Road trip in North Island - Day 9

31 December 2016

The last day of 2016.

The plan was to spend the New Year Eve in a serene place just like the last few campsites. However Taupo, my next destination doesn't have many campsites and those few are accessible through private. So there was a bit of uncertainty around my stay but I had a full day to figure that out anyway.

The Champagne pool

I started early from Rotorua and visited Wai-O-Tapu, the thermal wonderland on my way. I'd highly recommend this place if you are keen to check out thermal pools and natural geysers up close. Here is all that you need to know about this place, http://www.waiotapu.co.nz/ 

Devil's bath

It was an extremely hot day and quite a bit of walking around this place. The colorful sights definitely keeps you going as long as you don't mind the strong smell of sulphur. In particular, the Champagne pool and the Lady Knox geyser will definitely amaze you. I spent a generous amount of time here before heading to Taupo.

The Lady's knox

I was in Taupo late afternoon having nothing in particular to do. So I thought I might as well get my Sky dive scheduled for tomorrow. I wanted to start the year jumping off the plane. WHAT THE HELL. WHO DOES THAT. Anyway, I went to Tandem Skydive only to realise that they were closed on the 1st of January. But the receptionist asked if wanted to jump now. I was like, NOW??? NOOOO. And in the next one hour I was flying on a 12 seater plane with a big handsome man tucking me to his chest like a like a Wallaby tucks its young ones in its baby pouch. 

My first jump. Heights doesn't scare me. I still wanted to experience it. We were the last one to plunge. I dint see anything below from 15000 ft as there was a blanket of cloud below us and soon we entered the cloud and it was freezing cold and I struggled to breath. After passing through the white cold hazy path, the view cleared up with the Taupo lake right below us surrounded by mountains. Those couple of seconds where I felt like we were just hanging there middle of the sky and there is this MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT unfolding below us, was so precious. I would be there just gliding down slowly and ask for nothing more. 

The big hunk was now bored, he kept talking to me. He was explaining me places that were in our view. While I just wanted to some silence. Now he decided to make it fun, according to him, which was to do a roller-coaster ride and I lost it. I lost it completely. I shouted STOPPPP for GOD'S SAKE. You'll have the apple juice which I had this morning if you don't stop it NOW. 

And from now all I wanted was to get down and kick that apple juice out of my body. I landed grumpy and flimsy, hardly able to carry myself any further. I HATE that feeling. It took me almost an hour to gather myself and drive back to Taupo.

I was so hungry that evening and to my luck there was one and only restaurant open and had just started their dinner services. I hogged a full plate of Thai noodles in less than 10 minutes. After trying my luck with few campsites, I had to check-in at a backpacker lodge for the night. Taupo was high on music while I surrendered to a peaceful slumber.