An adrenaline junkie jumps
(I had typed this up in my laptop at the end of the day, but had no Internet access so could not upload it until July 14th)
We woke up about 7.30am and I was freezing cold! Jin was all warm though.. she had slept in only spaghetti strap and shorts! Me? I was all bundled up with 2 layers in the top as well as the bottom, plus gloves + socks. And I was still cold…
We were the first ones in the kitchen, and we tried to make pancakes… but the pancakes turned out black. Maybe the pan was too hot 
But they were certainly inedible. Jin had made Indomie Goreng for herself already anyway, so I just made another packet for myself.
We checked out a little after 8am, but we heard that the roads to Whakapapa were closed. Bummer!!! (Whakapapa Village was the base of Mt Ruapehu which we wanted to go to for snowboarding) However we decided to try our luck later by driving down to Turangi in the afternoon, and see if the roads would open later.
I had decided to try the bungy as well as the tandem skydive, but the wind was insane! So we went to the Taupo Bungy first and asked if I could bungy in spite of the wind. They said it was not a problem… and I was the first one of the day at 9.15am! I managed to use an AA voucher so that I paid only $88 for the jump instead of $105, but I added on a video and photo DVD as well.
I was very nervous, and it took the second try before I went off. What I liked about them was that they were so no-nonsense about it, and they made it feel like it was a normal everyday occurrence (which it probably is for them, since they work there!). I had asked to skim the water, but I was nowhere near touching the water. The jump was over in a matter of seconds!!
What they didn?t tell me was that I had to make a hike back up. I thought it was a short walk, so I ran initially, but I got tired and had to make a few stops on the way up. It was actually part of a nature trek, I think, because I saw cycle treks as well as warnings to look for abseiling and such. There were also ?Danger? signs warning about falling rocks.
I finally got back up amidst the freezing cold, and we had a look at our photos and the video before we went off. It was super! The only thing was, it wasn?t as exhilarating as I hoped it would be. Perhaps because I?ve bungeed before in Koh Samui so I knew what to expect. It was actually shorter than in Koh Samui – it was only 47m (Koh Samui was 50m).
I had booked for a tandem skydive with Freefall Skydive for 1pm, but we weren?t sure whether I could actually dive because of the gale. I called them, but they told me to call back at 12.30-12.40pm. With so much time to kill, we decided to try to go to Honey Hive which promised free entry and free honey tasting. We first went to a shop and left Jin?s snowboard there to be waxed, then we went over to Honey Hive.
But… Honey Hive was closed!!
I tried calling them but I got to a fax instead. Another car with a white family also stopped, and the man went down to take a look at the inside, and we asked what he saw but he said it was all cleaned out inside.
So we drove back to Taupo town and stopped at the Information Centre to check on the information about the roads to Mt Ruapehu, but according to them, the roads were still closed. It was a beautifully sunny day though, so we hoped that the snow would have stopped and the roads would be cleared by afternoon.
We had a cuppa in a cafe, where I tried a Mexi-Choc, which was hot chocolate with a hint of chilli. It was pretty interesting, and not bad actually. We then went back to the snowboarding shop only to find that her board has been edged, but not waxed yet. Apparently they were understaffed, so we waited until it was waxed (only $35 for edging+waxing) and then we pushed off. Jin found out that Honey Hive had a fire a few weeks ago which was probably why it was still closed.
It was about noon and we didn?t know what to do, so we went over to Taupo Airport and see the Freefall Skydive people anyway. We waited there, and while waiting, they played a DVD for us. The wind had considerably died down since morning, and I was very fortunate… WE COULD SKYDIVE!!
I had an AA voucher for 10% off the DVD photo+video, and I opted for the full package – from 15000 feet + DVD + T-shirt. I didn?t know the AA voucher was still valid even for the package, which was cool! It was applicable only for the price of the DVDs, but still, better than nothing, right?
So I got all buckled up and there was a British couple with me in the plane. The lady told me that they had been up in the air the past 3 days but couldn?t jump because of the wind. I guess I was very fortunate because I could jump on my first day!
