Caving at Waikato and Zorbing at Rotorua

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Monday 14th August 2006
We went caving at Waitomo Caves, Waikato, which I was not really looking forward to. I had memories of very wet, cold and claustophobic school caving trips as a kid. I remember one part where it was so thin you had to take off your light pack and push it ahead of you, unabl to bring your ams down toyour sides, squirming your way two or three metres through a 'worm hole'. It makes me feel uncomfortable thinking about it now, but imagine me trying the same thing with my shoulder width now! So I was really pleasantly surprised to find it one of the best days so far!

We were all kited out in thick wetsuits, white boots and helmets (see the super-hero photo) and it involved rock climbing, absailing, swimming, air ladders, going under waterfalls, and fantastic views of rock formations and glow worms. I found out glow worms suspend from the ceiling of the caves with sticky threads which it lowers down to catch flies and moths. They eventually turn into flies to mate, often forgetting they were once glow worms and flying in to other glow worm's traps! When they turn in to flies they don't have mouths! They are just as flies to mate and die shortly atferwards. With no mouths I don't expect there is much foreplay either! LOL

We then went on to Rotorua and stopped off to go zorbing! I went with Andy, Adam and a load of warm water. It was really good fun! As we waited to go there was three kids ahead of us and they were too short to climb in, so the guy who worked there was picking them up and throwing them into the hole, like loading torpedoes! Was very funny to watch!

With the three of us all being pretty big we had a combined weight of aver 290kgs! We we really flew down the hill (see video here), it was like a never-ending water slide as we were sloshed round and round. The exit at the end was pretty funny too - sliding out the hole with warm water gushing out with you - like being born (I imagine - can't remember back that far). On my exit I managed to slip and rip up their grass somehow!?

We then went on in to Rotorua to the Hotrock Hostel. There was steam rising up everywhere - out of the storm drains, people's back gardens, etc. Lots of people used the geothermal activity to heat water etc and the local council tried to tax them on it or something... Oh and it stinks of rotten eggs! So in my opinion, if you put up with that smell 24/7 you can have your free hot water!

Had a curry that night with the guys, but it was nothing on UK curries! :-(

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Photos

Local dress code at Waitomo
Felt a bit like a super hero... LOL OK no I felt like a twat in white wellies!

Watch the grass!!!
As the Zorb ball gave birth to a fully developed human (physically anyway), all the amazed by-stander could say was: "Oi! Look what you did to our grass!!"