Without Direction

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/

Nine skydivers had the flight of their lives when they had to make a hasty leap from a plane with a smoking engine in the skies above Taupo.

The skydivers - five SkyDive Taupo employees and four clients - were on a routine commercial skydive south of Taupo when the pilot of the twin-engined Cessna 402 aeroplane saw smoke coming from the right-side engine about 3pm yesterday.

The plane was about halfway to its planned altitude of 12,000 feet (3657 metres) when the pilot immediately shut the smoking engine down as a precaution.

Company co-owner Roy Clements - one of those on board - said the next move was simple.

“We just thought we’d better get the hell out of there, so we did. Real fast.”

Which was easier said than done. The plane was travelling at 225kmh and it took a minute or two to get the divers - four tandem and one solo - out of the plane.

Two of the tandems and the solo diver landed in a forestry area near Hatepe, about 15km south of Taupo Airport. The other tandems landed a short distance away. None of the divers - seven men and two women - were injured.

Meanwhile, the pilot landed the plane at the airport without incident, aided by the suddenly lighter load. It appeared an oil leak was to blame for the smoke. The plane would be checked thoroughly before returning to the skies again, Mr Clements said.

And the company’s clients? They didn’t have to pay the normal $150 fee for their hair-raising flight. Most were “happily socialising” with staff last night, reliving the adventure.

Brotown is NZ’s answer to the Simpons and NZ first animated show. Its pretty funny and generally takes the piss out of the various cultural sterotypes that make up the people of New Zealand.

Jeff da Maori for example has eight dads. There are several racist South Africans, an over the top PC teacher , and the headmaster is a ‘fa’afafine’

Dead good actually.

From the NZ Herald 

Police hope Santa mayhem a one-off By Derek Cheng

Police are hoping the drunken antics of 50 men in Santa Claus outfits at the weekend is not the start of a regular problem at this time of year.

The group, participating in this year’s “Santarchy” - Santa anarchy - stole from shops, urinated in the streets and threw rocks at buses in downtown Auckland on Saturday.

“It’s just a pack of clowns, just a bunch of idiots getting together and taking the opportunity to be relatively anonymous by all wearing the same clothing, making it difficult to identify who’s done what,” said Senior Sergeant Matt Rogers.

He hoped the problems this year were a one-off event at a time when office and end-of-year parties already whet people’s appetites for alcohol.

“We hope people go out and have a good time and behave in a civilised manner, but if people can’t, police will deal with it appropriately.”

Police arrested three men and will charge a fourth after the group hurled glass bottles at several security guards.

Two of the guards were treated for cuts to the head.

“We started getting phone calls from the public at 5.15pm. They were at Britomart, behaving loutishly, just being silly.”

About 6pm the group, which had shrunk from 50 to about 20, made their way to Princes Wharf, where one adventurous Santa scaled the mooring rope of a cruise ship.

When he came back down, several security guards grabbed him, sparking the flurry of flying bottles.

Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett said he was disappointed that a stronger signal wasn’t sent out about public disorder.

“It’s a bit disappointing that the law is not being enforced that sends a strong signal to the rest of them and to anyone else who thinks this is humorous,” he said.

“There’s a group of people obviously organised and going into shopping areas and just intimidating shop owners and operators.”

Alex Dyer, who organised the Santa spree, explained Saturday’s antics as a group of men who liked having a drink and a laugh.

“It doesn’t mean anything and it’s not against anyone. It’s just having fun. That’s what life’s about.”

While Mr Dyer did not condone illegal behaviour, he washed his hands of any responsibility.

“I can’t physically restrain people from doing stupid things. I can’t say, ‘Okay 50 drunk men, all listen to me: Please, nobody do anything stupid’.

“If someone does something stupid and gets caught for it, that’s their problem.”

He said Saturday was not an anti-commercialisation protest.

“People do Santarchy in other countries, sure, and for them maybe that’s their aim, but with us we’re just dressing up as Santa and getting drunk. We just like booze.”

Mr Dyer said he had never been arrested, and he had never met the people who were arrested.

“I had a great time.”

Saw this place and just had to have a trim !!

At 10am I met the guys and HOMY for the trip to Wellington. 370km of winding road between us and the port capital. Highway 2 should bring us all the way. But that would be boring!! No we were going to make a slight detour, via Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateturi-pukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. No I haven’t fallen asleep on the keyboard; that, my friends, is the longest place name in the world. How could the intrepid explorer miss that? So 90km out of way we went to find Tau… well we just called it T82U (it’s 84 letters long). Many winding roads later we found it.

We were expecting a tourist office or a t-shirt shop, but there was nothing. Didn’t even have to pay in. Just an explanation of the name:

“The brow of a hill where Tametea, the man with the Big Knees, Who Slid, Climbed and Swallowed Mountains, Known as Land Eater, Played his flute to his lover”

Every place tells a story.
That’s the kind of name you would want for your house! Suggestions below.

