After seeing some of the wonderful natural sights that New Zealand has to offer, Steve persuaded Beth to sample some of the man-made, thrill seeking rides that New Zealand has become so famous for. First we got on the
Rotorua Skyline gondola to the top of a small mountain which, if it hadn't been for the rain, would have offered magnificent views over the city and Lake Rotorua.
From the top we were expected to get down on what they call 'Luges' which appeared to be plastic sledges with 3 wheels and handlebars. They were actually great fun and we sped down 5k of concrete paths at speeds Beth doesn't even want to think about! On the last race however, the heavens really and truly opened and we ended up getting wet through.
We decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and got on a
jet boat to see the Huka falls. 7 360degree turns, 5 narrow misses with trees and 2 sets of perforated eardrums (from the screaming!) later,
we arrived at the Huka Falls, totally exhilarated. With a drop of 9 metres and with enough water passing through a second to full 2 Olympic sized swimming pools, the falls made quite an impact with the river. It may not have been as spectacular as the collection of 275 falls at Iguassu but the power with which the falls hit the foaming, turquoise river was a sight to behold. We finished the day at the
'Honey Hive', a welcomed tame experience and one that left us with very sweet tastes in our mouths!
In the evening, we drove south, passing Lake Taupo on route which is the by product of a volcano and the largest lake in New Zealand. We settled for the night in the Whakapapa Village Holiday Park (the best name in the world, but Whak is actually pronounced Fak!), set in the Tongairo National Park and on Mount Ruapehu. After carefully noting the evacuation procedures should the volcano decide to erupt again (last one 1997 - get us out of here!), we slept like logs dreaming of our snowboarding adventures in the morning.
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