Caves, Mud Pools & a scary Skydive - New Zealand (2)

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As we mentioned in the last blog we had a seven o clock start and James wasn’t feeling too well…cheers Simon! It was the day that we were travelling to Rotorua via Waitamo where we had a three hour stop allowing for activities. Our first stop was Mt Eden to get some photos of the “City of Sails” aka Auckland. Kim stayed in the bus as the steep mountainsides really tested her fear of heights. We then travelled South over the Bombay Hills into the Waikato region. Just before arriving in Waitamo we had to ask the bus driver politely if he wouldn’t mind pulling over as James was about to be sick…an emergency stop later plus some anti-sickness pills James was feeling better and we were back on the bus. Waitamo is famous for two things, the first is its caves which are home to Stalagmites, glow-worms and Cave Weta’s, one of the largest insects in the world…more about these critters later. Second, Waitamo is home to the cuddly white German angora rabbits shearing show.

Our first stop was to see the cuddly rabbits. If Kim could have taken one with her she would have. These rabbits are huge, very fluffy and very cute. What we saw that day was unbelievable. Now how do you shear a rabbit??? Exactly like you would cook a spit roast but without the fire. The rabbit’s front and back legs are tied and the rabbit is stretched out at full length. The bundle of fluff is then rotated and sheared. It is strange to watch as the rabbit seems to enjoy this and doesn’t seem to be in pain at all. The wool which is produced is of high quality and the quantity each rabbit produces is a lot as these rabbits are sheared three times a year.

Now Kim had been persuading James all day to do some black water rafting in the Waitamo caves. James reluctantly said yes bearing in mind his hangover and queasy stomach. This activity was amazing and the most fun we had yet. Black water rafting basically is travelling around in a rubber doughnut and we were going to do it through the caves on an underground river…exciting or scary…we will let you decide. First trick was to put on our wet suits and wellies. You really do underestimate how hard these suits are to get on especially when wet and we were warned that if you pee in then people would know due to the chemical lining of the groin area. We had a little walk to the caves in the downpour and the hail but nothing had prepared us for the many steps we had to climb down to get into the caves. Now when you are carrying your rubber doughnut its not so easy. We sat down in the caves for an introductory period and the test of our headlights. Whist sat in pitch black we were told about three disturbing things we may encounter whilst on our journey. The cave spiders, the Cave Wetas (large grasshoppers) which if we turned our headlamps on they would jump straight to the light including our face. We were taught how to remove a weta should this happen. At this point Kim was papping herself and gripping onto James hand for dear life. Next was the 2 metre eels that swam the underwater rivers and should we feel something brush past our bottoms whilst sat in the doughnuts it just might not be the person behind you. This was when James squeezed Kim’s hand back. There were hundreds of glow worms which hung from the cave ceilings sometimes providing the only light when our head lamps were switched off. The stalagmites and stalactites mimicked interesting objects such as a whistle/bell (we thought it looked more like a woman) and funny enough there was one that looked like a 17 inch long willy, which had fallen to the ground. Treading through knee deep cave water was daunting but okay. The way we were going to travel was using the current, sat in our doughnuts with our legs up resting on the doughnut in front of you…the person used your feet for anchorage. The water was extremely cold. There were a few daunting moments. We had been told to turn of our headlights as we were going through a cave full of Wetas but in the background was the sound of a waterfall which we lead to believe that we were going over. Now when your in cold water, in pitch blackness, there are eels under you, cave wetas/spiders above you, waterfall noises in the background, your busting for a wee cause of all the anxiety…it can really have an effect on your English language and Kim was worst out of them all. There were a few occasions were we had to go through tunnels full of spiders (the key is not to look up), jump down 2 metre drops backwards (Kim went on her belly as she was too scared) and water slides of 4 metres drops (again Kim was the only one to be walked down the slide). This was a great experience, a challenge to all of Kim’s fears even James and if you ever go to New Zealand put this as an activity to do on your list. The hot soup afterwards definitely warms you up.

3 hours later we were back on the bus with an hours ride to Rotorua. Rotorua is famous for its geothermal activity and the smell of “fart” throughout the city from the sulphur in the thermal pools. The surrounding countryside also played host to scenes of “Hobbiton” the home of the Hobbits from the movie Lord of the Rings. We had a cosy double in the hostel and a thermal hot pool, however we were finding that hostels in New Zealand so far had outside toilets, which wasn’t good for Kim’s bladder during the night. We spent two nights in Rotorua, we made use of the thermal pool in the hostel. We ran across the outside terrain in our bikinis and trunks in weather of 4 degrees and into this massive hot bath whilst bathing under the stars…not to mention surrounded by the smell of fart. Now where is better to make use of these thermal pools?? At a spa for the day, which is what we did. We spent a day at the Polynesian spa and treat ourselves to a lake retreat package. This included unlimited use of the four thermal pools which were situated on the edge of Lake Rotorua. These pools ranged in temperature from 36 to 42 degrees. plus robes for wearing in the rooms of relaxation plus half an hour of a treatment of your choice. Kim chose a mini facial with manuka honey and James chose a mud massage of the back and legs. It would have been lovely for James if he didn’t have such long hair on his legs!!! The therapist seem to pull them out every time she massage them. We came out feeling all pampered and relaxed in James case very soar.

