The final pictures of my grand journey to the bottom of the world!
Well, gentle readers, it had to end sometime. Yes, today I will post the final pictures I took on my voyage to Australia and New Zealand. Don't cry, good folk! The last round brings to you one of the wackiest things I've ever done. And it's captured on film!
I mentioned last week that we went from Napier to Taupo, in the middle of the North Island. Here's the map, one last time:
Taupo is a kind of sports resort place. Lots of people go there to do all sorts of extreme sporting events. So, because I am but a follower, I needed to do some extreme sporting-type thing myself! And because it's New Zealand, I decided to do that wonderful thing that New Zealanders invented: I went bungee jumping!
Yes, that's me, not a stunt double. If you haven't gone bungee jumping, I highly recommend it. It's absolutely unbelievably excellent. I used to have a videotape of the incident, but my sister taped over it when she tried to play it, as she hit the wrong button on the VCR. I always say, if you're not smarter than the equipment, you probably shouldn't use it.
Taupo is also famous because of the hot springs right outside of town. These bubble up to the surface and do all sorts of nasty things to the landscape, and one such area is called "The Craters of the Moon" because of the steam rising from the earth making everything look very alien. My friends and I wanted to go out to see them, but we had no transportation. It was the first and only time I ever hitchhiked, and as I was with three attractive young women, we got picked up pretty easily by two guys in car, who also happened to have the ditziest girl I have ever met with them. She talked the entire drive, and I have blotted out most of what she said, but it had a lot to do with drinking and not remembering anything the next day (she was a college student from Hawaii, of all places). Anyway, we got out to the Craters. They were neat:
Here are the ladies I was traveling with. That's Cindy, Theresa, and Lisa.
Finally, it was time to leave Taupo. I had an earlier flight than my traveling companions, so I left a day before they did. Here I am, ready to leave. Check out my groovy Akubra hat. I love that hat.
I'm wearing my Polish watch. That is to say, it's a watch with the numbers written in Polish on the face - it was made here. My Polish grandmother bought me that watch, and I love it. I still have it, but for some reason it never works anymore. I don't care - I'm keeping it because it's neat-o.
I returned to Auckland, which is NOT the capital of New Zealand, as I mentioned a few weeks ago because I'm stupid, but it is the largest "city" in the country. I use the term "city" loosely, because it's smaller than a lot of suburbs here. It's still a nice town. The weather, apparently, is like this a lot.
Then I flew home. Here I am back at my house in beautiful Warminster, PA. Ready for six weeks off before my senior year of college starts. I didn't have to get a job because the time was too short. This would be the final six weeks of my life when I had absolutely no responsibilities. Good times.
So those are my pictures from Australia and New Zealand. I hoped you enjoyed them. Next week it's back in the U.S.A., as I head for the exotic wilds of ... Pittsburgh! There's nothing crazier than the Steel City!
I mentioned last week that we went from Napier to Taupo, in the middle of the North Island. Here's the map, one last time:
Taupo is a kind of sports resort place. Lots of people go there to do all sorts of extreme sporting events. So, because I am but a follower, I needed to do some extreme sporting-type thing myself! And because it's New Zealand, I decided to do that wonderful thing that New Zealanders invented: I went bungee jumping!
Yes, that's me, not a stunt double. If you haven't gone bungee jumping, I highly recommend it. It's absolutely unbelievably excellent. I used to have a videotape of the incident, but my sister taped over it when she tried to play it, as she hit the wrong button on the VCR. I always say, if you're not smarter than the equipment, you probably shouldn't use it.
Taupo is also famous because of the hot springs right outside of town. These bubble up to the surface and do all sorts of nasty things to the landscape, and one such area is called "The Craters of the Moon" because of the steam rising from the earth making everything look very alien. My friends and I wanted to go out to see them, but we had no transportation. It was the first and only time I ever hitchhiked, and as I was with three attractive young women, we got picked up pretty easily by two guys in car, who also happened to have the ditziest girl I have ever met with them. She talked the entire drive, and I have blotted out most of what she said, but it had a lot to do with drinking and not remembering anything the next day (she was a college student from Hawaii, of all places). Anyway, we got out to the Craters. They were neat:
Here are the ladies I was traveling with. That's Cindy, Theresa, and Lisa.
Finally, it was time to leave Taupo. I had an earlier flight than my traveling companions, so I left a day before they did. Here I am, ready to leave. Check out my groovy Akubra hat. I love that hat.
I'm wearing my Polish watch. That is to say, it's a watch with the numbers written in Polish on the face - it was made here. My Polish grandmother bought me that watch, and I love it. I still have it, but for some reason it never works anymore. I don't care - I'm keeping it because it's neat-o.
I returned to Auckland, which is NOT the capital of New Zealand, as I mentioned a few weeks ago because I'm stupid, but it is the largest "city" in the country. I use the term "city" loosely, because it's smaller than a lot of suburbs here. It's still a nice town. The weather, apparently, is like this a lot.
Then I flew home. Here I am back at my house in beautiful Warminster, PA. Ready for six weeks off before my senior year of college starts. I didn't have to get a job because the time was too short. This would be the final six weeks of my life when I had absolutely no responsibilities. Good times.
So those are my pictures from Australia and New Zealand. I hoped you enjoyed them. Next week it's back in the U.S.A., as I head for the exotic wilds of ... Pittsburgh! There's nothing crazier than the Steel City!
posted by Greg | 8:08 PM
4 Comments:
I am afraid I would have passed out on the way down if I tried bungee jumping.
nice legs..
Bunjee jumping. You're a braver man than I, Gungadin. After hearing the story about someone's retina's disconnecting from the back of their eyes, bungee jumping pretty much became my horror activity. O_O
I heard about the whole retina detaching thing, too, but that's why I live on the edge! It's actually not that scary - starting is the scariest thing, because you have to overcome the fear of falling. Once you leave the platform, it's actually not that bad - the falling feels cool, and you don't snap back violently, you just kind of rise up. But just getting the nerve to fall off the platform is tough.
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