Taupo, New Zealand

23/9/09
I am on my way to Wellington, the capitol of New Zealand. In the past three days, I have been busing it around the North Island, and tomorrow I will take a ferry from Wellington to Picton on the South Island.

Auckland was a great place for me to get my feet wet in New Zealand. I was able to do a bit of research on the islands. There are about 4 or 5 companies that offer hop-on hop-off bus trips around the country. Each company offers different routes and destinations at a variety of price levels. The hardest part about New Zealand is deciding which company to go with and what trek is the best option for you. I recommend anyone coming to New Zealand to do a bit of research on the subject of itineraries. It will save you a great deal of stress on arrival. I, after a bit of deliberation, settled on the Magic Bus Company and their Kokako Tour which covers the north and south islands, as well as getting me back to Auckland on a plane. Twelve packed days enjoying the beautiful sights, jumping off bridges, and meeting new friends.

On the first day, I left Auckland headed for Rotorua with a stop off in Waitomo. Once we arrived in Waitomo, the bus driver took us to a rabbit sheering facility where we got to watch a hilarious demonstration of this funny old woman sheering a rabbit. I had never seen anything so ridiculous. She strapped the massive, furry rabbit into a rotisserie like device that spun the hare around while she used the huge sheep sheering clippers to trim the extra long fur back. After I had a good laugh from watching the spectacle, I got to abseil down into a cave just outside of the city. It was a 50m drop from the surface to the bottom of the cave. The best part of it was that I was the only person signed up for that session, so I got to go out with my guide to do a one on one adventure. That meant I got to do it a few times and enjoy ever minute of it. I hadn’t been repelling since the boy scouts, so it was much fun to do it all again.

That night, once we had made it to “Roto-Vegas,” as the locals call it, I went with a couple of people I met on the bus to see a Maori show followed by a traditional Maori meal. Johanna, a girl from Sweden I have been spending a bit of time with, and I were starved after riding on the bus all day and missing out on lunch and dinner. By the time we got to the village for the Maori Experience, we were about to just start begging for food. I was hoping it would be a dinner theatre type show, but the meal was the last part of the experience. We were both so thankful that it was delicious and all-you-can-eat. It was an incredible evening, filled with culture, fun, food, and a new friend or two. I celebrate the evening by purchasing a set of coasters designed with a Maori influence.

That night I sat up for a while chatting it up with my roommate, Josh from Perth, about life, health, and the pursuit of happiness while we shared a few beers. A great way to end the night.

The next day, Johanna and I hopped on the bus headed to Lake Taupo. Along the way we stopped and watched one of the thermal geysers erupt just outside of Rotorua. (P.S. Due to all of the natural thermals in Rotorua, the smell of sulfur makes the entire city smell as though someone has just farted, all the time). It was fun to see a geyser since I have never been to Yellowstone before.

After we stopped off at a couple of places along the way, I went to the Rock n’ Ropes course where I did a massive trapeze and a “giant” swing. To do the trapeze I had to climb to the top of a 10m tall log, stand up on top, and then jump out to the trapeze hanging a few meters in front of me. I wasn’t nearly as frightened as I thought I would be although I didn’t think about it too much before hand, but it was definitely a blast right up until the end. Once I had caught the trapeze, on my first try mind you, I realized that the guy holding my safety line wasn’t taking any slack out of the rope, intentionally, which meant I was going to drop a ways before the ropes caught me. I wasn't afraid of falling but I was not looking forward to the sensation of my stomach being in my throat, but I successfully let go. Next I did the giant swing, which was basically a miniature version of the massive three person swings at Six Flags. After watching a 10 year old girl do it, I knew I had to be a man and just go for it. After just a little hop, I was swinging from 20 meters up. The first two swings sent my stomach sky rocketing, but once I relaxed into the fun, my digestive system returned to it upright and locked position. It was a fun time confronting fears and learning to simply jump.

That evening, after a bite, Johanna, Bard from Norway, Georgina from Spain, and I went down to the local hot spring for a dip in the water. It was amazing. The hot spring mixed with the cold river water makes a perfect swimming whole. Most people came down with beers, soaked in the incredible water, and chatted it up with other soakers. We ended up staying down there for a few hours and then headed back to our hostels for a an early evening relaxing before another day on the bus.

Over the past few days I have been “playing” the win a free Coke game. The game is simple, when you buy a bottle of Coke, you look under the cap, and it tells you instantly whether you have won or not. So far I have won 4 bottles of Coke. Pretty much every time I redeem a cap, the one I pick up is also a winner. I haven’t had to buy a bottle of coke since I started the bus trip.

In just a few hours, I will be in Wellington enjoying the sights and sounds of the New Zealand capitol. Hope all is well back in the US. Just 11 more days.

Namaste, Mark