Adventures From Down Under

So, I probably should have mentioned I am back dating my posts. Therefore, I suggest you go back to "New Zealand Today!" and read from there up. After my New Zealand posts, there is about another week or so worth of posts so get ready! 

So you all are probably wondering why I stopped posting about my trip. Well, the longer I traveled, the farther the internet went. I didn't have internet for the last three and a half weeks of my trip! I was totally cool with it except for the fact that I was unable to post my nightly notes. You're all in luck though because I am home now (yes, I know I didn't tell any of you) and I can post them all! So that we all don't get overwhelmed, I am going to post New Zealand first which is where I lost internet completely. After a day or so, I will post the rest of my trip. 

Also, I initially had a different vision for this blog. I wanted to include photos and possibly some short video clips but internet and iPad troubles prevented me to do so. Therefore, once all of my pictures are uploaded I am going to cheat and edit my previous posts to include these fun little extras. This way when I look back on this blog ten years from now, I will have pictures to help aid my hopefully not so fuzzy memories. I will let you know when they have been updated!

So now, you are probably all thinking "what could she have possibly done?" we'll my friends, you are about to find out. 

I arrived at the office for my next activity right on time and began the paperwork. As the clock ticked, I felt more and more nervous. I was weighed, given a wristband, had snowman drawn on my hand and then brought to the bus. It was a quick ride to the location but we still had about a five minute walk to where the main event would happen. Once I got there, my body was in overdrive. "What the hell am I doing?" was all I could think. I had gotten this far so I proceeded regardless of my thoughts. We walked along a boardwalk to our final stop where a group of three guys met us. Honestly, I have forgotten their names which I do feel bad about but I could barely stand at this point. They fitted us each with a full body harness and made us decide who would like to participate first. It certainly wasn't going to be me, that's for sure! The three guys were eager to go first to my relief but now it was the three girls left. Luckily, Jackie volunteered to go but I had this uneasy feeling I was next. And I was right. 

            I stepped up to the rope and was attached to the railing. They let me out of the holding area and nearly had to push me to get me to start walking down the path. With each step, my heart raced just a touch faster and was at a sprint by the time I arrived at my destination. (This "walk" was only about 20 steps but to me it felt like a mile.) Two of the guys were waiting for me with open arms and already working their magic to mess with me. They got on either side of me and began making fun of the feathers in my hair. They asked me if I knew someone put shoelaces in my hair and if I was an Indian. It was probably a lot funnier than that but that is all I can remember. 

            Next thing I know, my feet are at the edge of the platform. "Take a look" I hear in my right ear. I do. This was an absolute mistake. Now, I am shaking because all I can picture in my head are the sharp rocks and rushing water 352 feet below me. "Step to go the edge of the platform" I hear from my left. "I am at the edge!" I instantly bark back. This goes back and forth for about 2 minutes before I finally move my feet from the edge to over the edge of the platform. This still doesn't satisfy these guys so they begin to nudge me. "Don't push me" I immediately snap. Laughing, "We aren't going to push you, don't worry. Now, smile for the camera." I could barely smile as I leaned over the edge for my portrait of the agonizing moment. The teasing continued for a few minutes before I decided I was going to run and jump off. "Whatever you want to do" they said as they backed away. I took four steps back and thought about it for a minute. "No, no, I can't" as I shook my head and walked back to the edge. Apparently, I didn't walk far enough because I felt another nudge, signaling me to put my feet over the edge. 

            The guys were murmuring in my ears about god knows what when I closed my eyes and tuned them out. I took a deep breath and said to myself, "BriAnne, just jump, you can do it. Count to three and then it will be over." I took another gulp of air. "1...2..." and next thing I know, I was soaring through the air. The wind was rushing by my face and my body felt weightless. I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by the beautiful cliffs and the water beneath my feet. It was calming and peaceful as swung in the canyon. Once I settled, they cranked me back to the top of the platform. They asked me how awesome it was and surprisingly, words fell out of my mouth even though I felt speechless. Apparently, I did a back flip when I jumped off the cliff which is awesome! I walked back to the waiting area and sat there with the thought, "I just jumped off a cliff!" If you haven’t figured it out, I jumped off of a cliff into a canyon swing.

