Whoop whoop we are finally leaving Rotorua today, looks like we have got use to the travelling slow and easy way!

Excited about our day we set off nice and early on our Magic bus. After doing 4 days of free walking activities we are ready to splash out on a wicked tour. (little did we know that actually on this day we would be spending a whole weeks budget in a day!!)

We are taking a little detour to the Waitomo caves before heading on to Taupo. Along the route we stop and taking some pictures of the pictusque New Zealand landscape while our tour guide Scottie books our adventure tour.... Tubing through the dark water ways on big black tyres!

We arrive at our destination, after filling in paperwork we are taking down to be fitted out in our sexy wetsuit outfits. I was a little concerned we had not only a full body wetsuit but a wetsuit jacket and gum boots (true English translation wellingtons!). After a few posing pictures we jumped into the van as was taking to the entrance to the caves, we had a little walk over green field and I must say that NZ has got some beautiful scenary I understand why thy are such happy people! 

At the entrance to the caves we all sat in a circle and did some short introductions, however I had no intension or chance of remembering the 20 so peoples names! We were made to turn off our head lights and realsied just how dark the caves were! We were told some facts about our cave and some history to the area none of which I really remember. Then it was time to be off! We walked through the narrow low passage ways and in some ways it reminded me of the mines in Bolivia, although I wasn't carrying a big rubber tube then! Suddenly the leader told us to stop, turn off our head lights and marvel at the main reason we had chosen this trip.... Above our heads dotted all over the roof of the cave were tiny little blue lights these were the famous Glow worms!

These little fellas were funny creatures, they grow to about 2-3 inches and their bums glow up due to a natural chemical reaction called bioluminos! They use this light to attract the silly Mosquitos into their 20 or so dangling tenticle trap which have a stick substance, getting stuck they are then digested for food! Although these animals are beautiful they do have a stupid design flaw after 30 days they evolve into flies that have no mouths so they die from starvation! Their only hope of survival in this world is if they mate before they die so they can lay more eggs to become Glow worms!

Our leader told us to "ooooh & arrrrh" the vibrations of our voices made them glow brighter! We carried on through the cave stopping to stare at the twinkling bums and been shown differnt cave formations that the Maori had named, but if you ask me they must of been on something as I couldn't see the shapes at all! Then we passed some bones that were from farm animals that had fell into the caves through holes that were on the surface. 

Most of the journey so far had been try, but we soon came to a section were we had to start to enter the freezing cold water. We trekked deeper and deeper until the water had filled my boots and was chilling my belly button. The leader then lined us up one behind the other, one had on the shoulder of the person infront and one resting on the wall! We were now in a chain in a narrow passage with water up to our stomachs, we were told to turn our lights off and were pludged into darkness with no chance of adjustig your eyesight. Then we stared to move forward you could see nothing, edging forward with only the wall for guidence which we had been warned had spiders crawling around (PERFECT) and trust in your new buddy ahead! However even with the water creeping higher and higher and a fear of the unknown the magic of the glow worms above looking like a clear stary night was breath taking! We were lucky we were tall as the water got closer to our heads the short lady behind me had latched onto both my shoulders!

You could hear the flow of a waterfall ahead and I was grateful Hana was infront! But we stopped to turn our lights on and were shown how to jump down to the next water way with a tube wedge on you bum and backwards you fell keeping eyes and mouth shut!

You were now complete soaked in the cold fresh clean water! A little more walking before we were lined up again, this time sat in our tubes with legs interlinked with the person infront! Again lights off and we passed through water invested with eels, my pay back to Hana who doesn't like snake like creatures!! Snaking our way around a very narror water passage way sometimes worried you would bang your head on overhangs but instead bumping off the rock edges, hoping you didn't feel that slippery eel nippy on your bum you could relax back and enjoyed the glow worms! Looking up and floating blisfully through it looked like the milky way, we were encouraged to sing songs to make them shine brighter, which in true British style we did and even adapteded a few to fit our surroundings!

After a little slide to the exit our tour had finished and we rushed back for some warm showers and even better some warm tomato soup! All cozy and warmed through we jumper back on the bus! It was a beautiful day with not a cloud or a breeze in the sky!

