It all started with a leisurely half an hour walk down to Cathedral Cove, a beautiful little nook on the coastline with beautiful scenery and, on the day we went, huge crashing waves – perfect for body boarding! This was to be the start of an amazing few days where I would expand my mind, body and soul, and significantly reduce my bank balance.

Sledging was the first activity we’d throw ourselves into (literally). Basically you get given a wetsuit, a helmet, a life-jacket, some fins, and a sled. You then hold on to the sled – rule number 1 is never let go of your sled – and then jump into a river and ride the rapids all the way to the bottom. We were on a Grade 3 rapid (they go up to 5) but even so, we were all battered and thrown around by the white waters. Great fun! They also had these little “play holes” at the bottom of some of the rapids where you could swim into them and ride the white water in a static position for as long as you could by positioning your board and finning at the right pace. Then, when you made a mistake you’d wipe out and the water would toss and turn you out to the back of the line to try again. After we’d got back we had a game of volleyball with our guides to dry off. We were terrible; I don’t think one rally went passed 3 hits, and I’m pretty sure that the final score was a draw because we lost the ball in a bush.

That evening a big group of us from the Kiwi Ex bus had booked on to the Tamakai Tour Hangi and Concert. A Hangi (pronounced Hungi) is a traditional Maori way of cooking food in the ground. On the bus out to the Tamakai centre our driver asked for a male volunteer to be the Chief of our group for the night – of course my hand shot straight up. Apparently, my job as Chief was to protect the group and lead them on the adventure. I also had to get them to “row the bus” (the guide was pretending it was our “Waka”, or boat). When we arrived at the village, myself and the four other Chiefs that had been appointed were lined up in front of everyone. We each greeted each other using the traditional Maori way of touching foreheads and then breathing in quickly through the nose, quite a daunting task when doing it to complete strangers. I think in my eagerness to do it right I slightly head butted the first few people. We were then told that in order to be let into the village, the warriors will come out and test us – there was to be no smiling, no laughing, no movement whatsoever whiles these tests were going on. Standing rigid I locked eye contact with each warrior that emerged from the village. Each one did an impressive display of moves, while at the same time making deep guttural noises, bulging their eyes and wagging their tongues. The biggest of the warriors then laid down a gift in front of the five of us – a fern leaf – and then pointed directly at me with his stick, glowering with large eyes. I then had to keep the eye contact I had locked on from the very beginning, move forward very slowly and pick up the leaf, and then walk backwards into line, all the while ignoring the other warriors who were screaming and striking at me from each side. This was the sign that we were worthy to enter the village. I’m not sure how or why he picked me over the other chiefs but it was an amazing experience. The serious bit over and done with, we were now allowed to smile and laugh again. Entering into the village was like walking onto a film set or back in time. We wandered round the village, talked with the actors about traditional Maori life and took the obvious photo with the warriors. We were led to a small theatre where we watched and listened while the performers showed us the traditional dances and songs including the Hakka which is always great to watch. Dinner was next and the food was absolutely amazing. It was like having every roast meal you’ve ever had all in one. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! I was given a gift (a bone necklace) at the end of the night for being chief and we headed back to our Waka for the journey home.

The next morning we took a cable car up to see some of the fantastic views and try our hand at luging. Basically a go-kart without an engine you race downhill on a concrete track, getting to the finish as quick as you can. Great fun! With 12 of us on the track it made for quite an interesting race. Then, on the third and final run, in a daring overtaking manoeuvre, I missed a corner. I left the track. I headed down the side of a hill. And I hit a tree. Apart from a couple of scrapes, a slightly twisted ankle and a very bruised ego I was fine. I then had to carry my luge back up the hill to the track and I finished the race to the laughs and applause of my fellow racers. If anyone was going to do it, it was going to be me wasn’t it!

Injuries aside I was determined to carry on with the “adventure-thon”. Black water rafting was next on the cards that afternoon and I’d heard great things about it. The name is a bit misleading but basically it’s caving with an inner-tube. So you climb down into these water logged caves, walk, crawl and scramble your way through them and in the bits that are deep you sit in your inner tube and float along. Whenever you come to a small waterfall you simply put the tube on your bum, turn round and jump butt first into the water. The water was pretty cold but the highlight was definitely the glow-worms. They’re actually glow-maggots but they didn’t think anyone would pay to see maggots. It’s also actually the faeces of the maggot that glows and not the maggot itself, which is actually translucent. You lie back in your inner tube in the water, everyone turns out their lights and you stare at the cave ceiling where thousands and thousands of glowing maggots lights up the surface, and simply float through the cave – it’s very surreal.

Another morning another activity, Quad Biking this time! Myself and Abbey had the place to ourselves so we set off with our guide Bill around a couple of acres of New Zealand farmland on a couple of big red quad bikes. Tearing up and down hills, terrorising sheep and admiring the stunning views meant that the time just flew by. It reminded me of being back on the motorbikes in Vietnam, being so close to everything around you, while at the same time hurtling passed it at speed. I’d just turned off the video when Abbey did an amazing manoeuvre, flipped her quad bike and tumbled down the hill. Being the kind, caring person I am, I immediately jumped off my bike ran over and took a photo. Luckily she was fine with only a couple of scrapes and we carried on the rest of our ride. As a consolation she did get to hug a sheep later on.

And that brings us to the afternoon of the 3^rd day of adventure. The piece-de-resistance. The one I’d been dreading and looking forward to all at the same time. That’s right, the skydive. I have a fear of falling and felt that the best way to overcome this is to fall … from 15,000ft. Having signed up for the jump with a few of my fellow bus travellers the day before, I’d been trying not to think about it too much, despite everyone constantly talking about it to me, but now the time was upon us and we were huddled into a van on our way out to the airstrip. The wait is the worst part but luckily it’s only a 5 minutes journey … on a normal day … today there are roadworks and diversions so it’ll take 30 minutes. Great. We finally get to the jump site and we are sat down to watch an example of what the DVD looks like if you decide to pay the extra for a camera person to jump with you. I am bricking it. The lady goes through the pricing options and disclaimers. I am so so bricking it. The first group goes up and, oh look, I’m in the 3^rd and final group, more waiting. And then suddenly, the adrenaline completely takes over, and I’m no longer scared. I’m completely calm, collected and fine with the fact that I’m going to jump out of a plane. Of course I’m still nervous, but not how I thought I would be. Everything then goes so quickly that before I know it I’m huddled in the plane with Jess and Alex from my bus, looking out through the clear Perspex door over the beautiful scenery of Lake Taupo. It is such a clear day that at jump height we could see from one side of the north island to the other. The door slides open and the noise levels triple. I blink and Jess, her tandem master and cameraman are no longer in the plane. We scoot over to the door and my legs are outside the plane and hooked backwards underneath. My head is back and we tumble forward, downward and spin away from the plane. I scream something as we fall but it’s lost in the wind and a permanent smile is plastered on to my face, my cheeks pushed back by my ears. My biggest problem with falling is that my stomach flips over and over and I was worried that it would do that the whole way down but it barely got a half turn in before my body adjusts. You simply feel free. There is no view I have experienced in the world to this date that can even come close to the view I saw. There is no feeling I have felt that is the same as what I felt. I’m pretty sure that I will be joining Jason in a new hobby when we get home.

So that concludes the 3 day adventure. I’m now having a much needed day off in Lake Taupo. There’s lots of photos to come and hopefully I’ll be able to upload the video of my skydive very shortly.

Jamie

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