            The rest of that afternoon was a blur because I was overwhelmed with how proud I felt. When I first saw the video for the canyon swing I said, "Oh he'll no, you can't even pay me to do that!" Then, I thought about it and decided I wanted to push myself FAR beyond my comfort zone. For some, this may be child's play but to me this was a HUGE deal. If you told me last year that I was going to willingly jump off a cliff 352 feet above the ground, I would have laughed in your face. This was, by far, one of the craziest and greatest things I have accomplished in my life. I know it sounds silly but it is. I am just so proud; I want to yell it from the rooftops (or a cliff)! 

            For those of you know who do not know about the canyon swing, you can check it out at http://www.canyonswing.co.nz/ . In a nutshell, it is 109 m (352 ft) high, you free fall for 60 m (197 ft) before swinging in a 200 m (656 ft) arc. After you jump, you free fall at a speed of 150 kph (93 mph)! There are about 75 ways to jump but it was hard enough for me to handle the basic forwards jump. There is a video for each of their most popular jumps if you are interested in the different types. I have a video of my jump but all the cameras weren't working so it is only raw footage of the actual jump from a bird's eye view. Even though it isn't my complete jump, the video is still very entertaining. I will definitely find a way to post it on Facebook for all to see! 

            That evening, we participated in a bar crawl to celebrate our last night in New Zealand. Before the bar crawl, we went to Cowboys which is obviously a cowboy bar. There was a mechanical bull and to ride a mechanical bull is on my life to do list. Of course, I had to try it out! I kicked my flip flops off and ran into the ring. All my Contiki friends were surrounding the ring while cheering and chanting my name. The bull was much taller than me so I struggled to get on it (which has been fear of mechanical bulls). With confidence from my cheering fans, I jumped as high as I could, threw one leg onto the bull and wiggled and jiggled until I was all the way on. I was the first one to try my luck and I was HORRIBLE! I held on tight with my right hand and my left flying in the air. The bull made an up and down motion and with the first jerk to left, half my body was dangling off the right side. It only took a turn to the right to send me flying to the floor. I think I would be exaggerating if I said I stayed on the bull for 5 seconds that is how bad I was. Even though I was horrific, I had a great time doing it and felt even prouder because I accomplished something else I've wanted to do. 

            We headed over to the first bar, Altitude, to start the pub crawl. We spent about an hour there before stopping at Tardis, the Buffalo Club, World Bar, Chicos and ending at Winnie's. 

After an adrenaline filled day, it is time for bed! 

So today I pushed the furthest I have ever pushed myself before! I pushed myself so much that it will require two posts! 

I began my day at a normal Contiki hour of 7 am with yogurt and corn flakes for breakfast. The restaurant has a great view of the lake and the Remarkable Mountains but today the view was extraordinary. After breakfast, we were picked up and brought to the white water rafting office. We registered and off we went to the base. At the base, we were fitted for a wetsuit and changed downstairs in the locker room. Once we were all set, we went back upstairs to get our helmet and lifejacket before jumping back on the bus. We were all packed in and set out for the Shotover River. The ride to the river was heart pumping yet beautiful because we took the 15th most dangerous road in the world to get there. I will admit, at times I was a little nervous because there was no buffer between the road's edge and the steep mountain below. However, I was very confident and had very high hopes that I would arrive at the river scratch free (and I did). Once off the bus, we put our equipment on, grabbed our paddle and began our safety lesson. The safety lesson was quite easy to follow thankfully and we were divided into teams. 

