Huka Falls/ Rock'n'Ropes....more fear!

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Hi again....still in Wellington catching up on the last week of adventures.

The next day we decided to give the adrenalin a rest and go for a hike to Huka Falls. In truth we were waiting for the whether to clear enough for us to be able to do the Tongariro Crossing- the best one day hike in NZ over the saddle of the Tongariro volcano and right in the heart of the area where they filmed the movies. Although brilliant sunshine down off the mountains (which incidently has been the whether the whole time I've been here) it was pretty windy and the pass was too dangerous to cross...bummer.

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So the falls were errrmmmm....a lot of water going through a some rocks really and very nice but it took us 2 hrs to hike there. In hindsight I'm seriously glad we did it and you'll find out why in the next entry. The walk along the river is beautiful if you're ever that way and as you go you pass Taupo Bungy which gives you the chance to see people as bonkers as yourself throw themselves off a cliff.

Our backpackers really was fantastic and that night we cooked and ate with the others in the hostel and took advantage of happy hour which seemed more like a happy 4 hrs. The owners hang around and chat to everyone too which gives the place a family kinda feel and with the Kiwi love of swearing no matter how old you are, of course I was in stitches the whole evening. No word of a lie every second word is an expletive and I love inappropriate language from those who should know better!

Tues 19th Sept.

The crossing was still too dangerous so we decided it was time to frighten ourselves stupid again. To overcome Simon's fear of heights we thought it might be good to really push the boundaries and go for a high ropes assault course.

Now I'm not scarred of heights.....however...I was not prepared for this! The difference is that with skydiving it's all over in a second and you have no choice being strapped to another person. Here you had to go it alone and to be honest it gave me the willies way more than jumping out of a plane!

Another sexy safety harness...talk about extreme dating! The whole thing was about 3 stories high and you had to go across wires, bridges, logs etc. attached to a belay on the ground. Not too much of a problem until you have to get up a 30 foot telegraph pole, stand on the top (with no way to pull yourself up) and jump onto a trapeze. Incredibly I managed it!! Another proud moment...god this stuff is character building! Next is the swing which I thought would be a doddle....yeah right....new underwear please!!