So this past weekend, myself, Meg, and her two flatmates, Britta, Mats decided to take a trip to Lake Taupo which was formed by a massive volcanic eruption a long, long time ago, although the volcano still remains dormant. Taupo is about 2.5 hours south of Hamilton and easily accessible by bus. The lake is beautiful, surrounded by a small town and with views of Mt. Ruapehu, Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruhoe. Ngauruhoe is the location of “Mt. Doom” for the Lord of the Rings fans. We stayed at a backpackers hostel called Taupo Urban Retreat in the town for two nights. Backpacker’s are really the way to go when you want to travel on a budget. Nakedsleep is one of the cheapest with rooms starting at $5. The website is NOT called Nakedbeds as I found out…

 We booked a 4 bed dorm which, since we were planning on spending most of our time exploring, was fine. Two guys that Meg knew from uni, David and Jeff, were also put in our room so we didn’t have to worry about our things being safe. The hostel’s staff were very friendly and willing to help us plan activities as well as assist in quenching our thirst with cheap pitchers of Snakebite (half cider, half lager, with a large amount of blackcurrent cordial. YUM!). The people were surprisingly friendly too, a mix of Brits, Canadians, Eastern Europeans and one slighty crazy old man. Friday was a night out on the town, listening to live music, eating fish and chips and playing pool with a couple from Ireland (we won, but only thanks to Meg).

 

Lake Taupo with the mountains ^

The next day was what we had been waiting for. We had booked a bungy jump. I wasn’t really nervous until we started talking a guy in the hostel who had done a couple. We arrived at the cliffs overlooking the Waikato river and signed our selves in. The blue water looked so peaceful and surreal from the height (47 metres!). Sometimes they dunk you in the river during your bungy but since this was our first time, we opted to stay dry.

Once we were all strapped in (a thin body harness was used, but you were really only held onto the cord by ankle straps), the guy working the bungy casually told us just “put your arms up, stand on the edge and lean forward on the count of three”. He told me to try putting one arm out and one on my hip and singing I’m a little teapot when I asked if I needed to keep my arms up the whole time. Meg went first and didn’t hesitate at all so I knew I’d have to go straight over too. None of the “hmmm I’ll think I’ll stay here for another minute” nonsense. The scariest part was right as your feet left the platform. It was about 6 seconds of free fall, with the water hurtling up towards you. Once the initial fall was over, I was able to really start enjoying the flying feeling and loved every second! Meg and I have already decided that we want to do another bungy in Queenstown, Nevis bungy which is the highest in New Zealand, almost twice the size of Taupo’s!

 

 

 

 

Before the jump ^

 

A terrifying few moments ^

After the excitement of the jump, we decided to take a walk to see Huka falls, a huge channel of white water pounding under a bridge. We ate lunch at a peaceful spot on the riverbank, before heading to the hot springs. The naturally hot water created spa-like pools, some too hot to even put a foot in.

 

Hot springs, there were all kinds of pieces of vocanic rock or “pumice” floating in the water ^

Then it was back to the hostel after an exhausting day where we took advantage of the hostel’s happy hour and played some poker. Everyone in the hostel was gathered together laughing, eating, playing cards, and screaming at the rugby match on TV. A really good atmosphere for the end of a long day.

Kiwi-as Lingo

Mean- Really good. Ex.) “Happy hour includes $4 dollar beers, mean!”

Sweet-as– Can mean anything from “ok” to “awesome!”. Could also be cool-as, kiwi-as, tired-as, hungry-as…

Bach- small holiday home, pronounced “batch”.

Jersey- Sweater or hoodie.

Jandals- Flip flops. Apparently this comes from “Japanese Sandals”

Kiwi- Person or New Zealand origin, not to be confused with…

Kiwi-fruit- Small, brown, hairy fruit with a green tangy center or with…

Kiwi- Small, brown, hairy, flightless bird.

The person is named after the bird, not the fruit.

Big week of school coming up, so now it’s time to study!

Cheers,

Karen

 

Location: Lake Taupo, New Zealand