Our team consisted of all Contiki members which was awesome! We met our guide, Rob, listened to what he had to say and then jumped in the boat. I somehow ended up in the front, eek! We were off down the cool, but beautiful river. Honestly, the ride is mostly a blur with some moments sharpened. I do remember soaking in all the sights and facts when the water was relatively calm. I also remember our first set of rapids and boy was that interesting. As we were coming around the bend to the first set of rapids, I got very, very nervous because I didn't know what to expect. The rapids were approaching us fast so all I could think was "you will NOT fall out of the boat, you will NOT fall out of the boat..." We were paddling faster and faster and I could hear Rob yell "Hold Position". I IMMEDIATELY jumped down into the center of the boat with the paddle at an angle to my left, gripping the handle with my right hand and my head tucked down. All of a sudden I feel the splash of 2 degree water on my face, the boat moving every direction and our tour guide yelling "oh shit". I whip my head up to find water rushing into our boat on the left side and my body rising in the air as the boat was jumping into a vertical position. Now, all I could think was "oh shit, we are flipping over into the freezing cold, raging water". All of sudden, we were level again with water to our knees and spinning in circles. Next thing I know, we are wedged between a rock and a hard place, aka the mountain. All we could do was laugh at this point. When we were finally able to control ourselves, we all shifted to the left. We ended up wiggling ourselves free, literally, and then we were racing down the river again. 

It is all a blur again until the last couple minutes of the trip. For the last leg, we entered a man made tunnel. This tunnel was made to defer some of the raging water and make it easier to hunt for gold. The tunnel was bitch black and echoed when we talked. It was nice and calm until our surprise at the end, a grade 5 rapid. A little scared, I got right into the special hold position and kept my head glued to the right (this was to prevent any broken noses). I held my breath and braced the boat as we went in all directions at once. Then, it was over. 

We paddled a couple hundred feet before grounding the boat on the shore. We walked back to the base along the rocky and painful riverside. We got changed, had a quick bite to eat and were bussed back into town. I met up with Lauren, Katie and a couple of our other friends to chat about our mornings. It was 1:10 pm and time to push myself the farthest I have ever gone before...

So today was my day trip to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. 

I woke up extremely early for my 6:45 am pick up to take a day trip to Milford Sound. I am not sure if many of you know this but I fall asleep VERY easily in the car and I always had to fight the urge to fall asleep on the bus. Well, today was no different. The ride to Milford Sound was suppose to be gorgeous so every time I fell asleep, I had Martin nudge me to wake me up. It only took about twenty minutes before he nudged me for the first time. After about an hour of nudging, I just gave in and took a nap. We arrived at our first stop, the tour office, about two and a half hours into the journey for some breakfast. 

I felt recharged after breakfast so I thought I'd be able not to stay awake but how wrong I was. I almost instantly fell asleep this time and I don't even think Martin tried to wake me up. Finally he did and I opened my eyes to one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen. In front of me sat mountains so high that you couldn't even see their snowy tops without getting off the coach bus. They surrounded us with clouds rolling in about three quarters up from the bottom of the mountain. We made a pit stop along this mountain range to take some pictures and drink from the flowing valley below. We jumped back on the bus and traveled through a tunnel that lead us deep in to what felt like the Grand Canyon (not that I have ever been there before). We drove down the winding road which lead us to the wharf for the Milford Sound. 

We boarded our boat and Martin and I went straight up to the top deck. I remember Martin taking one of his first pictures of the mountains and sound in front of us and saying "this looks like a computer desktop". That is how unreal and beautiful the world that surrounded me made me feel. After our mini photo shoot, we began to get wet but were very confused as to why. The sunshine was shining brightly above us and there were no clouds in sight. The boat charged forwarded to reveal a large, spurting waterfall which was clearly the culprit. The waterfall was magnificent and I couldn't keep my eyes off it. We followed a gap in between two massive mountains that lead us to another world. The journey along the sound consisted of more mountains, waterfalls and playful creatures. Our first stop was a glistening waterfall just outside of a tiny cove. As we sailed closer to the waterfall, I noticed two rainbows forming at the mouth of the falling water and couldn't believe my eyes. The captain warned the passengers standing outside of the boat that they may get wet but we really didn't take him too seriously. How wrong we were. The boat was maneuvered in such a fashion that the waterfall actually fell gracefully on to the front of the boat and lightly coated us with its fresh water. After that, we decided to take more preparation the next time we saw a waterfall in sight. We continued along gazing at the mountains until we arrived at the mouth of the sound and sea. 

