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Since I last wrote.....
The flight from Fiji took about 3 and a half hours. My seat neighbour was a Kiwi and in true NZ style by the end of the flight he was giving me phone and email addresses of all of his relatives througout NZ who he claimed would "put me up and take me around anytime". He and his wife even waited outside until i got on the shuttle b/c they wanted to make sure i got to the hostel ok. I love these people!!
I arrived in Auckland around 7:30 PM Fri. Stepped out of the airport and quickly realized that i was not in Fiji anymore- it was about 48 degrees, raining and windy! What was i thinking leaving the beach?!?
I grabbed something to eat, read a bit of my New Zealand trvel book to figure out where the heck the bus would be taking me the next morning and i was off to bed. The "Magic Bus" (the tour that will be taking me throughout the N and S islands) picked me up bright and early Sat. morning. Guess what the weather was?? MORE RAIN!! Son of a ____!
We headed off to the
Waitamo caves where we got to see glow worms and where the crazy guide pointed out all of the "animals" that the stalagtites looked like. I think that woman had spent too much time in the cave~ she was the only one who saw the "donkey eating a carrot" and the "elephant family". Good imagination that one had!
When we emerged from the cave the rain had cleared and in its place was clear skies and a rainbow. Now that's more like it! We arrived in Rotorua around 5 PM. This is a town famous for its geothermal activity and its correspondingly stinky sulfur stench. I am talking boiled eggs sitting in the sun for hours with a little paper factory thrown in--STINKY! Apparently this is usually a pretty quiet town, but not Sat. night- the Rugby match between the British Lions and The Bay of Plenty was being held there and it was a bit like game day in Athens- only the drunks had better accents! Despite the naysayers, 4 others from the bus tour and I decided we would bundle up and take the bus to try to get tickets outside the stadium. It seems I was having
a lucky streak- the first guys i walked up to had 5 tickets and we were in! It was an experience. Rowdy crowd and cold beer= good times. After the match we headed back to the hostel and spent the evening at the bar with a gracious group of 50-60 year old Kiwi men- I didn't spend a dollar- excellent!
Yesterday morning I dragged myself out of bed- my head spinning and my body aching for a few more hours of sleep. Alas, the sun was finally out. HALLELUJAH!!
We were headed to Taupo and I managed to sneak in a cat nap or 2 on the way. A girl named Kim and I decided that upon arriving in Taupo we would throw ourselves out of a tiny, wobbly plane at 12,000 ft. Sounds reasonable right? We heard that Taupo was the cheapest skydiving and had the most amazing scenery so we booked the trip and proceeded to pee in our pants for the remainding journey to Taupo.
I could say that I was brave woman going into the skydiving experience and hardly had butterflies at all, but I would be a liar if I did. So, I'll just admit
Bubbling Mudpools in Rotorua
Something stinks and it aint me it- I was a nervous, sweaty wreck. The thought "why am I paying to torture myself like this" passed through my mind more than once. The plane ride up was the worst part of it. I really thought there was a chance I would vomit. Or pass out. Or pass out in my vomit. Luckily, I did none of the above. After the freefall, I was happily surprised at how calm and peaceful the remainder of the "float down" was. I can't even describe the views. We jumped directly above Lake Taupo- which is roughly the size of Singapore and surrounded by mountian ranges. BEAUTIFUL. I have pictures and a DVD so you can all have a good laugh on my account.
I had the choice of either staying one or 3 nights in Taupo. I had only been spending one night in the last 2 or 3 places Iwe went so I was ready for a rest from the constant packing and bus riding. Unfortunately most of the people I have been spending my time with only booked one night. I didn't have much time to get lonely- at breakfast I met 2 German guys who will be staying
until Wed as well and we spent the day together. This morning we went to a local park that has hot springs. Sitting in natural hot pools overlooking a lake for 2 hours and hiking to a waterfall was not a bad way to start the day! Now I am off to make a little something for dinner (grilled cheese and soup....mmmmm) and get ready for a night on the town. Did I mention I am not coming home?
I love you all and miss you!
P.S. Still no USB ports. I will be in Wellington Wed which is a pretty big city so I will try to post some pics!
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anonymous
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WOW
I did some grocery shopping at Publix today.. that won't match a sky dive and Rugby you think ..? XOXOXOXO - Mom