NZ: Day Five: I Can't Do It

Once again, we were both awake before the alarm and had to quietly get changed so as not to disturb anyone. Packing up our belongings, we managed a quick breakfast and last minute look under beds before checking out. We were on our way to Taupo today, and were both excited for more adventures south.

It was a busy coach and we were not sitting together, but it was a short journey and we were surprised to find it came with air-con and free Wi-Fi! Sometimes it's the little luxuries. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) one of these luxuries was not a toilet, and when we arrived in Taupo our first challenge was to find one! It was a bit of a trek, but turned out not to be the hardest challenge of the day.

We were booked in at The Haka Lodge, and were very happy to find that although we were too early to check-in, we could leave our bags and get freshened up. It was looking like a warm day, so on came the shorts and vests for both of us! We then had some chill time before Liz/Liv/Lisa (neither of us caught her name) arrived at 11am and took us out to the Thermal Park. In a car park on the edge of the Rotary Ride, we signed our lives away, were given a quick brief, and then handed over helmets and our chosen mode of transport for the rest of the day - mountain bikes.

The only positive thing I have to say about these bikes is that they were orange. Other than that, I absolutely despised them. Our troubles began as soon as Liz(?) left and we realised we didn't know how to lower the seats. Luckily, Ben had his head screwed on properly and we managed as best we could, finally realising that my chosen bike couldn't go down any further and swapping rides to rectify this. The second issue was that I had never actually ridden a mountain bike before and found the handlebars terrifying. I really didn't enjoy having to constantly lean forwards to hold on and have control of the bike - and myself! However, I decided to give it my best shot and persevere.

This positive mental attitude only got me so far. I had just about grasped handling the bike and manoeuvring it along the winding trail, when we came to our next challenge... going downhill. At this stage, I would like to point out that I genuinely used to enjoy going downhill on a bike when I was younger; lifting my feet, zooming down the road and whooping all the way. I really struggled to recapture this feeling. In fact, that is an understatement. I was beyond terrified. Something inside just would not let me enjoy the feeling and I doubted both the bike's, and my own, ability to get down even the smallest of declines without throwing me off. I had visions of flying head first over the handlebars, and rolling down the hills into the river... never to be seen again. 

Never having had experienced one before, I didn't realise this at the time but looking back I can say I had my first ever panic attack. Poor Ben. Once I started crying it seemed I just couldn't stop, I was struggling to regulate my breathing too, which certainly didn't help on the bike front. Ben was trying so hard to reason with me, talking me through the process and calming me as best he could. However, I was truly stuck in my own brain now. I couldn't go uphill, I couldn't go downhill... the one thing getting me through was the beautiful scenery, and thoughts that it would surely be over soon.

It had also started to get rather warm, so we had a water and sun cream break, surrounded by the tropical plants and stunning views. I gathered myself together and Ben had me practice some hill starts before we headed back on our way down the trail. I managed okay in the undergrowth on the steady decline, but then my tyre wobbled in the mud, I braked too hard and the jolt took us straight back to square one.  More tears, but at least now I was managing to breathe and pedal whilst I was crying. It was slow progress, but on turning one corner the sound of Huka Falls filled our ears and spurred me on. We were nearly there!

We had arrived at the view point, and by golly was it loud! The turquoise water was churning and rumbling, forcing itself through a ravine and down, I couldn't believe the volume of water tumbling over the cliffs. It was surprisingly not that busy and we found space to prop our bikes against a fence. We then wandered over to the bridge over the falls - it felt nice to be back on two legs rather than two wheels. It really was an incredible view, and the sheer power of the water took my breath away. We took a few pictures, my sun-baked skin making Ben look like a ghost in comparison, and watched as a boat cruise inched its way as close to the falls as it could - no doubt spraying all its passengers in the process! 

 

We now had to continue our journey to the Hub where we had agreed to meet Liv, we first had to work out where that was and which side of the river we needed to be. Luckily, there was a very chatty Cathy in the café who was more than happy to point us in the right direction. That direction was unfortunately up. The Hub was on top of a very steep hill, so steep we both walked our bikes up. We got very excited thinking we had made it and were ready to sit down for a break - the lack of cafe, helicopter tour agents or gift shop we had been told to keep an eye out for meant we weren't quite there yet. It was only a kilometre from the falls but it was a relentless push up the hill. 

When we finally arrived, it was to find that there was a power cut across all of Taupo. We managed to get the last few cold drinks available, and cooled off with a lemonade each accompanied by a chocolate brownie and a fancy yoghurt. We deserved it! Ben then decided he had more left in him and consulted the map for another route, leaving me to chill in the shade and explore the area. I walked to the souvenir shop and en route met a couple who stopped to ask about the power outage. We chatted for a while and I learned that they were travelling the whole of the North Island on bikes! Hats off to them, my morning had been enough to put me off cycling anywhere for a while. In the souvenir shop I of course found myself a magnet, also opting for a buff, and a few postcards. The shop assistant was lovely, asking about my travels and about England too - and then when his cash register couldn't open and his card machine had failed just let me pay whatever I had on me in cash. 

Walking back to my bike at the hub, I didn't have to wait much longer for Ben to return from his ride. He was parched so we sat drinking water until Lisa came to collect us, I couldn't wait for her to take the retched bike off my hands, and drive us back to the hostel. We could now check-in, and also booked ourselves onto a Tongariro Shuttle leaving early the next morning. Finally settled in our rooms, we had some time to freshen up from our sweaty morning and then took ourselves off for a much more relaxing afternoon.

We walked along the Waikato River to the Spa Park, knowing there was a popular thermal pool where we could relax. It wasn't hard to find, we recognised some of the route from our earlier adventures, and soon came across a bend in the river filled with people. We found a spot on the grass for our belongings and stripped down to our bathers. We had to walk through a few cold patches before finding a space amongst the crowd in the warmer parts. We were enjoying relaxing and people watching - both trying not to giggle at the people just casually showering in the waterfalls. I did have to laugh when we noticed Ben had naturally gravitated towards his fellow baldies, and took a picture of him surrounded by his tribe. We then braved the plunge pools and were surprised at just how hot they were!! It certainly eased the aches and pains of the day and we stayed until we felt a little heady, cooling back off by paddling our feet in the river on the way out.

We dried off and walked back through Taupo, looking to find a supermarket to sort out our dinner and snacks for tomorrow's hike. We got there eventually and stocked up our supplies, deciding to cook a spag bol back at the hostel. With a slightly al dente dish finished, it was time to pack a bag ready for an early start and hope for a good night's rest!