We watched some boats float by before turning around and beginning our journey back to port. It wasn't too long after we started cruising back that we saw dolphins swimming alongside the boat. We traveled with the dolphins for about ten minutes before veering off to visit a tiny seal colony at the mouth of a cove. The seals looked so peaceful sunbathing on the shiny rocks; all I could do was wish I were them for a day. After watching them for a couple of minutes, we journeyed closer to the mountains to have another encounter with a waterfall. Apparently, there is an urban legend associated with this waterfall. The Maori people believed that this waterfall had the power to make them look ten years younger. They would let the magically water of the fall completely splash their bodies for at least three minutes. For the remainder of the day, they would concentrate hard on the myth and would recite it before bed. The next morning they should awake feeling refreshed and looking ten years younger. The boat brought us even closer to this waterfall to give us the opportunity to test out this theory. The water pounded the front of the boat, drenching anyone in its path. We kept our distance this time so we were only lightly refreshed by the beautiful water. From here, it was smooth sailing back to the wharf. 

  It was about 2 pm when we settled back on the bus for our five hour journey back home. I fought the urge to fall back asleep so I could view the massive mountain range one last time. I finally got to a point where I couldn't fight it anymore and fell asleep. I believe I awoke about three hours later to the Remarkable Mountain Range and lake to my left. The sun was peeking through the rolling clouds making a sight I couldn't resist. These mountains were truly remarkable. I enjoyed this view the rest of the way home. 

After our very long day came 5 Below, the ice bar! We arrived a bit early so we got a drink at the Fraser's across the street. At about 10 pm, we walked into a white lobby full of UGG boots, mittens and long, puffy coats. We were given directions and rules about the ice bar and each one of the items I mentioned above. We met in a tiny, chilling room before entering the ice bar together. The ice bar was not what I was expecting because the ENTIRE bar was made of ice. The walls, floor, chairs, tables, bar, glasses and sculptures were ALL made of ice. It was incredible. I will admit though, the room was super tiny but still a blast to hang out in. Surprisingly, I wasn't cold at all despite it being -11 degrees Celsius. However, we were only able to mingle for about an hour or so before our time was up. The ice bar was probably one of the coolest things (no pun intended) I've been able to do on this trip. 

Now, it is time for bed because I have had a very long, but exciting day! 

So today was one of the most amazing days I have had thus far in my trip! 

We woke up bright and early as usual to arrive at the glacier tour office by 7:30 am. When we arrived, we were anxiously awaiting to find out if the helicopter ride was going to be a go or not. Luckily, the weather was holding out long enough for us to take the helicopter to the middle of the glacier. I literally SCREAMED when I found we were still going to be able to do the helihike. I was sooo excited!

We were given mittens, socks, boots, hats and jackets for the hike around the glacier. After getting dressed, we took a very old bus over to the helipad. We divided up into groups, learned helicopter safety and loaded into the helicopters. The helicopter ride was UNBELIEVABLE! We began our journey over the river, circled the mountains, flew by a couple of waterfalls and landed right on the glacier. We hopped out of the helicopter and patiently waited for the other two helicopters loaded with our fellow hikers. We were given a walking stick and spikes for the bottom of our boots. 

And the hike began! I struggled a bit hiking along the ice because it was bumpy and required long legs (which I don't have) to get across the gaps. The view of the glacier, valley and mountains outweighed my struggles though. We traveled for about fifteen minutes before discovering the first amazing feature of the glacier. We each took a picture in the blue ice arch before heading on to the enormous chasm. It was difficult to climb into the chasm but once I was in, all I could think was "WOW". The walls of the chasm were about a foot higher than me and became a deeper blue the father we hiked inside. After climbing out, we found a mini cave to explore. Our tour guide dug out steps to the perfect, round cave opening that was a gorgeous baby blue. I was the last one to take a peek so I was warned that someone should go in before me to help me out of it. My friend Martin climbed in and waited for me inside what I eventually called "The Blue Room". I took the steps up the opening, slipped and maneuvered myself to take a quick picture before entering. I crawled down the tunnel and almost slide down into The Blue Room head first. Thankfully I caught myself and carefully dropped down. The Blue Room was this deep blue room that I could stand up in (most people couldn't) and had another small tunnel at our feet. The small tunnel had running water rushing by the opening which was very interesting. The walls of The Blue Room were made of slippery ice which made it very difficult to climb out. The opening was about the level of my belly button and had no where to plant my feet to lift myself up. Therefore, Martin had to push me up from the back and Andrew had to pull me out by arms at the same time. Finally, I was out in the sunshine again! We climbed through another ice arch and to the top of an ice mountain before heading over to the waterfall. The trip to the waterfall was a lot easier than the first half of the hike so that was nice. The waterfall was MAGNIFICENT. I couldn't believe that there was a waterfall with a river on this glacier. I was given the opportunity to drink the glacial water and it was the best water I have ever had, hands down. Unfortunately, it was time to head back down the glacier. I was soooooo excited for the helicopter ride back down the mountain because I got to sit in the front seat this time! Once we got back down, we rode back to the office and took all of our equipment off. It was time to hit the road for Queenstown! 