Scotty was keeping us updated with the weather forcast in Taupo and more importantly telling us how it was a perfect day for a SKYDIVE!!! Now we hadn't planned for this but knew that this was the cheapest place and something was telling Hana that this perfect day was a sign! So with out too much thought we booked it.... And that was it, it was done!

When I woke up this morning I never thought I would be ending the day jumping out of a plane, strangly thou and i think because it was so spur of the moment and seemed to unreal I was not nervous nor thought much about it!

We approached our final destination before pick up... Huka falls! This was at the begining of the longest river in NZ, it wasn't the most impressive waterfall ever but the colour was amazing it was a bluey green that I had never seen before! Plus the volume of water that rushed down the small little raven to the 7metre drop was enough to fill 5 olympic size swimming pools every minute! That is crazy! 

Our small little yellow van arrived on time to take us to the airport to start the process to tick another "bucket list" point! At the airport we signed our lives away and paid the extra for the silver package to ensure that this was all caught on camera, at least our final minutes could be sent home eh!!!

There was a little bit of a wait while others set off, there was a few trips made to the toilet before we put on the extremely sexy orange suits! My fashion for today has hit some serious lows! With our suits on and brief safety video done we took the tourist pictures and were grateful to see all survived the first run. My tantum buddy Allan came over to take me to the plane and in tow Hana with her partner Darcy. We asked all the obvious questions to put our minds at rest although neither very nervous. Jumped into the plane that had some interesting designs, the most bizzare bit was taking off in the plane huddled close to everyone facing backwards. No seat belts but we were all wedged in pretty tightly. The take off was fast and soon we were climbing higher and higher, sun shining brightly in the afternoon sky lighting up views to both the west and east coast! The mountains creating a perfect backdrop to the largest lake in NZ...lake Taupo the size of Singapore City!

The air got thinner and thinner, cooling as we rose high above the shimmering lake. Then suddenly it became reality i was being strapped to my buddy pulling all my straps tighter ensurig i was fully strapped close to him. Then it was just a waiting game, We watched the instructors check their special allitude watches.... 12,000.... 13,000 then finally 15,000 the highest recreational jump limit in the world!

Without warning and something you never see or dream off the door to the plane was opened and sky came flooding into the cabin. You could hear the wind whistle pass, wihout warning the first person was sat on the edge one quick photo and in a flash they were gone! There was three infront off me but before I had time to worry my hat was on my head goggles were down and my legs were dangling over the edge of a plane 15,000 ft into the air. I had no time to say "NO", a quick goodbye smile to the camera and head back and away we.......... SCREAM!!!!

Plumenting at over 200km an hour towards the groud, at first my arms were crossed in safety position as unawaring we fliped around and around. I was perified to hold my harness encase I losened anything but then there was the tap and I was allowed to free my arms to fly like a bird through the sky! It was an undiscribable feeling to be free falling watching the ground get closer and closer. You moved your arms flapping them around in the wind that whizzed passed, nothing you could do I asume this was what it did feel like to fly!! The cameraman flew around and around you taking pictures from all angles caputuring this crazy moment!

After what did not feel more than seconds but was apprently 60secs of free fall it was time to slow this party down and the parachute was opened! It in an instant we had stop plumeting but wait below there was a problem.... My cameraman's parachute hadn't opened he was still falling he had to release and hope his reserved worked! I mist admit I panicked a little I couldn't see if my parachute had opened but was asured we were ok! The reserved worked and my video was saved!!! We flew steadly glinding effortless with the winds watching the bailed parachute to see where it landed! This for me was the worse bit, the moving from left to right felt like a dip in a rollercoaster and severally times I lost parts of my stomach up there!

However it was peaceful to float the last 7,000 ft over Taupo the sun still shinning on our faces. The target was set for landing and after some more left and right dips we had our feet up ready for a perfect landing and it was! Throwing our hats up into the sky and jumpig around not only had we survived but it had big one of he biggest rushes of my life! A moment never to be forgotten!

Still buzzing but with a head rush from the alttitude we watched our movies and headed back to our hostel for some celebration drinks and food! Off to the Irish bar for proper sized pints and some really good pub grub. The adreline crash hit us before midnight and it was off to bed ready for another bus journey! 

The night was not over the perfect end was had by a cute Canadian guy who played his and by my ears the best version of "amazing grace"! He continues to play music until he had pt everyone to sleep! 

I will go out there and say it will definately be one of my top 5 best days of my trip if not my life!