Ok, so I finally left Taupo. It had been 6 weeks and it was now the end for me here. Still I went out with a bang of course. On my last week I thought I would do all the things that I hadn't had a chance to do up until this point and thought that I should before I left.
On the first day of sun - Darren and myself headed out onto the Barbary. Built in 1926, the Barbary is a 15m ocean-going racing yacht. It was once owned by actor Erol Flynn but these days is sailed around Lake Taupo by 'Barbary Bill'!!! It's a two and a half hour trip around the vast lake. Somehow Darren and myself steered the vessel for most of the time (no one else wanted the responsibility) as Bill ran around the ship pulling various pieces of rope which had some affect on the sail above us. We headed over to the Maori carvings. The carvings are on private land but can be reached by boat. They reminded me of the rock carvings I had seen at one of the temples in Angkor (Cambodia) except these were of Maori design and were not ancient in any sense. They were apparently carved about 30 years ago but are still impressive and continue to attract the crowds. On the trip around the lake, you also get great views of the Tongariro National Park and of Mt Tauhara which looms over the town of Taupo. From this distance you can see why the mountain is called 'the pregnant lady' (take a look at the photos) and accompanies a story told in Maori legend.
On my last week, I also made it down to take a ride on the Huka Falls Jet. They have these jet boat rides all over New Zealand, the difference with this one was that I knew someone who worked there. Mike, who also works at Go Global Backpackers (where i'm staying) is training to be a driver at the Huka Falls Jet. So when I went down to see him - he kindly got me a free ride and accompanying photos of my escapade. He wasn't driving of course - I would never get in a boat with him steering even when he's fully trained (you would know what I mean if you knew him) - but I was grateful of the gesture. The ride is about 30 minutes, along the Waikato River. It first takes you down to the Aratiatia Dam and then up to the Huka Falls. Now and again, the driver does a 360 degree turn and you get soaked. They take you pretty close to the falls - further than you could get to them any other way which is pretty cool. The driver constantly rides close to the banks and near trees that pop out of the river (just to scare the kids) before turning at the last minute. The jets are fast and you feel as though the whole thing is floating above the water. It's definately worth a ride - well especially if it's a free ride.
There was also some last nights out on the town, which involved going out with the main Go Global team - who I had got to know over the last month and a half and any random people who wanted to join in. On my last few nights - there were many randoms, much alcohol and some funny and bizarre nights out. I even met my tandem sky-dive master who had jumped out of the plane with me just a few weeks before. By pure coincidence he was also Darren's sky-dive tandem master. He got a lot of drinks that night. There were also goodbye BBQ's, and present swapping. For some strange and unmentionable gifts - I, in return, bought them all a tin of mushy peas. I found them where Darren works. The owners are English and they import all sorts of very British foods. No one had ever tried them before so I thought I'd see what they thought. No one has yet dared to open them. As another kind gesture I have also taught them the ways of speaking North London - those mild subtleties that make it unique. Next time you visit Taupo, don't be surprised if everyone is now saying 'Awight Geezer' and 'Nice One Bruva".
I left Taupo (which has now made it into a list of top 10 places to live in the world by the way) with some fond memories and some good friends (notably - Pete, Mike, Emory, Steve, Karen and Kylie). They are all crazy characters in their own way and some of them have stories that people are not meant to have (especially Emory)!!! I have left Darren there to keep them all amused. I'll miss the Go Global hostel too - it has the most amazing views from the balcony. As well as seeing Lake Taupo, and even Mount Doom from there, you can also see into the bathrooms of the Base Backpackers across the street. The story goes - that when the building was being constructed, the builders put all the tainted windows in the wrong way. So to those in the bathroom - it looks like a mirror but to everyone outside - you can see straight through. There were some very dodgy things seen in those windows- or so i'v heard - i'v never looked myself of course and I would be disgusted with any of you who thought otherwise!!!
I'd like to think I will return to Taupo one day soon, just to see all the guys again but who knows. For me, for now - it was back to the big city, well at least as big as cities get in New Zealand. Due to a call of more work in volcanoes, I was heading back to where I first began in this country...........Auckland!!!
