January 19, 2005

Hi gang!

WOW! WOW! WOW! That's all I can say about New Zealand so far. All of the cliche's that are said about New Zealand hold true, indeed...the people are friendly, the scenery is gorgeous, the outdoor activities are endless and the extreme sports are fabulous!!!

I arrived here after an overnight stay in Tahiti, which, unfortunately was spent in the airport. I had just looked down on the hard tile floor no more than two seconds before I laid down on it to go to sleep (on my stolen airplane blanket!) and had seen a "cute" little roach running along by my feet. Inviting, huh? I got a bit of shut eye and then it was off to the adventure capital of the world.

I began in Auckland, where I booked my ticket for a two week tour of the north and south islands. My first stop was Waitomo, where I black water rafted through the caves in the area. I got my own tube and could jump off of water falls, as well as sliding down them all afternoon. The only light source we had down there in the darkness was the little light on top of our helmet. In the cave, when we would all turn our lights off, the ceiling was COVERED with tiny worms that glowed! It was like a planetarium!

After our afternoon stop, we headed to Rotorua where the native tribes live. They are called the Maori people. I went to their village and saw them sing and dance as well as feasting on their dinner cooked over the fire. YUM!

The next day it was off to Taupo where I took the plunge and did a bungy jump over a turquoise blue river into a canyon! Why not? After all, it was first done here in New Zealand...and you know what they say, "When in Rome..." I also took a swim in the river that day which was quite refreshing. The next day I hiked for 7.5 hours and went about 16 miles up and down the Tongariro crossing. It was the most physically trying adventure I have ever been on in my life. Obviously, it was well worth it. The views were amazing and there were emerald blue lakes and several craters along the way to keep my spirits up throughout the LONG LONG LONG hike. We actually got a GREAT view of what some of you Lord of the Ring fans might know as Mount Doom. Beautiful...absolutely stunning.

Last night we arrived in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and took it easy due to our big hike the day before. As we were relaxing over a few drinks at the hostel bar, we felt the table shake enough to realize it wasn't someone shaking their leg to make it move. Later we realized that it was an earthquake that reached about 5.3 on the richter scale. Apparently it's fairly normal for that area?! Strange but true.

This morning we woke up and took the ferry across to the south island and drove through the vineyard district on our way to Nelson. It's a small little town with lots of neat shops and lots of things to do during the day.

Although I will probably be spending about half of my budget here, it's well worth it. To see and do these things anywhere else just isn't possible. In the end, what will that extra 100 dollars mean to me at home? A fun weekend out at the bar? I would rather live life as it comes and dive in face first.

Lauren P. Coker