Taupo

On route to Taupo, we called in for a spot of jetboating on the Wairakei river. This involved a nip up the river to the Orakei Korako thermal area. There we wandered among the steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools, before returning at top speed down the river, complete with death defying 360-degree spins.















Taupo is home to Kirsten's aunt Rose, and three more nights of freeloading (Chris decided to check in to a nearby motel). First stop was the beach out at Wharawaka. Being a volcanic area, the beach consists mainly of pumice stone, with a lot floating in the lake (the markup the Bodyshop changes for this stuff is appalling). The lake is a refreshing 19°C - nice for a quick cool down, but you wanna keep moving. Rose and her friends spend most summer evenings picnicking and drinking down at the lake front. Not a bad life.














Taupo is the world skydive capital, and if you look up on a clear day, you're more likely than not to see people pouring out of planes high above the lake. Chris and I signed up for an 11am jump. After being up-sold to the 15,000ft jump (and Chris went for the full DVD and tee-shirt package), I was helped into a red jumpsuit and harness by a nice Welsh girl. And before we knew it, we were sitting astride a bench, rear facing, in a single propeller plane, for the 25 minute grind up to 15,000ft. The higher we got, the more nervous Chris looked, but then he was sitting by the roller door, which was the only thing between him and a death plunge. Shortly before reaching jump hight, our jump masters strapped their harnesses to ours, then up went the door, and out went Chris.














Several seconds later and I was out (you're not really given a choice in this). Now here's the thing: after the initial acceleration, it's not too much different to looking out of a plane window, albeit with a 125mph wind in your face, and the realisation the the ground is getting closer. Fast. After just over a minute of this, the chute is released for some rapid deceleration, followed by a much more serene decent, and a chance to take in the view. In terms of shear terror, the 122m bungee jump I did in Peru was worse. I think your brain doesn't really register falling out of a plane, but falling off a cliff is something you can understand. Watch this space to see if I manage the 134m bungee in Queenstown.














After a hard morning jumping out of a plane, we had a long lunch, before another beach trip to meet Kirsten's cousin Julia. As the lake calmed in the early evening, we when out on Juila's boyfriend's (John) very fancy boat, along with a couple of their mates. Chris failed to wakeboard. I failed, again. Kirsten had marginally more success, then we were all thoroughly shown up by everyone else on the boat.














New Zealand is of course the setting for the Lord of the Rings, so our final day in Taupo was spent on Mt. Ruapehu overlooking Mt. Ngaururuhoe (aka Mordor and Mt. Doom). The chairlifts stay open in the summer, and there's a small amount of snow on the top (yes, that's right, snow in January). I tried some shoe skiing, with limited success, before finding a large plastic bag for a spot of arse sledging. Lunch in Ohakune, New Zealand's carrot capital, and a return drive along the desert road finished off the outing.














We spent a warm evening drinking too much wine in Rose's garden, with cousins Julia and Jim. The 7:30 start to drop Chris at Taupo airport for his 36 hour journey home, was less than welcome. Still, I went back to bed, and he's probably still in the air.