Tuesday 28 October 2008
Saying Goodbye To Taupo
Saturday 11 October 2008
Living The High Life In Taupo
So I'v been living in Taupo for a month now. It's nearly time for me to leave. I have almost finished my work with GNS studying volcanoes and I'm soon off to Auckland to work with the University there, to continue my ambition in volcanology. It will be a shame to leave Taupo, it feels like home to me now. We are such good friends with the people in our hostel, and most of the locals too because there is a real, small-town atmosphere here. I'll be leaving Darren here too when I leave - he is staying on but we have already decided to meet up after I have finished in Auckland. Where we will go - who knows but I'v been living like that for such a long time now (not knowing what the hell is going on from one day to the next or where I will end up tomorrow) that it's just part of my life these days. I will also miss this beautiful part of the country - with the largest lake in the Southern Hemisphere sitting in my backyard, and views of three volcanic peaks from my hostel balcony - why would I want to leave. Those views are heightened when I take my one and a half hour walk to work. At first it was a bit of a pain - treking that far to work each day and these days I often get a lift in, but I will those miss those walks - especially on my return leg when your perched up high on a hill looking down as the sun sets over Taupo and the Tongariro Mountain peaks.
However - enough of all that. As it's soon time for me to depart Taupo - there was still one main thing here that I had not done - and that was Skydiving. Taupo is considered the Skydiving capital of the world as well as one of the cheapest places to launch yourself out of a plane. It is also one of those things that I have wanted to do since I was a kid. In fact my good friend Darren and another friend Alexander Shaverin had planned on doing one back in England when we were in our teens - but it never quite happened for reasons I can never quite remember. Unfortunately Alexander isn't with us anymore but with Darren joining me on the other side of the globe, we thought we would do it as a tribute to our old friend.
In a twist of irony - Darren and I did our skydive jumps seperately. He works during the weekend and I only have those two days off. On the one day we tried to book it together - it got cancelled down to bad weather. Darren had completed his jump two days ago and had loved every minute. So I decided, with weather on my side this time - that it was my turn. Today I booked myself in for a 15,000ft skydive - the highest comercial jump you can do. Let me tell you how incredible it is. By a long way it's one of the most unbelievable things I have ever done. Putting bungy jumping to a mere walk in the park - leaping out a plane and freefalling for 4.6km (2.8 miles) is like nothing else.
First your harnessed up - then I met my tandem master - his name was John - he was Brazillian and he had done over 6,000 jumps before - I was happy about that. We had 4 others crammed into the small aircraft and before you realise whats going on - the plane is taking off. It takes about 25 minutes to climb the 15,000 feet. With me was also my camera-man. I had the full photo and dvd option - so not only was a camera attached to John's arm (handycam) but I also had a seperate camera-man jumping just to get photos and a dvd of me (smiling hopefully). It was a scenic flight up as I chatted to John about his skydiving life (a new ambition now formulated in my head). The lake (even for it's immense size) now appeared a mere pond as we climbed above the clouds. I was the first jumper. The doors open, the camera-man hangs out the side of the plane - you move to the end - your legs hanging over the side and you take that first look down and realise what your doing is completely insane. You turn briefely for your exit photo and then the tandem master rolls you out.
The first few seconds are the best. I mean the whole experience is just fantastic - but just with the bungy jumps - it's those first moments that you savour. You spin and roll before stabilising. The thought that your falling 200km per hour didn't really cross my mind at the time. It's just an amazing feeling. All you feel is wind, but what you see is everything. From this height you can actually see the South Island of New Zealand - and if I squinted I was sure I could see Mars. I played around in freefall with my camera-man and John, having fun and smiling to the camera. You realise how quickly things on the ground start to increase in size as you continue to fly back to Earth. The whole freefall at this height lasts 60 seconds. Thats 1 minute of pure adrenaline, before the tandem master pulls that very important cord, letting the parachute deploy. You feel a slight tug and suddenly you slow to a gentle decent.
This part of the expereince is just as amazing. You now get to take a good look over the incredible scenery laid out before you. Lake Taupo dominates below, and the snow capped Ngauruhoe and Tongariro loom in the distance. It's a gentle fall and I was allowed to take control of the parachute, steering us both - he obviously doesn't know me or he probably wouldn't have let me take control. We eventually make it to safe ground - on our arse's.
