end and deleted the entire thing after I tried to save it! Joy!
So I shall attempt this again, on a different, yet equally crummy computer!
Mary was once again on the road and the three of left the warm and comfort of the Benson Base to begin the long adventure down south! We travelled down through Hamilton and onto Waitomo, rain in tow until we arrived at the destination. We checked into the Juno backpackers and ventured off to look at the Marokopa falls, on our way back to the car a local gave us some 'insider information' that we should go to the Mangapohie natural bridge at night time to see an impressive glow-worm show FOR FREE- two words that you don't hear all to often. So we had an early dinner, wrapped up and drove to the Bridge. It was originally a massive cave, but a tiny unsuspecting stream proved more powerful. We walked along the boardwalk with only torchlight to see up above thousands of small little green flecks sparkling away! Lights off and we were then treated to
a truly magical scene! At this point we were unaware of the glow worms true identity so to us they were just beautiful and wonderful little fairy lights. The truth of the matter is that they are in fact maggots. maggots who have bums and poo that glow, glow in order to attract food into their tiny webs. When this maggots develop into their adult fly form they unfortunately skip the step of developing a mouth. So for a couple of days they can manically fly around getting busy and getting lucky, where they will either then keel over or fly on up to brag to their glowing juniors, who capture them in their webs and eat them. Oh the life of a glow worm! (See this blog can be educational too!)
The next day we booked ourselves onto our first Kiwi 'extreme' adventure - Caving! Luckily for us the severe rainfall meant our cave was flooded, so we were upgraded to the 'Honking Haggis Holes'. After a brief introduction to the overly enthusiastic kiwi instructors- Brad and Jono, we were kitted up in very sexy wetsuits, white wellies and red hard helmets, given a brief abseiling lesson and
off we went. Immediately faced with a tiny hole vertically down into the dark... before I could even think 'What have I got myself in for here' we'd scrambled through a tunnel and were faced with our first abseil - only 27m down, then straight onto the next, this time a mere 7 or 8m but down a waterfall! So with the water throwing itself in your face you lower yourself down. At the bottom it seems as if there is no where to go, but the instructor ensures you there is and to just follow the water flow.... oh down through this little hole? Yes, down there! Feet first on I slid along the water tunnel, next abseil... another waterfall, but this time there's so much water concentrated in this one chamber it's hard to see where your feet are or what the instructor is saying... but away I went. Finally the final drop, and no abseil, the tunnel is too tight to abseil so the instructor lowers you down. I say lower, more of a drop in the complete darkness with your hands on your head.... the fact the drop was only about 4m is neither here nor
there, the idea of being dropped down a tight dark hole is pretty scary! At last we arrived to the main chamber where we saw glow worms and were educated about them by Jono, whose voice kept breaking like a pre-adolescent boy, something Josh found highly amusing. From here there was only one way - round and up! Now climbing up wetrocks is one thing, climbing in a very restrictive wet suit is another and with wellies slightly too big and filled with water making them triple their weight is something else altogether. The second waterfall - yes water being pelted down on you as you're trying to get past it, I found pretty difficult, especially as my wellie was falling off due to the weight and the instructor at the top thought it highly amusing to remove the stone at the top calming the waterfall, so that it landed full pelt on my head! I was shattered after dragging myself up... but on we went continuing to clamber through tunnels,... eventually we came to the last challenge, the tunnel out! Basically one small mud slide up to a ladder.... the rainfall caused the mud to just slide from under
your feet, so for every foot you dragged yourself up, I ended up falling back two! But we both made it! Both extremely happy and full of adrenaline we treated ourselves to alright pies!
On to Turangi where we'd hoped to walk the tongariro crossing, but due to the horrendous weather, wind speed and clouds the path had been closed for a week and was unlikely to open before Monday! So we stayed the night and moved on to taupo the next day. The town where you need a dollar or 100.... so we spent the afternoon walking! First of all to see the Huka falls - a crazy waterfall, very small but so much water and power it made me feel dizzy, then a second walk up to Mt tauhara - a really beuatiful walk up this mountain, where the path was almost hidden in plants as it darted through stones and around trees. The evening spent in a good old Kiwi IRISH pub.... ha. You can't escape the Irish! where a few glasses of wine later, I was feeling a little peaky and so bedtime called. (NB to self, wine is best enjoyed in small quantities!) Friday,
was somewhat of a hangover day... I swear it's my age that makes them worse, so we walked around a very small part of taupo lake, Josh attempted to win us $5000 on the golfing challenge (from the lakes bank you have to get a hole in one on a floating jetty) He failed... but I'm sure he'd want me to add he DID hit the jetty THREE times. Isn't he amazing cough cough... what? How many times did I hit it? I didn't play, I know i'd fail so saved the money - clever clever.... plus I'd spent it the night before on bloody wine! So we spent a quiet and cheap friday night in - crazy kids!
Saturday we ventured over to Napier, where the sun was shining and we stripped down to tshirts. A bite for lunch in the sun and an afternoon on the jetty trying to catch fish (again unsuccessful) and an evening on the beach star gazing until we got cold! A beautiful night!
And that brings me to today, sunday... very much a day of rest. We did a little tour of napier prison - quite a shockingly un-secured place, no
suprise it was closed in 1993... and turned into a backpackers(?)... we'd hoped our $15 dollars would get us some old kiwi prison warden.... no no, it got us a 20 something chap from ringwood, england who'd only been there a week! Typical example of what a small world we live in! After we escaped from the cells, we drove down to Hastings.... where we have booked into the modern, clean equivalent of the prison it would seem - rules printed up on every wall, including the limit of two alcoholic units on one day. (Pah... don't tell them we've had three each mwahahaha) Plus we went on a few wine tasting sessions at the wineries here.... really beautiful wine, I think I may have even converted Josh into a Sauvingon Blanc drinker.... now I don't have to polish off a bottle to myself I can share it! Liver is saved! We have spent the evening chilling, playing cards... I even remembered slam amy! I still rule that bad boy!
Next adventure... well we're off on a two day tramp (hike, walk, energy draining adventure where I try and keep up with Josh, with a small house on my
back) and then onto Wellington for some dancing and music, yeah!
Again and as always, big love to everyone at home!
Aunty Marg I hear you're feeling tonnes better, which pleases me so so much!
Lessons Learnt:
Glow worms are maggots who dress up their bums at night
still 6 chords, but moving between C and G is... kind of quicker
Share a bottle of wine
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aunty Marg
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Dear Sally so pleased that you are both having a great time if not a very wet and dirty time in the caves. They say that wine is good for you so why give it up!!!!. Grandma has read the last blog we will invite her round to read this new one We think its great what you are doing you should have taken Uncle Ray with you he might have got a hole in one!!!.Us oldies wouldnot do what you are doing but continue enjoying yourselves ,getting into these weird situations.Aunty Marg is feeling really wellnow getting back to normal slowly. Ourlove to you both Aunty Marg and Uncle Ray.