Good Karma.... atleast for a day or two :)

New Zealand - Lake Taupo June 24th 12:08pm

So the computer crashed on me while writing my previous blog. Basically I was bitching about the fact that i kept having to leave cities early because the weather was piss-poor and i couldn't do much. So my next move from Waitomo was Rotorua.... arrived late afternoon, checked in at the base backpackers.

Still raining and boy does it STINK. I mean literally. The first thing you start noticing as you get within a few miles of the city is this sulfuric, overcooked eggs smell. Rotorua and the surrounding region is known for its thermal pools and geysers. Basically the earth's crust is quite thin here allowing the heat to rise up through the water and mud pools. So what else would I do on a rainy Tuesday evening but head straight down to the Polynesian Spa on Lake Rotorua and soak in some natural thermal pools at 37-42 degrees celcius (thats in the high 90s for us farenheit folks). You come out smelling a bit but so does everyone else.

Called it an early night and hoped for better weather on Wednesday. Of course as my previous blog inferred i woke up to some more downpour and was pissed that i might have to leave yet again and head off to my next destination in chase of some sunny days.

Luckily the girl at reception convinced me to hang around maybe take in a tour of the natural geysers at Te Puia where i'd also be able to get in some maori culture. The sun started coming out as i reached Te Puia although it was still raining. Had a lovely tour of the maori weaving and carving school and a ride around all the geysers. Also got to see the famous New Zealand Kiwi birds which are noctornal and at the moment at this reserve were hopefully in the process of mating (there were only 2 here). Our guide was Maori, his ancestors had lived on this land years ago before 1901 when the government took over all thermal pool lands and tagged them as national reserves. The tribes were forced to move.

So after a lovely albeit generic cultural show of maori song and dance it was time to leave. While waiting for the shuttle I started talking to a group of 2 guys and a girl. Turns out the couple was from Ireland (Chrissy and Shane) and the other guy from Vegas (Casey). They had just met the night before at Hot Rocks the hostel they were staying at. Casey had just come down from Auckland and had bought himself a van and offered us a ride back to town. My luck was turning around.

With the weather looking good we decided to check out Zorbing. I figured if my insurance was covering it (see my previous blog about CYA) I had to check it out. So the four of us drove off to the Agrodome, basically farmland where the adventure activities took place.

So we decided to have a Tripple Bypass - Zorbing, Agrojetting, and Swooping.

Zorbing - get placed inside a passive plastic ball with some water and like a hamster start rolling around down hill - im telling you it looks slow when you're watching someone else but when you're inside getting tossed around in this bubble drenched you completely lose your orientation and have to just give in to the complete chaos that is your life for 2 minutes!

Agrojet - this was a blast although a bit short.... the driver straps you into the jet and starts driving like an absolute maniac speeding to the edge of the course water splashing everywhere... and right when you think you're gonna jump the curve and fly over the fence he makes a hard left and as you try and swallow your heart back down into your chest does another 180 and flies down the other lane.

Swoop - think Bunjee jumping and swinging... Casey and I get strapped into these two podlike bags and get dragged up to about 43 meters off the ground. Previous to going up we duke it out with a game of rock, paper, scissors to see who'll get to pull the rip-cord. I win (scissors beats paper)!!! So at the top the guy at the bottom yells something unaudible to me (I've got earplugs in) so i'm assuming he says get ready - count to three and pull the cord as strong as I can.

Now I've never been bungee jumping but the next 3 seconds of free fall (felt like 60) are indescribable. My stomach is in my throat and my heart I swear has skipped a few necessary beats. Then the cord pulls taught and you start flying like superman. Now I'm not a screamer but dude I could not stop laughing. what an absolute rush :)

The four of us couldn't believe our luck. Guess it just goes to show you that when you least expect it things just have a way of working out (just like you said they would shaun). So why stop there... with everything closing at absurdly early hours (the agrodome shut at 5) we thought we'd try our luck at luging down the side of a mountain. So down the street we hit the skyliners. After a gondola ride up we got some helmets and went luging. What an amazing view - the new moon was just the night before (today is the first day of the Maori New Year) so the full moon lit up the Lake. Took a bit more concentration on the turns down the more advanced track the second time around but made it without any bruises cuts or scrapes.