We were up there in the tiny plane and it was really scary because I was right next to the flexi-glass sliding door… it was like, if it accidentally opened, I could tumble right out!!
I was the first one out the door, and as advised, I screamed as I left the plane. In fact I kinda kept screaming throughout the experience. I wanted to try the swimming action and the ?Superman? action but somehow I just couldn?t get my hands to move. The air was just keeping them up!
Then my skydivemaster told me to hang on to the harness and the parachute suddenly bloomed up. And I had a fantastic view of Taupo! It was probably for over a minute and all I could think of was my poor cold nose and my upset ears but I still enjoyed the view nonetheless. I did want to ask him if I could steer the parachute, but I admitted to him that I wouldn?t really dare try.
We got back down to the ground safely and waited for the couple. There was a last video shot of us jumping up and down and screaming.
We had to wait for the video to be processed, and we went to a little video room to watch it. Boy, I looked awful! Because I was screaming all the way, I guess. The couple managed to do stunts and all that and I didn?t
Jin and I got back on the road and made our way to Turangi. We stopped by the Information Centre where we found out that the motorway to Whakapapa was open!!! Without much ado, we hit the road!!
We made our way to Whakapapa Village, past the Chateau Tongariro (it costs $200 a night) and tried to look for our motel (National Backpackers) but couldn?t find it, so we stopped by the Info Center. I saw my first snow here… and my first contact too. When I got out of the car, I was striding without thinking and fell and slip on the road right away. It was pretty funny 
and embarrassing too because there were a bunch of teen boys nearby playing with the snow.
With more care, I made my way to the Info Center with Jin, and went to find out where the National Park was. We thought of trying to get a room at Skotel instead (which was within Whakapapa Village, which is at the base of Mt Ruapehu), and we tried to go there, but Jin?s car couldn?t get up the slope where the Skotel was, so she slid back out. We thought of trying a 3-point turn, but she couldn?t see behind her, so I got out of the car and guided her to an entry lane into a private parking lot, but as she tried to turn out, the car got stuck. It was a nightmare then… there were a bunch of teen boys and girls sledding nearby but they didn?t bother coming over to help. Jin saw a family walking nearby, and quickly asked the man for help. He, his wife, and his daughters were very willing to help us push the car, and we finally managed to get the car moving again. He advised us in the future to not step on the accelerator as it would just dig into the snow; he told us to just accelerate lightly.
Well it was an auto car so it was hard to control. Still, what an adventure
Because of that stupid slope, we decided not to stay in Skotel and made our way over to National Backpacker?s at National Park instead, which was a good 12 km away. Although we had booked our rooms, we hadn?t confirmed them… thankfully they were still available!! We checked in and dumped our things in our room, then we made dinner. Dinner was Indomie Goreng (again!) for Jin, and I had macaroni with cheese bake. There was too much though, and I ate less than half. We struggled through some pears, and then we turned in to sleep.
July 5, 2008
To the town of Taupo!
(I had typed this up in my laptop at the end of the day, but had no Internet access so could not upload it until July 14th)
We were supposed to wake up early today, to see Toby, Jin’s farmer friend, shifting the cows at 7.45am. I was awake since about 5am, and couldn?t go back to sleep. Perhaps because I was excited; but I didn?t feel excited, although I did think of the skydiving and bungy jumping. I think it was mostly because of the cold.
The past week, I?ve been sleeping with a pair of gloves and a pair of socks on because of the cold, but I?ve noticed that everytime I wake up, only my right glove remains. Both my socks and my left glove will always have disappeared – and I would have to strip the bed to look for them! This happens not only at Jin?s, but also in my aunt?s at Auckland.
My back has been aching too, since the second day I was here. I don?t know why it is, but it is. And it got worse when I stayed at Jin?s because I was sleeping in a sofa bed which isn?t completely straight (there are ?dents? where the folds are) and it?s rather hard. I like firm beds, but I didn?t know the damage this bed could do to my back. After the first night my back hurt but not really very badly; this morning I couldn?t bend forward without hurting Fortunately Jin had some Deep Heat rub which has helped alleviate some of the pain. I don?t want to hurt before I?ve done some serious activities! But then, since when has back pain ever stopped me?