Once we got to Queenstown, we had a short time to get ready before taking our group shot. We took about five pictures, two serious and three funny, by the lake and mountains. We jumped on the bus and went over to the gondola (not the Italian kind). At the top, we enjoyed a six course buffet overlooking the mountains, lake and city. The buffet was delicious of course. I enjoyed pumpkin-vegetable soup, shrimp, green lipped mussels, pasta salad, spinach tortellini, mashed potatoes, corn, ham, lamb, rice, dumplings, bread pudding, mini cakes and tiramisu. After dinner, it was off to the hotel! 

I have a very early morning tomorrow for my trip to Milford Sound. 

So today was another easy going day. 

We began the day with a quick tour of Christchurch. I am not sure if many of you know but Christchurch has been hit with a couple of major, major earthquakes over the last year. It was really heartbreaking to see the city in complete disarray. There are buildings completely gutted, blocks full of ruble and areas of the city completely blocked for the public's safety. On the bright side, the government has the opportunity to completely remodel the city and make it a "green" city. After the tour, it was another day on the bus. The scenery was even more breath taking than the day before so the ride went quickly. 

Once we arrived in Franz Joseph, we threw our stuff in our room and went straight to the hot pools. The hot pools were around the block from the hotel and were filled with water from the glacier. The pools were nice and relaxing but we were only able to stay in them for about an hour or so. We went back to the hotel, did our laundry and then went to dinner at the hotel bar. After dinner, we had a few drinks at the bar and headed back for a good night's sleep.  

I am hoping I can sleep tonight because tomorrow is my hike up the Fox Glacier!  

So today we traveled to the south island! 

We woke up super early to catch the 8 am "ferry" over to the south island. The "ferry" was nothing like what I expected because it was basically a cruise ship! The ferry had ten floors, two movie theaters, two cafes, two dinning halls, shops, a play area for kids and passenger rooms. The ferry ride was about three and half hours and had beautiful views for the first and last forty-five minutes of the ride. After the ride, we drove through the jaw dropping country side for about five hours. Once we arrive in Christchurch, we ordered some pizza and just spent the night chit-chatting. 

Today was an easy going day but I enjoyed it anyway! 

So today was a semi-free day in Wellington. 

Lauren, Katie and I took advantage of our semi-free day and slept in until about 10:30 am. We showered, got dressed and searched the city for a place to enjoy lunch. We settled for Subway since it was cheap and quick. After lunch, we met with our tour manager, Saul, to have a walking tour of Wellington. 

First, we took a walk over to the Cable Car. The Cable Car is, well, a cable car that takes passengers up a mountain to the university and the botanical gardens. We hopped off at the botanical gardens and walked around. The gardens were nice but they aren't like the ones we have in the United States. The view from the top of the mountain was phenomenal so we made a pit stop to take some pictures before riding the Cable Car back down. 

Next, we walked over to the Te Papa Museum on the other side of the city. The stroll over to the museum was beautiful. We walked the boardwalk along the glistening lake with all the locals running, biking and hanging around. The museum was HUGE and full of all different exhibits. We checked out the animal exhibit full of all sorts of skeletons and interactive sections first. The top floor was different areas teaching visitors about the different tribes of New Zealand. 

After we were done walking around, we went back to the boardwalk and visited the markets. I zig-zagged up and down the aisles browsing the booths full of interesting New Zealand artifacts. I bought some neat little gifts and then enjoyed some time sitting on the water side. Wellington was chilly and it is only going to get colder so Lauren, Katie and I decided to do some shopping before heading back to the hotel. We shopped around some stores before spotting the perfect "jumper" (aka sweater) and each got one in different colors. 

