Taupo

Day 4
We got up for breakfast at 7:30am and had to take our bags to the bus by 8:15am to head to our next location, Taupo. On our way out of town we stopped at a kiwi sanctuary, that rescues kiwi eggs and hatches them and releases them back into the wild once they are strong enough. A kiwi egg in the wild has a very low survival rate because the father protects the egg during the day (mother is nowhere to be found) but at night goes hunting, leaving the egg exposed to predictors. While we were at the sanctuary we saw an eggs that was weeks away from hatching and several baby kiwis. The tour was fairly short and due to the fact that they released into the wild there were only 2 adult kiwis to see (rescues that could not be reintroduced due to their injuries). We continued our drive, choose our roommates (I was with Kacee and Megan) and dropped a group off for the Huka jet boat (I chose not to do this). The rest of the group went to Huka Falls to watch the jet boat and see the crystal blue water flowing. We went back to pick up the group and then headed into the town of Taupo to grab lunch (not included) and have some free time to walk around. Kacee and I walked to the grocery store to grab lunch and sat in the park by the lake to eat. We got to the hotel (Lakeland Resort) around 1:30pm and had to get dressed and ready because the bus was leaving at 1:55pm for skydiving! I of course was on the bus starting to get nervous and was really thirsty because I didn’t want to drink too much beforehand. We arrived and immediately started filling out the waivers and getting weighed. I figured I will probably only do this once in my life so go big or go home, I chose to do the one that was (18,500 feet, which is a 90 second free fall). After filling everything out it was a waiting game, only one plane could go up at a time with 7 people jumping in it. There were 3 planes before mine and let me tell you, the worst part is waiting. You get in your head and start freaking yourself out the longer you have to wait. Finally it was our turn so we got suited up and then met our instructors who took a quick before video of us. Then, more waiting. When the plane arrived we all went in one by one and I asked my guy if we could go in the middle because I didn’t want to be first or last (I think I ended up going 3rd). The plane was shaky and unstruddy which didn’t help the nerves. On our way up my instructor (who is originally from Canada) told me when we were at 2,000 feet and that it won’t look any different at 18,000 feet, I thought he was crazy but this ended up being true. He then attached himself to me and I had to sit on his lap; I probably asked him 3 times to confirm that we were actually connected. At 12,500 feet we dropped off 2 people and I really started freaking out when I saw them literally get sucked out of the plane (you sit on the edge and the instructor pushes you out). After dropping them off we continued making our way up and were given air masks for oxygen. When the door opened and I saw the first person go I stopped freaking out and realized this is happening and I can’t keep panicking. We sat on the edge of the plane, took a picture and before I knew it we were falling. It felt like just seconds before the instructor told me to put my arms by my side. This sounds dumb but I was shocked at how much wind it was coming at your body. I could barely move my arms and felt as though I had no control of my body (which I did not like). When I finally realized what was happening and started to accept and like the free fall, he pulled the parachute (which was a terrifying jualting feeling) and then he started to loosen my harness (and for a split second I thought I would fall out of it but I am so glad he did because it was so uncomfortable). This part was definitely my favorite, floating through the sky being able to actually enjoy the scenery. We were over Lake Taupo and it was a beautiful clear day so you could see all the mountains. It really was picturesque. We practiced for the landing in the air (had to hold under your knees and lift your legs as high as you could. Once things looked a lot closer I felt like we were on the ground in seconds and I couldn’t even feel the landing. It was such an awesome experience and I am so beyond proud of myself for doing it because it is something I have always wanted to do. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the free fall and didn’t get the rush of adrenaline that I thought it would give me but I definitely don’t regret doing it. After getting my video and free shirt we got into the bus and went back to the hotel. For dinner tonight almost everyone signed up for the optional dinner cruise on Lake Taupo which was Hawaiian themed. We got dressed and headed to the boat, our first drink was free and after that it was $5. On the lake we stopped at the giant Mine Bay Maori Rock carving of Ngatoroirangi, which was completed in 1980 and took 4 years to create. Then we continued sailing and went fishing on the back of the boat (the fish we caught the staff cooked and served for dinner). There was a beautiful sunset on the lake we got to watch and when the sun went down, a bunch of people went night swimming. I had probably 4 drinks and then switched to water since I hadn’t drank any all day and didn’t want to be hungover. Others kept going and once dinner was served and cleaned up, disco lights were turned on, the music was turned up and some people were getting wild. We went back to port and walked to another bar in town, I left right after because the bar was dead and I took a cab back with a couple of people.Read more