The journey to Taupo was taken upon the aptly name Thermal Explorer Highway, which everyone had described to us as a very bad windy road. You North Islanders need to toughen up. It was nothing in comparison to some of the routes we took on the South Island.

An hour after our arrival in Taupo, we were dangling above the river, beneath a platform, held on by a bit of elastic. Something I swore I would never do. Sorry Mum, it just kind of happened! Todders described it well. She said she'd never screamed and laughed so much in the space of one minute in her life. The DVD is hilarious. We decided to do a tandem jump, and I'm glad we did, as jumping, stood side by side with our arms around each other made the experience all the more amusing plus it gave us the opportunity to have a little chat on the way back up! It was so much harder than jumping out of a plane, and until you hit the bottom for the first time, is a continual falling sensation, a complete feeling of helplessness. 47m of free fall, and we were on such a buzz afterwards.

After our adrenaline-fuelled adventure, we decided a scenic lookout was up next. Huka Falls, the Waikato River, thunders through a narrow chasm and over a 35ft rock ledge. The force produces 50% of the North Island's required power, and it is pretty cool to see. In the other direction was a fantastic sunset, and in the photos, the trees on the skyline look as though they were on fire.

Then who should we bump into on our quest for food - no, not Sean, no job interviews in Taupo, but hitch hiker #2 Brent! Fantastic news for us, as it's blinking freezing. We can now huddle in a hostel, and Brent decides he is going to cook us dinner - and a fantastic dinner at that. BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, and green beans. Everyone in the hostel was envious, and we were immensely impressed. Good one Brent!

Then we taught Brent and a few unsuspectng girls the dice game, and before we knew it we were marching down the road in search of another bar. We then embarked on hours of very crazy/energetic dancing. Not entirely sure why or how this came about, but it was highly amusing and a good workout. We all had achey muscles the next day.

Having parked opposite Brent's hostel, we fall out of the van and into the hostel kitchen where we cook porridge, and also manage to do a sneaky run to the showers. Then, with Brent in tow, in the pouring rain, we head for a walk around the Craters of the Moon. This was essentially a walkway through belching, sulphurous landscape, past boiling pits and hissing crevices. Because it was wet and cold, the steam was crazy, and consequently the photos are a little rubbish, but nonetheless impressive to see. We got soaked, and practically sprinted the last part. We hope this weather isn't set to continue.