While waiting for the photos and dvd's to be processed I got chatting to two of the workers at Taupo Tandem Skydiving (TTS) and got offered two jobs. I'm leaving Taupo soon - but I said if I ever return that I would give them a call. Don't worry mum - the job doesn't involve jumping out of a plane, one was working at TTS and the other in a hostel. I'll keep both in mind.
It was a life dream to skydive and now i'v done it - it didn't disappoint at any stage. I would make it a hobby if I had money to. Although me and Darren didn't do it together we both (in our own ways) dedicated our jumps to Alexander Shaverin who is still sorely missed by us both.
If your ever thinking about doing a skydive - then stop thinking and just go - you won't regret it. It is the biggest adrenaline rush of your life and although I am safely back down on the ground now I still feel like i'm walking on clouds..............
Saturday 4 October 2008
Life With The Maori's
So I have been in New Zealand for about two months so far. I'm still living and working in Taupo although am soon departing for more work up in Auckland. Life here is great. We have been in our hostel long enough now that we are friends with all the workers and everyone else who pops in now and again to stay. Work is still exciting, although the scenic hour and a half walk there and then back again is now on hold since I have damaged my foot and am now on 14 painkiller tablets a day. I'm getting lifts in now.
Yet, in all the time I have spent travelling around NZ I still haven't experienced the real Maori culture. I mean, you see the Maori's everwhere, especially around Taupo (actually pronounced toe-paw) which is a bit of a cultural Maori heartland along with Rotorua up north. So Darren and I decided to go on a Maori village visit. The Wairakei Terraces are actually just north of where I am working. It's an actual Maori village and they do weekly trips for visitors to see some of the culture.
You get a guided walk around the village where you have to greet the Maori's in traditional style (the hongi) in which you touch noses and foreheads with each of your hosts. You learn about when and how they came over to NZ from French Polynesia and how they have lived their life since that time. You learn about their beliefs, why they tatoo their faces and learn their games. You also get to see the geothermal pools (like we had seen up in Rotorua) and the silica terraces which form as silica crystallises out of the rich underground waters.
Later you have a traditional hangi meal, in which all food is cooked under a clay pot buried in the ground and heated by the Earth's geothermal power. Essentailly we had a fantastic roast but it was cooked underground instead of in an oven - it was deliceous though. Finally we got to see a Maori performance. There were a couple of special dances and songs before they performed the Maori war dance - The Haka, which was made famous by New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team and which scared the hell out of Darren.
Then of course they get people up on stage to learn it too. Why I am suprised that they picked me I don't know. To the amusement of the audience and mostly Darren, I end up looking like a complete idiot attempting to look scary while actually looking as though I should be in Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' music video.
It was great to get a bit of a Maori cultural injection so now I have an idea of the incredible native people who I walk past ever day. I also now know how to perform The Haka with expert precision - so I will be scarying the pants off you all when I return.
The Tongariro Crossing
There are many top walking tracks in New Zealand. The country is perfectly designed for them. Some can take up to 9 days to complete, some stretch you across lakes and rivers, up high onto snow fields or down low into vast valley's. Some tracks tramp you across flat fields of alpine scrub whilst others lead you up to the loftiest barren peaks of some pretty challenging mountains. One has all this and to top it all off - has a couple of volcanoes thrown into the mix as well. It only takes 8 hours and is considered the best one-day walk in NZ. It is The Tongariro Crossing and I just had to give it a go.
To start off your picked up at 6.20am. To me however it was 5.20am because the clocks had gone forward an hour for daylight saving the night before. The Tongariro National Park (NZ's first national park) lies south of Lake Taupo and incorporates a number of walking options and three volcanoes - Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu. There were actually a lot of factors that almost stopped me doing this walk. First, a recent dispute over guiding permits meant that officially there was no-one to take anyone on the walk. It's because some of the track crosses private land and at the time 'officially' guided walks were off. You could still go up on your own - but in winter - they recommend you have mountain experience - especially as the tracks are covered in snow, you need specialist equipment and the weather can change very quickly on the mountains making a potentially hazardous experience. However I did manage to find a guided group going and booked myself on.