Oh, one thing before I forget… the weird thing about New Zealand is that in the houses, there are no locks on any of the doors; the doorknobs are merely there to open the doors out from their doorframes. The only room in the entire house which has a lockable door is the lavatory – even the shower room/bathrooms have no locks! By the way, because it?s a typical white man?s land, the lavatory and the bathrooms are separate. The lavatory typically does not have any sinks or hoses in them. A bit of pain for me, really 
Anyway, this morning, I finally rolled out of bed by 7am, and was dressed and ready by about 7.30am. It was raining – nay, there were hailstones! I?ve seen my first hailstones!!
Because of the rain and the hailstones, we didn?t leave early to see the cows. Jin and Matt made pancakes, and we waited for the rain to subside before we piled the things into the car and went on our way. Poor Matt would be left alone as he was not following us on this holiday… Jin said it?s the first time they?re spending their holidays apart! Matt even gave me a hug and told me to take care of Jin. He?s such a nice sweet guy.
Anyway, so we finally made our way about 8.30am, amidst the rain and hailstones. Jin drove for the first 3 hours, and unfortunately I was sneezing and sniffing 
( I DO NOT WANT TO BE SICK ON MY ROAD TRIP!! THIS IS MY FIRST ROAD TRIP, MY FIRST SNOWY WINTER, AND MY FIRST VACATION FOR AGES, AND I WANT TO ENJOY IT!!!
However although I was sneezing and sniffing, I wasn?t feeling miserable, although a bit sleepy. I took a nap before I took over the wheel for the next three hours. Then Jin drove a little bit more, and as we neared Taupo, we made some tourist stops.
We first stopped at the Huka Falls, which at this lookout point was just part of the long Huka River. The falls were very strong and rushed; the river was so lovely and clean and clear. It was aqua green with white foam, rushing through with such ferocity, that I feared it and admired it at the same time. One of the signs explained that it eroded the soil (it rushed from a narrow path to a sudden wide river) and over time it will continue to erode.
They name it Craters of the Moon because of the huge craters formed by the sulphuric thermal gases that spout out from the ground. Interestingly there were no rangers or personnel placed in the park; we were left to roam freely on our own. They did put up signs of ?Danger? etc, and Jin and I kept faithfully to the trail. This place was a real sight to behold – there were tufts of steam, both large and small, spouting out from the ground! Even when we looked down some of the smaller craters near the trail, we could not pinpoint the exact source of the steam.
We could hear hisses and bubbling sounds as water boiled, or the thermal gas escaped the ground. There were certainly a lot of greenery – they apparently thrive on the hot gases. One of the signs said that skin burns at 50?C; some of these plants thrive at 70?C! Water boils at 100?C (duh!) and these gases are at 140?C. Whoo!! That?s hot.
Within the park, there were two alternative routes at the end; a steep climb, or an easy walk to the end. The lady had advised us to take the steep climb as it was worth it, so we did, and yes, it was worth it. From the top, we could see a beautiful view of part of the park, with the steam spouting as if the greens were on fire!
Tiki Lodge is a backpacker?s boarding place, with shared bathrooms and a common kitchen/TV room/lounge. In fact, right now, I?m sitting in the common lounge next to the pot stove fireplace (which Jin says is ?fake? because there?s blue fire, indicating that gas is used although there were pieces of wood in there).
The shared bathrooms were surprisingly very clean and tidy, and they even provided hairdryers. However Jin and I had opted for a double room with ensuite bathroom as we didn?t want to share bathrooms and weren?t sure what the people would be like. Our room is pretty near the common rooms.
After unloading our bags, we went to Pak n? Save and bought some food items including things to be made for dinner. Jin craved Indomie - and we found some!!
