Crazy Adventures in NZ

We started heading down to Wellington to catch the ferry to the South Island, and on the way we stopped in Taupo. Kim wanted me to meet someone who she met earlier - the kiwi guy who runs a hostel she stayed at earlier, named Ian. I soon realized why - Ian was a lot of fun, very interesting to talk to and reminded me of Uncle Dave. He also did a fantastic job at running the hostel, resulting in lots of other fun people hanging around the hostel. On the first night we were out on the hostel's rooftop patio and got talking to some other travelers. Just about everyone we talked to had been skydiving in Taupo because it is known as the highest and cheapest place to skydive. Skydiving was on our maybe list of things to do in New Zealand, but after all the great reviews we decided to go for it. The next day we went jumped out of a plane at 15,000 feet. Freefalling for a minute followed by a beautiful glide down. WHAT A RUSH!! It would have cost an additional $200 for footage, so unfortunately for you folks the only footage of this adventure are stored in my own internal memory!

That night Ian decided to have a BBQ. He cooked up a delicious meal and I threw in some fresh, local, corn on the cob. That was a nice treat at this time of year. Later on that night Ian took us to some hot springs. The springs were so hot that we had to go down where the springs met the lake and catch the perfect temperature at the bottom of a mini waterfall flowing into the lake. What a fun & relaxing time that was!

The next day we said our goodbyes and headed South. We just made it to the 6:30pm ferry to the South Island, enjoyed the 3 hour ride, and found a place to stay upon arrival. We started a new trend of one of us staying in a hostel and the other staying in the van. This provides more comfortable sleeping conditions plus the ability to use the fridge, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. in the hostels.

The next day we headed to Abel Tasman National Park. Kim signed up for a 2 day walk along the costal track with 1 night in a cabbin. I had caught a bit of a sickness so I decided to pass on the walk and pick Kim up on the other side. It rained for the next two days so I was happy with my decision, but it sounded like Kim still had a good time.

Yesterday morning Kim & I woke up early and were driving around slowly when I saw an airport. Since we weren't in any rush to be anywhere, we stopped and watched some planes for a little while and then I saw something really cool. They're called microlights and are basically hang-glider wings attached to a chair with an engine on the back (a bit more advanced engineering). "I must do this!" I exclaimed. I had a good talk with the guy who owns the business and was inspired, by both the machine and his drive to start this really cool and unique business (the only company providing this service in New Zealand). Kim saw my mass excitment for this and decided to buy me a ride for my birthday. How sweet of her.

So we took off on a half hour flight over the Abel Tasman National Park. I spent the first part in total awe for how much I enjoyed the flight alone in this microlight, and the excitment skyrocketed when the pilot let me fly. It was so different than flying a plane, much more like a hanglider because I was holding the frame attached to the wings and controlled the aircraft by physically moving the wings with my hands. I was in love with the microlight!!

When the pilot took over control again he encouraged me to pay more attention to the beautiful coastline below us (the main reason people go on the flight). This was spectacular!! (photos/video to come) Overall I say the microlight adventure was actually more enjoyable than skydiving, which was interesting because it is half the price of the skydive I did! I also really enjoyed talking to the owners of the business who seem to do a VERY good job at both enjoying life and being sucessful.

Two amazing adventures and lots of great people along the way - the journey continues!