The second factor which almost stopped me walking was the weather. When we arrived at the start of the track a wall of cloud had ascended over the peak between the volcanoes of Tongariro and Ngauruhoe. If that cloud was there when we arrived then we would have to turn back and only complete half of the track. With a bit of help from above - every time we got closer to the cloud it seemed to move further away. It was like chasing a rainbow but never reaching it. By the time we got to 'the decision point' the cloud had departed and we had perfect skies for the rest of the walk.
The final problem I had was that about an hour in, I wonder off track place my crampons (they are the big spikes you put onto your boots for walking in snow) onto a volcanic rock and take my pictures. Then I walk off without my crampons. Twenty minutes down the track I realise and run back, but the problem with these volcanic rocks is they all look the same - because they are all the same. I couldn't find them anywhere and I thought that was it - I would have to turn back. Luckily my guide said conditions were not too bad and she let me carry on. So after all that I could complete the Tongariro Crossing and it was all worth it.
The track starts off flat as you head towards Soda Springs from your starting point at the west of the national park. As you trek on through the Mangatepopo valley, you have the continual view of Mount Ngauruhoe looming over you on your right hand side. Ngauruhoe is the youngest volcano in the park and stands at 2287m. It's estimated to have formed in the last 2500 years and provides a perfect symmetrical single vent volcano. It is perhaps better known as Mount Doom in the 'Lord Of The Ring's' trillogy. It can be climbed in summer but it's snowy peaks are only ttempted by experienced mountaineers in the winter. As you cross the valley you can clearly see the lava flows that cascaded down the slopes of Ngauruhoe when it last erupted in 1975.
At the end of the valley section and just pass Soda Springs you reach the Devils Staircase which takes you up to the saddle between Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro (1967m). It is here that you start the climb, the crampons come out (well I borrowed the guide's pair) for the second half of the climb and you trek upwards along a snow covered track and over volcanic terrain. When you reach the top your at a height of approximately 1650m and are essentially sandwhich'ed between two volcano's. As you reach the top, known as the South Crater, you get a full view of the valley over the other side. From here you can actually see the coasts on both sides of the country. One way your looking over the Tongariro National Park to the east where the Pacific can be seen on the horizon, whilst on the other side, looking west, is the Tasman Sea.
After more photo's we continue upwards to the highest point on the track. First you have to navigate yourself around some pretty narrow ledges at worryingly high positions and then clamber up for about 20 minutes in what is the most exhausting part of the day before reaching the peak. We had lunch up here. It's an area known as the Red Crater, a volcanic remnant from a very old eruption, now a circular hole of red rock units. You would think that the top (1900m) would be pretty cold and I think it normally is, but we were kept warm by the ground on which we sat. The Red Crater point sits above a still very active region and fumeroles vent out hot steam. I could only sit down for about 20 minutes before my rear end started to actually burn.
To get down to the other side of the peak where sits the Emerald Lakes, we used a method no-one on our group was expecting. Our guide walks us laterally across the steep snow-covered slope, then tells us to get on our bums and slide down. Everyone thought she was joking but she wasn't. It was the best part of the walk and we wern't even walking. You fly down the slope and a fast pace, as snow is flung up into your face. You reach the base in record time, if completely soaked. The Emerald Lakes had pretty much frozen over but there were some sulphur-yellow coloured lakes and streams still visible.
As you continue, you end up traversing around the very steep northern slopes of Mount Tongariro, where I was suprised we didn't lose anyone down the slope on the way. As you move around the mountain - the second great view comes into sight. You look north and can see the whole of Lake Taupo in the background. I could see where I have been living and working for the last two weeks, and you realise how large that lake actually is. Eventually you make it down off the slope and zig-zag to Ketetahi Hutt. From here it was a final rest before the last two hours, seeing you continue down the mountain, through tussock plains and then into native forest before reaching the end.
After completing The Tongariro Crossing and feeling chuffed with myself, I head back to Taupo, collapse, sleep and then wake up in agony (around my foot area). I later end up going to hospital to find that I have stretched a ligament in the arch of my foot. But for the incredible views, the challenging walk, the snow slides and the fact that I was surrounded by a number of active volcanoes (one of which was LOTR's Mount Doom) - I would do it all again tomorrow - if I could still walk that is.