We made dinner of Indomie Goreng at the common kitchen, with some pak choy which she brought from home, and some chicken breast which we had bought from Pak n? Save. We even had some mango and yoghurt. Yummmm.
Everyone was supposed to clean up after him/herself, but some of the earlier lodgers had just left unwashed utensils in the sink which was extremely thoughtless. We just washed the things we used though. We won?t clean up after other people!
Jin was tired so she went to bed early, and I was feeling a little tired but I wanted a walk around town. So I bundled myself up and walked around the town alone. It was only after 8pm, but the town was as dead as a doornail. Almost all the shops were closed, and there were hardly any people in the streets. I must say that I suppose the town is safe, but having grown up in a city (ridden with crimes likes snatch thefts, rape and the like, no less), I was a bit nervous being all alone. I constantly looked behind and around me to make sure no one was tailing me either on foot or in a car, and anytime I felt uncomfortable about walking down a street, I skipped the street.
I did find a street where there was some form of nightlife; it was where all the pubs were. There were certainly more people there than in all the other streets.
There was also a 24-hour McD, and the petrol stations were still open. However I finished my walk quite quickly and got back to the lodge by about 9pm. I was glad to be back because my nose was almost frozen! I forgot my scarf to wrap around my nose.
So now I?m drinking teh-o next to the gas-wood fire enjoying the warmth. Jin is asleep and I suppose I?ll have to go soon too. Tomorrow I?m planning to bungy and skydive – and as I?m the one doing it and not Jin, I?ll need all the sleep I can get!!
July 4, 2008
Day in Dargaville
Today was another uneventful day in Dargaville. Jin wanted to take me to her school in the morning, but she had a doctor’s appointment so I slept in. I woke up late, and made myself a simple breakfast of my aunt’s banana-chocolate muffin (yummmssss!!!) and watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on DVD. Yeah yeah I know that it’s a weird thing to do on a holiday… but hey, I’m on holiday. I’ve always wanted to watch that movie anyway eversince I found out the storyline.
Jin came back and then took me for lunch at Blah, Blah, Blah cafe where we had panini (delicious!!). I had the smoked chicken panini. Then we went to her school (Dargaville High School) as she still had classes. Because she had to sit in with some of her students for detention, she got one of her colleague, Karen to take me around. Karen is a lovely, bubbly woman (she’s got a 15-year-old daughter, but she doesn’t look it!!) who the kids obviously love, and she took me with her on her “duty”. I saw the school’s staffroom, office, gymnasium (the gym has not only a weight room, but a climbing wall!!!!!!!!!!), and peeped outside the library. They have an indoor pool, but I didn’t see it. It was Mufti Day today, which is when the kids could wear any casual clothes (instead of their uniforms) and they could do crazy things with their hair. Some of the staff got into the spirit of things by tying/dying their hair and some even wore outrageous costumes! Mufti Day was also when people donated $2 for a charitable cause ($1 goes to the school and $1 to a local helicopter rescue thingy).
The school is really near her house, and as she had one more class to go, I walked home and watched the last of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
When Jin came home, she took me out to Baylys Beach which was one of the most BEAUTIFUL beaches I have ever seen! Actually it’s just flat with very strong waves. But it’s beautiful to me. The beach, according to Jin, stretches for 100 km. The wind was very strong, and the sand was blown over the beach, just skimming its surface. There were sand dunes, and seaweed on the shore. I thought it was heavenly, in spite of the strong wind. I love the beach. I would love to walk along it just to destress, or just to pass the time.
After the beach, Jin took me to meet a real farmer and a real farmer’s wife – the first I’ve ever met! They’re a lovely old couple who were so warm and welcoming. When I arrived at their place, even though they didn’t know me, they gave me a hug and a kiss. And when I left, they gave me a beautiful greenstone (jade) piece in a wooden frame, which can be removed and worn around my neck if I wanted.
