Stray Backpacker Bus | Auckland to Christchurch

Day 4 Maketu – Taupo (via Rotorua)

After spending the night at Uncle Boi’s and finishing our included breakfast we started the journey to Taupo via Rotorua.  We left Maketu at around 8am (the group having now realised that there is a pattern with early morning starts) and headed on our way to the New Zealand destination renowned for its volcanic activity and the fact that it smells of egg (Due to the Sulphur).

We headed straight for Kaitiaki Adventures in Rotorua known for being the only company in the world that can commercially whitewater raft a grade 5, 7 metre waterfall.  On the way to this location we stopped to see someone being rolled down a hill in a giant inflatable ball (Zorbing) which although it looked ridiculous it also looked like a lot of fun.  Rotorua is known for facilitating alot of adrenaline sports however all I was interested in was whitewater rafting.

When we arrived at Kaitiaki Adventures we were greeted by the owner of the company, a larger than life Kiwi called Stevie (a super cool guy).  We then walked into the main building and signed the usual waivers to commence our activities.  On speaking with Stevie I found out that the whitewater rafting which the company now do was not the original sport the company was founded on.  The original sport was whitewater sledging which consists of a kind of half kayak, a wet suit and a pair of fins.

As I am always interested in doing something different I decided to give it a go and boy, what a different experience.  Strangely enough you head down a set of rapids with nothing but a sledge, a wet suit and a set of fins.  The group consisted of four customers and two fully qualified intructors named Andy and Dax (again both larger than life, as is the custom in New Zealand).

The experience was amazing.  The sensation of floating through choppy rapids and being completely exposed is a hard one to explain.  Although to spectators it might look a little tame and slightly peculiar, when you’re in the water it feels reckless.  What you don’t see from sitting on the bank is how physically difficult it is to do and also how freaking dangerous it seems.  Rocks seem to pop out of nowhere and often you get wiped out by a wave or current.

It was seriously fun though and you never felt like anything bad could happen because of Andy and Dax ebing so near and keeping an eye on everything you were doing. On seeing and speaking to all of the Stray bus group afterwards, many who had done the whitewater rafting enjoyed it equally as much.

After saying our goodbyes to our instructors we left Rotorua and made our way to Taupo.  Although this wasn’t one of the longest drives our driver ‘Nick aka Austin’ still got us involved in some driving games.  One consisting in a kind of eye spy whereby all the people on the bus had to spot a travelling spaceship (a campervan) before ‘Nick’ did.  If we spotted one we got a point, if he spotted one he did.  If anyone spotted a stationary spaceship and called it you lost ten points.

Another game that circulated was the ‘kiss the lollypop man game’.  This consisted of everytime we got stopped due to road works a lovely young lady from the bus had to run out and kiss the man holding the stop sign (without warning).  The best one was when one of the lasses near floored the lolly pop and knocked the guy back into a roadside ditch.  Don’t ask we why but after that his mate held up the bus and wouldn’t let us leave until he got some action.  Still very funny though.

After all the fun and frolics we arrived in Taupo where many of the group had planned to skydive.  Unfortunately however the weather took a turn for the worst so we were unable to jump.  Anywho, we headed to our night accommodation at Taupo Urban Retreat Backpackers.  This is a seriously cool little hostel set in the heart of town which has everything.  The usual great quality rooms, kitchen facilities and toilets/showers but the hostel also has a cheap bar and as part of your stay you also get free internet.

That night the whole group had drinks together and mingled.  A couple of the guys even wore some seriously cool yet a little crazy looking suits which they’d had tailor made whilst travelling through Thailand.  We all had way too much to drink and then most of the group headed to bed.

What I had forgotton is that after a certain time in the evening the hostel closed the main doors and required you to type in a code in order to get in which in my drunken state I’d forgotten.  Luckily some other drunken guys who had been tailing me were staying in the same hostel so they let me in.  As you could probably tell I was quite relieved and didn’t take long in passing out on my bed.

• Part 1 Auckland – Hahei
• Part 2 Hahei – Raglan
• Part 3 – Raglan – Maketu

Adam

Related posts:

1. Nomads Auckland on the road with Stray Travel, part 14
2. Nomads Auckland on the road with Stray Travel, part 5
3. Nomads Auckland on the road with Stray Travel, part 8
4. Nomads Auckland on the road with Stray Travel, part 19 & 20
5. Nomads Auckland on the road with Stray Travel, part 18