The following day we were full steam ahead to Taupo, but not before visiting the famous Lady Geyser - a funnel shaped hole in the earth’s surface that erupts with boiling water everyday at precisely 10:15am. It is however given a helping hand by a guide pouring soap powder into it in order to break the surface tension. Later we visited Rotorua’s geothermal area, famous for vivid mud pools and boiling mud. Just before Taupo we paid a visit to the mighty Huka Falls, throwing out 200,00 litres of water every second!

Back on the Magic bus, the driver asked if anyone wanted to do a tandem skydive in Taupo and strongly advised us to do it today as the weather was extremely clear and you would get a superb view of Lake Taupo (which is bigger than Singapore) and the Central Plateau’s triplet volcanoes - Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe (also known as ‘Mt Doom’ from Lord of the Rings.
This is something that James has always wanted to do and therefore jumped at the chance. After dropping our bags off at the hostel and having a quick loo stop we were whisked away to Taupo airport. A sales pitch later he had committed himself to the ‘Ultimate Package’ and the only thing left to do was to sign the declaration form which stated that if he should die they are not liable for suing…….hummm. Before he knew it he was kitted up and about to board the plane - no time for second thoughts! As James had signed up for the Ultimate Package it meant that he got a fully edited dvd and therefore had to participated in some acting for the camera. After 3 takes and a lot of nervous gibberish James was speeding down the runway in his small yellow plane while Kim remained near the hanger taking lots of photos. As James watched the altitude meter go up and up he was getting more and more nervous and before he knew it he was at 15,000 feet, the light went green and the door was swung open - Shit! The skydive master shuffled forward towards the door while James tried to control his breathing and stop the sweat from going into his eyes and turning to ice. Once at the door he calmly told James to swing his legs over the side and pose for the ‘Exit photo’- Snap!! 3,2,1 and out we went.
Tumbling through the air at 200kph while struggling to breathe (imagine putting your head out of the car window while driving down the motorway) and trying get your brain to figure out what the hell is going on is quite a strange feeling. After 60 seconds of this free-falling experience the parachute opened and we cruised at a relaxing 15 feet per second decent to earth. Half way down James was given the controls and performed a couple of hard left and right turns which sent him into a bit of a spiral but soon corrected this and performed a near perfect landing.

The Ultimate package also included a ‘Free-Fall’ dvd, were a camera-man jumps out at the same time and films your reactions and expressions while you are plummeting to earth….If you look closely at the photos you will see James mouthing a few explicit words.
Even though James didn’t spot Frodo or any Orks clambering over Mt Doom the views were breath taking and it appears he now has the adrenalin bug as he is planning his next jump….it might have to be an early Christmas present.

We stayed in Taupo for a few days, which allowed us to do quite a bit of walking and admire the scenery, Kim was also contemplating doing the bungee jump but decided against it. En route to Wellington we travelled along the Desert road and through Lord of the Rings country that had amazing photo opportunities of the Tongariro National Park, live volcanoes (the last eruption was only in 1995!!) and the famous Mt Doom. In the afternoon we arrived in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital ; aka the Windy City were we stopped to view the Parliament buildings known as the ‘Beehive’ before heading to the summit of Mt Victoria for a panoramic view of Wellington harbour. We didn’t do that much in Wellington apart from a little sight seeing, going to the cinema to watch Angelia Jolie’s latest movie - Wanted (6/10) and catch up on some laundry. Tomorrow would be our last day on the North Island as we are getting the TransIsland Ferry to Picton on the South Island. We have got the travel pills at the ready as we have heard that the crossing is a little rough!!

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Photos

In our kinky rubber outfit
We cant describe how uncomfortable these were to put on!! especially with a major hangover!

Posing!
Guys - Muscle Me
Woman - Charlies Angels

Comments

[Donna and Neil]

Oompa Loompas!
Hi James and Kim...those photos of you all in a line practicing sitting in the tubes look a little like the oompa loompas from Willy Wonka! Hope Kim is feeling better now, poor you...we also hope James pampered you a little bit to help you get better! Have fun x