We then rushed back, and Jin made some potatoes for Suzie’s party. The party was supposed to start at 6.30pm, but we only got there about 7pm (in typical “Malaysian time”!!!). It was a nice quiet 4th of July party – nothing rowdy or crazy. It was a quiet get-together sitting at the living room, eating potluck dinner (everything was super yummy), and then we left early to pack 
)
I’m too lazy to transfer the photos now, so maybe I’ll do that later. Will be on the road tomorrow onwards though, so I don’t know if I can get Internet access. Might be able to blog again only when I reach KL!!
(Updated post entry with photos on July 14th)
July 3, 2008
The tiny town of Dargaville
I managed to get up “early” this morning! I had a quick breakfast of a lin yong pow and waited for the MainCoachLine bus to come pick me up. True enough it wasn’t a bus, but it was a van with a trailer. I didn’t get a photo. I didn’t really have time to take as we were hurrying to put my things in and I got onto the “bus”.
We were quite on time; I was very surprised. They picked me up about 8.30am, and we were scheduled to arrive at Auckland at Quay Street at 9.30am, which we did. We had a full coach of 11 passengers, and we made our way northbound to Dargaville. I fell asleep most of the way, I guess I was just too tired. From what, I don’t know. But I slept
There wasn’t much to see along the way anyway, except a lot of green. We did make a stop at a restaurant called the Swinging Cow, but I didn’t eat there; I only made the washroom stop.
There were a pair of ladies in front of me, one of whom was the mother of a baby girl and a toddler boy, and I assume the other lady was her sister or at least a relative. The boy was very very cute, with a hair of golden curls; and while he initially was rather well-behaved, towards the later part of the journey (especially after the stop) he became very hyperactive and hysterical and screechy. Finally as we dropped off a passenger at the stop before Dargaville, the lady who wasn’t the mother retrieved the child carseat from the trailer which contained all our luggage, and strapped the child down. The child was surprisingly good and willing to be strapped in, and for the rest of the journey was very quiet.
We were scheduled to arrive at Dargaville by 12.45pm, and we were on time. It’s so unusual for me, given how “Malaysian time” everything is back home (for the uninformed, it means being late is just a Malaysian way of life).
Jin had told me to wait at the Blah, Blah, Blah cafe, so I walked over to it which was just around the corner from my drop-off point. I thought that Jin’s break was at 12.30pm (she was still at work in school) as she had passed a message through my aunt last night when I was out to dinner, so I decided to wait outside instead of having tea inside as I didn’t want to make her late for her next class, if she had one. I waited until 1.30pm before she finally arrived, but I didn’t mind as I got to enjoy the sun for a bit. When she came, she had an errand to run and sat me in Blah, Blah, Blah for a cuppa, and then she drove me to her home before she went back to school for her last class of the day.
I fried myself two eggs and had a cup of tea, and worked on my photos (for my blog). I also got a bit trigger happy in her house.. but I won’t post the photos here. Except for the pot stove which is really interesting and new to me
Jin came back, and wanted to let me use her Internet access but she didn’t know what the password was. I eventually figured out her router settings using her laptop, found her password, and connected myself to her broadband. She made a Chinese meal with rice, omelette and pak choy, and her American friend Suzie came over to discuss with her about the 4th of July party tomorrow. Suzie also helped to light up the pot stove in the living room before she left for home, as Jin wasn’t very good at it But she managed to keep the fire going though.
I also met Jin’s husband, Matthew who is a charming man (and looks much better than in his photo). He went out with his friends later, while Jin drove me out in her new car (woohooo!!!) to the Warehouse where she bought some supplies, and extra pillow, and a birthday present for me – a warm woolcap which would cover my ears from the cold!!
On our return, Jin and I pored through the brochures as well as looked up online for our trip the coming week. Jin turned in early though because she was exhausted. Me? I’m here in front of my laptop blogging about my uneventful day at Dargaville…
July 2, 2008
Auckland Sights
I didn’t oversleep today!!! I managed to wake up at 9.30am. Well, actually I wanted to wake up at 8am but I had to stay up last night due to some problems back home in KL (was up sending text messages… my phone bill might hit the roof!) so I couldn’t wane up early if I wanted to. Erm, so I guess I did oversleep, but not as badly as yesterday. Had breakfast of siew gao dumplings that were freshly pan-fried.
