Today was my 7th day in New Zealand. It was another beautiful and exciting day as well. So, I’ll tell you all. I woke up at 8:10, which was fairly late on this trip. I missed the walk to the mud pools that Mike was talking about yesterday, but, I ate breakfast quickly and ran down to get some photos of the mud pool. After getting back, I finished packing and loaded my stuff into the coach. My first stop of the day was Rainbow Springs Wildlife Park. Only Rose and I opted to do that instead of the gondola and luge. She felt at first that the luge would have been better, but I felt different. So, we got our head sets to listen to a little about each part of the park, and we were on our way. It was nice with just the two of us. First we saw the rainbow trout. New Zealand is said to have the world’s biggest trout. We then saw the baby trout, looked at the swans, and then got a picture with a statue of a giant moa. Some people believe there are still moas deep in the forests of the South Island, but they have been officially extinct for over 500 years! We learned about New Zealand’s trees, and saw the emus, and then saw the brown trout, and this very rare blue trout. We then saw a tuatara, which I saw in Auckland at the zoo. After that we sampled some water that is only found in New Zealand. Our final stop was the kiwi enclosure. It was very dark and I could get no good pictures because I couldn’t use a flash. At the gift shop, I picked out an unusual magnet. I thanked Rose for her company and I felt this tour was totally worth it! As we were waiting for our coach, we each got a picture with a giant kiwi statue. When the bus picked us up, it was time to say goodbye to Rotorua. It smells like sulphur, but I highly reckon that anyone go. Many parts of L.A. smell a lot worse! I mean, like garbage and gasoline rather than sulphur. On our way out of the sulphur city, we stopped at one of the largest bubbling mud pools known. I got some nice photos including one of Jemma and me with the mud pools in the background. It’s like a dream seeing features like this. On the way back to the bus, I took a picture of the sign warning of hot thermal mud pools. The next place to visit was Craters of the Moon at Wairakei. There’s also Craters of the Moon National Park in Idaho, so don’t confuse it. On the way, Mike played a song for each of our countries. For example, he played Bruce Springsteen for USA and Lou Bega for Brazil. I told Mike the story about how my Mom used to blast Bruce Springsteen to wake me up in the morning. A little while later, we were at Craters of the Moon. It is so amazing! It’s a large field of mud pools and steam. We had 40 minutes to tour the park and I got some photos of the steam vents with Lake Taupo in the backdrop. I walked and walked and after 40 minutes were up, I got myself an ice cream and some postcards at the gift stand. Our next stop was the Huka Jet. Jade told me to do that. I wrote to Jade the other day asking her to marry me and live forever with me here in New Zealand. I hope someday! Some of the other people were doing the helicopter ride also, but I opted to do just the Huka Jet. Before the ride, the skipper took pictures of us in our life jackets. We were on and the jet boat was rockin’ and rollin’. It was even better than the jet boat rides in Sydney, and I didn’t have salt water splashing all over me. I could see why Jade told me to do the Huka Jet. The skipper did several 360-degree spins and then we rode up to Huka Falls. He also joked with us about a sunken jet boat beneath the falls. We then went down to the other end of the river. At the end of the ride, the skipper did a spin in the hot water released from the geothermal plant nearby. That was really cool. I got a Huka Jet postcard and the photo of all of us in the jet for $15. My next tour up was the Rock n’ Ropes. Our tour leader met us at the Huka Jet place and picked us up. After getting to the Rock n’ Ropes course, we put on our harnesses and helmets. The instructor gave a review of each course. There were eight of them. After a few minutes, we were ready to begin. The first course I did was the log course. I climbed up to the top and I have to say I never felt more scared in my life. With nothing to hold on to, I had to walk across the log and back without baby steps. This was a true test of my bravery and a sort of preparation for bungee jumping in Queenstown. I hope to do that next week. I made it! Without falling! Then I was lowered down. Next, I tried the trapeze. I had to climb to the top of a pole and do a leap of faith and catch the bar. I didn’t catch it though. Next I tried the “playpen.” It was an obstacle course with tires and ladders that required a lot of upper body strength. I climbed up bravely and after about 10 or 12 minutes, I made it up to the top tire. Man, was that a workout or what? After that, I was ready to do the swing. I climbed up to the top, got strapped in, and then I jumped like 80 feet down and swung back and forth for a few minutes and it felt scary but great at the same time. I’m prepared for bungee jumping. I then watched Mary do the swing and she was screaming loudly! We spent a total of about three hours at Rock n’ Ropes and it was fun! Afterward, I got a Red Bull and some French fries, and just looked at the parakeets they have as pets there. We returned our equipment and then we drove into Taupo. We were driving along Lake Taupo to our hotel. What a vibrant lake! It’s about the size of Singapore and is the biggest lake in New Zealand. I was supposed to go parasailing, but I found out that the Rock n’ Ropes and parasailing occurred at the same time, so I couldn’t do it. Mike told me I can do it in Queenstown, so maybe I’ll do it there. I got ready for our dinner cruise. Everyone else was dressing up in pirate stuff, but I didn’t have any pirate gear, so I dressed semi-formally. We drove to the dock, got on the boat, and started cruising out to the middle of Lake Taupo. What gorgeous scenery it was! Also on the way, we saw Maori rock carvings and after cruising for awhile, we moored out in the middle of the lake. In the cabin, I was eating chips and bread while talking with Jacki and some of the other girls. Then, we cast the fishing lines. I was hoping, and, about five minutes later, a trout caught the hook! We reeled it in, and then, a moment later, a second trout caught the line. We had caught two trout, each about 4 pounds each. I got a cool picture with one of our catches. That’ll be a cool picture to put on MySpace. I also got a picture with a pretty girl named Louise, who worked on the boat. She’s from out here. For dinner I had chicken, and a roll. I then watched the cook gut the trout and then it was roasted with pepper, and a short while later, the trout was ready. It was absolutely the best trout I’ve ever had. They sure have some great food here. I’ve never been so adventurous with food or activities before coming here. After eating, we danced. I danced with Rose for awhile and then I joined the circle. There was a drinking contest as well, but I didn’t get involved in that. I then lied down and gazed at the stars and talked with Josh and some of the guys. The stars are much better out here than in Auckland or back home, but I’ve seen them better before. I’ve heard that the Flinders Range in Australia is the best place in the world to see the stars. Altogether, we spent about three hours on the lake before cruising back to the dock. We thanked Louise and the other cook, and I gave Louise a hug good night and she gave me her email. Some of the others were all out drunk, but we walked into Taupo. I tried to find a place open where I could check my email and write to everyone, but there was no place open. So, I hung out at the Holy Cow tavern and played a game of pool with Mary. She’s been bothering me saying I need to relax and she was acting all wild. She was drunk, and many people act all stupid when they drink. That’s why I’m not too fond of it. Oh well! What can I do? I’m sure having a good time sober! I have only three days left here on the North Island. Then, I’ll be seeing fjords and glaciers on the South Island. It’s considered the “Jewel of New Zealand.” After hanging out at the tavern, Mary and I took a taxi back to the hotel. Tomorrow, I’m off to Wellington for a couple of days. I’m looking forward to seeing the “Beehive.” It’s 1 AM and I have a long road trip ahead tomorrow. See you in Wellington!
