#5 Kayaking & Bungy Jumping

Wednesday night I went swimming at the hot pools. The spot merges with the Waikato River, so there is a mixture of really hot water from the springs and cold river water. Taupo is full of natural hot springs and geysers because it has so much volcanic and geothermal activity. Lake Taupo fills a crater formed from a gigantic eruption 26,000 years ago. The lake is so big Singapore would fit in it.

I made friends with a local kayak guide, Simon. Thursday he showed me around Taupo. First we went to Huka Falls, which is located just off the road that I take from my house to work. He has kayaked down the falls, which is just crazy (and not exactly legal) but obviously he knows what he's doing on a kayak.

Simon has a friend at the bungy jump and he said we should go see if we could jump. Apparently I agreed to this the night before, but I’d had a few beers and only vaguely remembered talking about bungy jumping. But I wasn’t about to pass up a free jump. I was really nervous beforehand. The whole process was so quick. They strapped us in and the next second we were standing on the edge of the platform. The guy counted down from 3 and then we just fell forward. No jumping involved, really. Halfway down the initial freefall I said, "This isn't that bad." Then I said, “Oh this is awesome.” You can actually hear me say the last part in the video.




On Friday I got to come along on a kayak trip that Simon that guiding. We went out on the lake and paddled to some Maori carvings that were done 30 years ago. Monday I got to go kayaking again, but this time on the Waikato River. It’s a whole different experience on moving water. I tried learning to maneuver across the current and turn while in it. Very tricky. There were a few times I thought I was going to flip over. If I did, I was supposed to lean forward with my paddle along side the kayak and hold my breath and wait for Simon to come tip me back over. Sounds like fun. I went with plan A: don’t tip over. After the lesson, Simon told me that he was surprised I didn’t flip because most people do their first time on the river. Funny he didn’t mention that until afterward.

Photos of the carvings trip:




Part of the Waikato River where I learned about eddy turns & ferry glides:

#4 Getting Settled

I got to Taupo last Friday and started work Saturday. I work at the Wairakei Bayview Resort, about 15 minutes from my house. I work in the fine dining restaurant but will also be working at the house bar. Last night I worked a wedding reception and was there from 1:30pm until 2am. But it was worth it because I got to take home 3 bottles of wine. I'm adjusting to staying up late.

Photo with my co-workers Georgina & William at the Pavilion. Great people to work with. As most of you know, I have an issue with getting sweaty really easily. The tie does not help this situation. Especially when mopping. Whoever invented the tie should be shot.

On Thursday I got a car and moved into my room soon after. I love the place where I'm renting. It's a beautiful house that was designed by the owner and built about 5 years ago. The owner/my roommate's name is Jimmy. He and his friend have a boat and go wakeboarding a lot in the summer. He distills his own vodka in the laundry room. I think this just might work out.

1) My sweet ride

2) Home sweet home

3) Kitchen area

4) Looking out from kitchen

5) Note the hot tub

6) View from deck

7) My bathroom

Jimmy has 2 cats, Layne & Mila. They are my new best friends. Both are very affectionate. I love having animals around. An hour after I moved in, they brought me a welcome present. A dead rat. So thoughtful.

1) Don't even try to look innocent.

2) Oh Layne, you shouldn't have! No, really, don't do that.

3) Mila sitting on my lap right now.

#3 Leaving Auckland

I spent my last couple of days in Auckland at the domain museum, art gallery, maritime museum, and the zoo. Cool, huh?

1) The elephant said to tell you hi

2) Baby joey

3) Moments before the attack...

4) Luckily he was friendly. He just wanted to dance really.

5) Adios, Auckland

Operator

To answer some questions I've been getting, here is how to call me:
Dial 011-64-021-275-0170. That is a lot of numbers.

The mobile phone contracts here are awful. Literally 30 minutes a month. Ha! You mean 3000? 300? No, 30. But I don't get charged for any incoming calls. It won't even use my minutes. So if you want to talk, dial away.

