After living in Bondi for a couple of months, the girls and I finally threw on our packs and hopped a plane to New Zealand to start our worldwide adventure. Arriving in Chirstchurch, we spent our first night at the airport and jumped on a plane headed for Auckland the next morning. There, we rented a campervan and drove around the North Island for a few days. First stop, Rotorua. There we visited The Buried Village, which is an excavated village that was buried by a volcano in 1886. I'm a huge fan of archaeology, so I already thought this was one of the coolest things I had ever seen. But then, to my delight, there also happened to be a gorgeous waterfall on site (I have developed somewhat of a love affair with waterfalls while traveling.)
Next stop, TAUPO, for a 15,000ft skydive! I'll admit I was pretty much terrified as my tandem master, Brad, scooted me up to the door, but once you're out of the plane it is AMAZING! You are met with a split second of terror before the drag is pulled, then you enjoy a nice 45 second free fall, followed by a scenic parachute ride down to the ground. I highly recommend everyone try this at least once in there lives (I am already planning my next jump at 18,000 ft over Fox Glacier next spring.) The parachute ride down was gorgeous and Brad pointed out beautiful landmarks, including several spots where Lord of the Rings was filmed.
After Taupo, we headed back to Auckland for a nice night out in the city. Then, a drive out to Spookers, a haunted house with a reputation for making people wet themselves. Now, I am not a fan of such amusements; especially when you have to shell out $45. So, while Jess and Monika scared the bejesus out of themselves, I made myself at home in our campervan, turned on some tunes to drown out the terrified screams, and had myself a nice cold Tui.
And then we were off to the South Island...
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