For dinner, we went to aba-kebob for what we call gyros in the US. They were absolutely delicious! We headed over to The Balcony for after dinner drinks with the rest of the Contiki group. We only stayed about an hour before heading back to the hotel for the evening. 

Even though we got to sleep in today, we are still beat so we are all heading to bed!

So today was our first day in Wellington, New Zealand's capital. 

It took a bit of time to finally arrive in the big city of Wellington. Our first item on the Wellington To-Do list was to take a ride to the top of Mount Victoria. The views of the entire city were spectacular from the top of the mountain. I could have stayed there, watching the bustling city below for hours but we only had time for a couple of pictures before we were off again. We did a mini tour of the city from the bus before making our way to our hotel for the next two nights. After we checked in, we only had about an hour or so before dinner at Blend Bar. 

Blend Bar was a small, hip bar in the heart of the city. We had our own area reserved for us to enjoy our dinner and chill out in. For a starter, we had three different types of toasted bread with oil and balsamic vinegar, humus, pesto and a sweet chili sauce. We had a wide selection of choices for dinner and I decided to have the Asparagus and Penne in a White Wine Sauce. Along with dinner, we received a free drink so I enjoyed a tequila sunrise with my tasty meal. For desert, we had mini brownies, strawberries and marshmallows with a chocolate dipping sauce.  

Now it was time for the fun to begin! The owner let us run the playlist for the evening so only the best the songs came blowing out of the speakers. We danced, played pool and made all the Contiki guys dance on the bar! Us girls had them dancing to "Sexy and I Know It" and "Man, I Feel Like A Woman"! We were all dying watching them try and dance up there. Afterwards, they made the girls go up there! We danced to "Lady Marmalade" and did a much better job than the guys! Contiki pretty much took over the bar for the rest of the evening after our little presentations. At some point in the evening, fist pumping was brought into the conversation. Of course, I was asked to demonstrate the correct way to fist pump (or fish pump as some Danish may call it) because I am from a jersey shore area. Everyone LOVED it and asked me to do it during every song after that. Fist pumping turned into the go-to move of the night thanks to me. 

Lauren, Martin and I decided to walk back to the hotel around 1 am even though we were having a great time "party rocking". The hotel was a short, five minute walk from the bar but we managed to get lost. We roamed the crowded streets for about ten minutes before we finally gave in and asked someone. Apparently, we went the complete opposite way of the hotel and ended up on the other side of the city. Our short, five minute walked turned into a half our adventure of Wellington.

I am about to crash from this epic first evening in Wellington but I will write again soon! 

So my day in Taupo was rather simple and my night crazy! 

We began the day bright and early with a trip to Craters of the Moon on our way to Taupo. Craters of the Moon is a park filled with steaming craters and mud. Similar to the thermal village, the earth here is scolding hot, making steam rise above and into the air. There were wooden paths that took us around the park because any step on the ground could break open a new crater and burn whoever was lucky enough to make it. As we traveled along the path, the craters and amount of steam grew in size. Some craters were only about a foot deep while others were easily fifty feet deep and filled with steaming earth and mud. All of this valuable steam doesn't go to waste either. There is a plant in town that is able to harness the energy the steam produces and uses it to power the area which is pretty awesome. 

After our stroll through the park, we spent time in the town of Taupo. Taupo was a cute, little town situated on a lake with plenty of shopping and good eats. I walked around and shopped for about two hours and then I enjoyed some sushi for lunch. I must say, the sushi on this side of the world is delicious (I am assuming because it is closer to Asia). After lunch, I met up with my friends on the tour and we walked along the shore of the lake. We came across an interesting engraved arch and had a mini photo shoot. It was perfect weather for a day in town but it was time to head back and get ready for the evening. 