Its funny how right when you start thinking things aren't as fun as you imagined them to be and start falling into a bit of a rut life has a way of changing just enough where you have faith again in the fact that you're going to be alright and yes you are having the time of your life.

So after a full day of adreneline rush we had some dinner met up for some drinks and said our goodbyes, sort of. Chrissy and Shane were off to Christchurch the next morning but would be back in Dublin by the time I was in England in February so we'll meet again over a Guinness. Casey was on his own until he had to meet up with his mates in ChristChurch on the 1st of July and since we were both working our way down to Wellington asked if I'd like to take the ride down to Taupo and then Welllington.... hmmmm - cramped bus ride with a gazillion and one stops along the way or a cruise in a van with the ipod playing in the car stereo with some good company - no question there.

So Thursday morning we started our 1 hour drive to Taupo. Now some of you may not know this but I went skydiving a few years back when i was in Sydney and loved it. And from all the guide books i'd read the jump over lake taupo was one of the best in the world. I was so stoked to that the weather had let up a little and I spent most of the car ride down trying to convince Casey that he had to try it. He wasn't too keen, but I had faith.

We get to the Rainbow lodge, a backpackers this girl Rachel I had met in Auckland, had recommended to me. It's great - a decent size but still cozy with a free sauna, cinema room and nice warm comfy duvets - oh and no sign of bedbugs. So after check in I immediately asked about skydiving. The girl at the front desk called them up and made a booking for 2. Casey looked at her like she had horns growing out of her head. 'Look she said you're going to do it, if you don't you'll regret it'. Dude, I said, trust me this has to be done.

So at 1:45 a beat up little limo with 'JUMPUS' license plates rolls up and takes us around the lake to the jumpsite. Here we go - 15,000 feet over the beautiful Lake Taupo - over a minute of freefall - OVER A MINUTE OF FREE FALL!!!! We get to Skydive Taupo and they show us the dvd of a previous jumper - I am just shaking so ready to do this - craving that adreneline rush when you have your legs dangling out of that little plane waiting for the okay to lean forward and fly.

So myself and two other girls who were going to jump at 12,000 ft go up. After what seemed like an eternity, the pilot gives the thumbs up and the plastic door gets swung open and within seconds the first set jump out. Now I dont know about other jumpers but I think the part that gets your stomach in knots is watching someone else fall out of the plane and just disappear. Next girl goes. We close the door and ascend another 3,000 ft up. At 15,000ft all you can see out the windows are the clouds below you and in the far distance snow capped volcanoes (Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings to be exact) So we open the door, swing my legs out the plane and hold onto my harness - there's something about having no control on what is going to happen over the next few minutes that some how calms you and makes you think 'screw it - i'm here, i've lived a pretty good life, whatever happens happens'

Hahaha - WWWOOOOHHOOOOO!!!! HOLY MOTHER MARY OF GOD!!!! HEY BHAGVAN! falling through clouds watching the ants on the ground slowly turn them selves into cars and cows and houses The wind blowing my cheeks to my ears and my cheeks hurting like a bitch because i couldn't stop smiling - could not wipe that big as grin off my face - and then it all slows down - the ever so faithful parachute opens fully and we start sailing through the sky. The day couldn't be any more perfect, clear skies, the sun out shining over the lake - the view absolutely breathtaking. Of course it wouldn't be fun without a couple of G-force turns to get your stomach churning and then finally as everything starts to appear at their natural sizes we come into a grass field and land ever so smoothly. As Casey so eloquently quoted JZ it was 'so necessary'.

It was at that moment I realized what i was doing and what i wou.d be doing for the next 9 months - this was just the beginning

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