Today’s visit was not as pretty as yesterday’s. We started with a visit to the Maria Villa wineyard, where our tourguide (Andrew) took us around explaining the process of making wine. Maria Villa is an award-winning wine label which has come up with / uses a lot of the latest technology to make the best quality wine. Maybe later I’ll write about the Science of Wines (I just came up with that myself ).
It wasn’t a very pretty visit, because it was winter and all the grapevines were empty and looked dead. The greenery was beautiful nevertheless. Our visit all indoors as we were taken from room to room to see the vats and the laboratories.
I’m not really a fan of wine (I don’t like wine!!), and neither is my aunt, so we didn’t do any wine tasting. There were no free glasses of wine anyway; if we wanted to do wine tasting, we’d have to buy a package. The tour itself costs $5 per person.
The tour was at 11am, and finished about an hour later; thereafter we rushed home, and then grabbed the bus to the city. There, we started with lunch at Cafe Tasca. My aunt had asked me what my favourite foods were, and she took the trouble to look up a restaurant which serves Italian pizza. When I say Italian pizza, I mean the authentic Italian thin crust pizzas, not the American imitations of Domino’s and Pizza Hut. Cafe Tasca’s Chicken & Mushroom pizza was DELICIOUS; I don’t like mushrooms or tomatoes but the combination of the whole ensemble made everything superb. Oh, and did I mention that it was cooked over a real wood fire?
We then walked over to the Sky Tower where I was just in time to see a staff member trying out the Sky Jump! I really wanted to try it, but we just had lunch and I didn’t want to see my pizza a second time (plus, I had to eat more than half the pizza because my aunt wasn’t a big eater!), so we went to the Information Center where I took a lot of the free maps and books instead.
Then we took the free city bus around, and made a stop at a souvenir shopping mall. The free city bus was great; it takes people around the city with no charge. My aunt said it was probably to serve the university students (the bus goes right through the Auckland University campus) and tourists, but it was also great for locals.
We went window-shopping and I bought a few souvenirs (so for the few of you whom I’m buying for, be prepared for some cheesy touristy souvenirs). By the time we were done, it was nearly 5pm, and I was supposed to meet a friend for dinner by 6.30pm, so we couldn’t go back to the Sky Tower for the jump We managed to catch a bus by 5.40pm and reached home about 6.15pm. Oh well… I’m planning to go to Lake Taupo for the bungy jump anyway, but it would have been nice to do the Sky Walk and the Sky Jump. The weather wasn’t too great though (it rained occasionally and there was strong winds) so I might not have been able to do either, although fortunately whenever my aunt and I were walking around, the rain stopped.
My dear friend Selvi from uni days picked me up from my aunt and uncle’s home about 6.40pm, and we went to Banque for dinner. She had lamb and I had chicken, and the food was EXCELLENT! We caught up and chatted … I haven’t seen her in years! She had been in Auckland for 4.5 years and is now working in Westpac as a bank manager. She sent me home by about 9pm as she was tired (she had to work nights the past few days) but it was great to have caught up with her.
I haven’t transferred the photos from my camera to the laptop yet, so I can’t post the photos yet. However, I will update this blog entry (hopefully by tomorrow) with the photos, so stay tuned! Update: I’ve updated this blog with the photos!
Tomorrow morning I have to wake up early (this time, early=7am) as I have to catch a bus to Dargaville (about 3 hours from Central Auckland). OK, it’s not really a bus, and I don’t have to catch it. It’s run by a husband-wife team and they drive passengers from Auckland all the way up to Dargaville via a minivan, I think. I’ll see tomorrow. And they’re going to pick me up from my aunt and uncle’s house (for an additional nominal fee) before going to the city to pick up the rest of the passengers, and then it’s off to Dargaville we go. Because we have to get to the city by 9.30am, they will come to the house by about 8.15am. So… I guess it’s time for me to sleep now