For the evening, we had a dinner cruise around the lake and it is Contiki tradition to have a theme. Today is Australia Day so our theme was Australia! Luckily, I happened to buy an Australia sweatshirt my last day in Melbourne so I was set. I knew people were getting creative so I purchased face paint and a green tinsel wig while in town to add a little something to my costume. I looked absolutely ridiculous but I fit in perfectly with the rest of the crew. We got on the boat and had a few drinks before dinner. For dinner, we had barbecue chicken, salad, potato salad, pasta salad and bread. After dinner, people were dancing and drinking some more as well as fishing. We were fishing for some type of tuna I believe. One of the crew members caught one and cut it up right there on the boat for an after dinner snack. I tried a piece of the raw fish and wasn't too crazy about it. Even though I didn't like it, I am proud that tried something outside of my comfort zone. 

Even though the cruise had to end, the party didn't! We headed over to the bar in town for some more dancing. We were about the only ones in there but that didn't stop us from hitting up the dance floor. As the night progressed, the bar filled and it was extremely difficult to walk around and dance so we headed back to our temporary home around 1:30 am. 

I had a blast on the dinner cruise because I finally got to know everyone I was traveling. Tomorrow is another big day so it is time for bed. 

So my day was FULL of fun activities! 

We enjoyed breakfast at 6:30 am and then shipped off to Rotoura. When we arrived in Rotoura, we went directly to the sheep show. We entered a huge hall full of sheep and people. Before the show, we were able to pet and take pictures with the sheep. The show began with an introduction of each type of sheep, where they live in the world and what they are best known for. I believe there were about thirty different sheep on the stage. A new sheep was brought onto the stage to be shed. The groomer and sheep were raised on a platform so it was easy to view the almost identical process I already witnessed. After the shedding was done, a cow was walked onto the stage to learn about milking. Volunteers were asked to come and try milking the cow. I shot my hand up but everyone around me was picked, I was very disappointed to say the least. After the milking, they asked for more volunteers. This time I literally jumped out of my seat and was picked! I curiously ran up to the stage. I was handed a tiny bottle of milk when I got up there and was told I was in a milk drinking contest. I absolutely HATE milk so I just looked at the guy. He was just kidding thankfully and I got to feed a baby lamb!!!! Boy, that lamb could drink! He actually yanked the bottle from me because I wasn’t going fast enough! All the little lambs were adorable, I wanted to take one home! 

It was Zorb time after the show! A Zorb is an ENORMOUS inflated ball that one to three people crawl inside of. You can either be strapped in to the Zorb or you can be free in there along with some water (this type is called a Zydro). Once you’re inside, you are rolled down a hill! I choose to do the Zydro and the zig zag course by myself. I was driven to the top of the hill and waited a bit with everyone else. As I got closer to the front, I began to freak out but I am unsure why. I was finally next but I couldn’t stop fidgeting. The attendant filled my Zorb up and said “now dive in”. I took a few steps back, ran and dove in very gracefully apparently. The water was cool as it skimmed my skin and I could hear the echo of my voice. I started doing a dance with my feet in the water while I anxiously awaited my push. The attendant zipped the opening closed with a big grin. The gate opened and down I went! When I hit the first turn, I slide at least halfway up the side of the Zorb from the impact. I sloshed back down and around until the next turn when all hell broke lose. I must have hit the turn at maximum speed because I just remember going flying into the air. After that, I was flipping, turning and dancing around the ball as I gained more and more momentum. At one point, I had to close my eyes because I was getting dizzy and had no idea what direction was up. Once I hit the fence at the bottom, they rolled me to the “removal area”. The opening was positioned close to the ground so when they unzipped it, I just plopped out. Despite the minute case of dizziness, the Zorb was AWESOME! I can’t wait to do it again! 

Now it was time to head over to the gondola and no, it is actually not the gondola you are thinking of. It was basically an enclosed ski lift that brought groups of four up to the top of a mountain. At the top, there were gift shops, restaurants, a luge track and amazing views of course! We sprinted right for the luge track after we literally hopped off the gondola. We grabbed our helmets and stood in line with the first time riders. When we were up, we listened to a quick talk about how to operate the luge and then we were off. It was every man for himself and well, I learned that lesson very quickly. I barely arrived at the second turn before one of my fellow Contikis bumped my car and then it was downhill from there. The view was like no other from the luge track so I often found myself forgetting to watch the road and quickly needing to jerk my luge in the other direction. Luckily, everyone waited for the slow pokes like me before heading back up the actual ski lift for lunch. I enjoyed vegetable soup for lunch while watching the mountains and water around me. After lunch, it was time for round two on the luge track. Somehow Martin and I got separated from the rest of the group so we decided to try the track on the other side. This was the intermediate track but I was ready for the challenge. Martin gave me a head start down the track but quickly caught up to me. He stuck by my side for bit continuously bumping me before showing off his luge skills. I did catch up to him at the end of the track after hitting major air on one of the drops. I finally got to bump him last minute which was a victory to me! The ride down the gondola was even better than the ride up for some unknown reason. 