#2 Auckland's Islands

Sunday I went to Waiheke. It is an island made up of beautiful beaches and 32 wineries. Does it get any better? After the scenic tour, it was obviously wine time. Most people sign up for a wine tour, but I had a public bus pass and figured I could make my way around. The first place I went was Goldwater Estate. There were 4 Americans inside the tasting room. They were like, Where did you come from? Cause I just came walking down the hill out of nowhere. I told them I just, you know, took the bus over. People don't do that? So we got to talking, and they were some of the nicest people I've ever met, anywhere. One of the couples lives in Auckland. The husband is CEO of AIG New Zealand. They told me the next bus didn't come for an hour and were so kind to offer me a ride to the next winery on their van tour.

The second vineyard, Mudbrick, was even more beautiful than the first. The views were spectacular. My new friends invited me to lunch! The food was so delicious. We had olives, scallops, tomato & fennel soup, turbot (fish), lamb, and some side dishes. The conversation was great. Considering the company I was with, along with the view, the wine, & the meal itself, I have to say it was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had.

1) One of the many bays on Waiheke Island.

2) Launching made easy. I want one.

3) Onetangi Beach. Name translates to "funeral beach" because there was a massacre when natives inhabited the island. An alternate interpretation is "weeping sands beach." Right. I'm gonna go with A. Also, one of top 10 beaches in the world for clearest water. After the blood dissolved?

4-6) Vineyards. Do I have to spell everything out for you?

7) View from dining area at Mudbrick.

8) My new friends! Debbie, Dave, Kat, & Bob.

9) Boat ride back. I'm drunk. Behind me is Rangitoto, which I climb the next day.

Monday I went to another island, Rangitoto. It was formed from a volcanic eruption only 600 years ago. Put itself on the map, just like that. In 1860 the British bought the island from the native Maori people for £15. It's so sad how much the Maori have been taken advantage of in recent history. In the 30s there were 101 vacation homes, known as baches here (short for bachelor). During WWII the island was used as a lookout. The hike to the top was worth the view.

1) View of Auckland from the boat.

2) Rangitoto Summit.

3) Summit facing Auckland.

On my way down from the summit I went to see lava caves. A trail marker outside the first cave had an arrow pointing directly at the cave's entrance. You're supposed to actually go in there? It looked pretty dark. I could see a patch of light at the opposite end of the cave. It wasn't very deep. But it looked really dark in there. I don't believe in monsters. And I hadn't seen too many spiderwebs on the island; there were just some cobwebs on the outside of the cave. And I could combat this problem easily by swinging my arm out in front of me as I walked. Genius! Luckily I didn't think about ghosts, or else I probably would have turned around. So the only real danger was if I were to fall & roll my ankle on the uneven lava path and be stuck in there. That would be a serious problem. I idled for a couple minutes. Then I went it (sorry, mom). It was scary. On the other side was the entrance to a second cave. This one was completely dark and looked spookier than the first. There was no way I was going to step foot in there. I bought a flashlight when I got back, because I should have already had one with me in the first place.

1) Lotsa lava.

2) Can't believe I went in there.

3) The other end, looking back at the entrance.

4) Cave #2. I don't think so.

That evening I went to the top of the Sky Tower. I went just before sunset, so I could see it in daylight and at night. Great views. What a surprise! All the other scenery has been awful.

Here's a video from the top of the volcano.

Finally, a video of Queen Street on the block by my hostel.

#1 Arrival

The trip in was not so great. But Auckalnd is friendly. It's very eclectic, with lots of Asian influence. Which is good because there are lots of sushi places around and I like sushi. It's pretty chilly here, raining off and on. I walked all around the city today and did some shopping. As in I bought a rain jacket. Tomorrow it should be sunny and I'm going to go to the top of the SkyTower, which offers a view of the whole city. I walked down to the harbor today and there are several cruises available. There are three islands you can go to, which I want to do in the next couple days. Tonight I think I'll go to one of the pubs nearby. Maybe make some friends? If not, I'm going to be doing a lot of blogging.

I got a NZ phone number if you need to reach me. Or if you're drunk and want to chat. 021-275-0170 (country code is 64).

Photo 1: Auckland town hall & skytower.

Photo 2: Street scene.

Photot 3: In case you forgot what I look like. I'm sitting on the bed in my five-star hotel.