After the gondola was a tour of the local thermal village. To enter the village, you must cross a bridge over a river filled with children. These children were descendants of the original penny divers. As we crossed, they yelled “gold coins, gold coins” signifying that they wanted us to throw $1 and $2 coins into the river. After throwing some coins, we migrated to the village kitchen. It was located in the center of the village and consisted of two giant hot springs and wooden steam boxes. The hot springs were crystal blue in color, making one desire a jump in. However if one did jump in, they would boil to death! The villagers use the hot springs to cook vegetables. The wooden boxes are placed over significant hot spots in the ground allowing meats, stews and everything else to cook by the steam. We traveled over to where they bath next. There were cut outs in the ground where warm water was running into four different basins. The hot spring water is naturally cooled as it runs through these cut outs and is the perfect bath temperature when it enters the basins. There was a tiny changing room next to the basins where the villagers can dress and undress. After the bathing area, we got our first glimpse of the geysers. We checked out the meeting house of the village where they hold weddings, concerts, meetings, funerals and whatever else you can think of. The church and cemetery were next. Surprisingly, there are no bodies buried in the cemetery because rival tribes would steal the bones of the dead and use them as weapons. We headed over to the stage of the village and learned how they make their tribal skirts. They use reed and strip the leaf using a sharpened pahu shell. They braid what is left of the leaf and hang them up to dry. Our last stop was a closer look at the geysers and a hot spring pool cool enough to touch. It was a wonderful tour of the village even though it was extremely hot.

Dinner was very special this evening. Our dinner was cooked by the Maori people using the hot springs and steam boxes I saw early. The Maori people traditionally call their dinner a hungai when it is cooked in this fashion and follow it with a concert filled with song, dance and fear. The leader of the local Maori tribe began our dinner with a call and blessing of the food. The first course consisted of shrimp, green lipped mussels, salad, noodles and fresh vegetables. Following the starters was lamb, chicken, kumara (type of potato), sweet potatoes, corn on the cob and pumpkin. The dessert included two different bread puddings, vanilla custard, fresh fruit salad and banana bread.  It was all fresh and scrumptious! After everyone finished their meals, it was time for the welcoming ceremony. A few select men and women of the local tribe danced onto the stage in traditional Maori wear. The women had headbands with feathers in their hair with an intricate top and straw skirt on their bodies and large pieces of jade around their necks. The men were shirtless with similar straw skirts to the women. They danced, sang, yelled and called around the stage while the guitar played to keep the beat. After a couple of songs, the men performed their preparation for battle. This dark song and dance was used to mentally prepare themselves while scaring their enemies before battle. The head of the tribe asked for volunteers to go learn a traditional dance and of course I immediately raised my hand. I hopped up on stage to learn how to use the ball and rope (honestly I cannot remember the proper name) quite frequently used in their dances. We learned four basic moves and the words that go along with each. The moves looked very simple but were actually somewhat challenging. After practicing a few times, we added some music and thats when the real fun began. I had a blast up there even though I made some minor mistakes in front of everyone. Next, the men learned how to invoke fear in their enemies and then it was time for closing ceremonies. I was fascinated to see their traditional dances and learn about their culture that I honestly never knew existed. 

After dinner, a group of us decided to hop back in our “swimmers” and walk over to the spa. There was varying temperature mineral water baths at the spa starting at 38 degrees all the way up to 41 degrees centigrade. The baths were more like pools but they felt fantastic! The mineral water has almost an oily feeling to it so my skin and hair felt soft and nourished afterwards. We spent about an hour and a half soaking in the pools and I felt more relaxed than ever. It was the perfect way to end a long but eventful day.