So yesterday I managed to get a lift. Mark and Trent, 2 of the guys I jumped out of plane with offered to give me a lift to Wellington via Napier. Thanks Guys. We were travelling in a marvel of engineering, the Nissan Homy. The guy managed to pick up their transport and home for NZ$600 in Auckland. Great deal.

We arrived in Napier around 2pm. Napier is cosy café seaside town that was rebuilt in the 1930s after an earthquake. Being the 30s it was rebuilt in the Art Deco style. As a result everything is in art deco.
Even my backpackers was Art deco, and it didn’t have some crappy backpacker like name either, it was called The Criterion Hotel. Check it out!!

After visiting the museum and getting to know the locals (below), Mark, Trent and I went to for a beer and some pool [1] After Trent and I were humiliated by Mark who won ever game, Mark entered a pool competition. He was beaten in the first round by a pregnant, one legged women. Well, that’s the way I remember it.

[1] Pool is the international game of backpackers.

In Taupo. Taupo is a little city on a really big lake. I was hoping to do the Tongariro Crossing, which is one of New Zealand’s best one day treks, but luck was against me. The weather was bad the day got here. So I waited. And as the days past it got worse. There isn’t much else to do in Taupo, and like every town I’ve been in, all the action happens in the local Irish Bar. It was there where travellers, played pool, and drank beer, did pub quizs, waiting for the crossing to be opened. Everyday at 2pm the local info center puts up and notice to say if the crossing would be open the following day. Everyday I was disappointed.

I went shopping, chatted with other tourists. Went to see Harry Potter.

Taupo is also home of the cheapest skydiving in the world. For $250 you can jump out of a plane at 12000ft and get the whole thing on DVD too. Of course they don’t skydive when it’s cloudy either. On Sunday I got to Freefall, the Skydive place, they had a break in the cloud cover.
I was pretty nervous. I signed the form not to sue, suited up, and then we were told there would be not jumping today. I think I was actually relieved.

I’d been in Tuapo 5 days, waiting. It was time to leave. The crossing and a skydive had alluded me. I checked out of my hostel, and walked to the bus terminal in the sun. The sun. The bloody sun was shining. The bus was at one. I rang Freefall. They were going to do jumps starting at 11am. They had a place. I was going to skydive.

There were 7 jumpers on my plane. 2 English guys, Mark and Trent, an Irish couple and a German Dad and son. We suited up, sharing our nerves and met the Tandem Masters. Here is the complete training:

” Hold on to those straps, stick your feet out the door of the plane, put your head back. When I pat you on the back stick your arms out”

So basically fall. Easy.

We got onto the plane and took off. I wasn’t that nervous, sort of resigned the fate before me.
Soon we were in the clouds. My tandem Master taps me on the shoulder.

“We are at 5000 ft this is were the parachute opens”

Bugger. Only 5000ft? What the hell is 12000 like? When you are on plane next have a look out the window at 12000 ft. Its pretty amazing.

Soon the door is opened. Shit. Here I go. I watch as the 5 people in front of me jump out the door. My turn. Legs out, look down. Bloody Hell.

We are out, somersaulting , 360 degree , watching the plane fly above us, then turning to view the cloudy earth below. Tap on my back, arms out. Wow. Hitting 200km falling towards the earth. 45 seconds of freefall and then the chute opens.

“How was that mate? Look there is a hellicopter below us over there”

Its utterly peaceful dropping through the sky, pretty fast still. Doing some turns and twists.

The ground is coming up to meet us.

“Bugger, shit”

We get caught in an upwind, the tamdemmaster corrects.

“Sorry about that mate, bit rusty”

Pardon?

But its a prefect landing. Smiles all round. We all congradulate each other, on our falling and screaming talents. We all need beer and manly steaks. Looks like I’ll miss the bus, but there is a new plan. I’ve got a lift.

I’m heading for Waitomo today. I’m going to see some worms. Yes worms. But these little buggers are a little different than your average worm. These guys glow.

Waitomo has a lot of caves, big caves. In you can abseil 100 meters into a cave below. You also can rafting underground. Blackwater rafting its called.

In the caves you get on a boat and silently drift beneath 1000s of glowworms lighting the roof of the caves. It’s a pretty cool sight. No photos I’m afraid. Not allowed.

After going for a walk over Dead Tree hill and around, I head to the pub with a Dutch guy for some pool, and beers. It’s a one tavern town. We play a Mouri guy and his girlfriend at pool. They both work slaughtering cattle and sheep. He calls the stripes and solids; Biggies and Smallies. He’s bloody good. She isn’t. We manage to get to 2 games each. The decider. The Maori , pots 5 before we even get to the table.

“Losers buy the handles (beers) bro? ”

I don’t think so. He pots the rest, winning easily.

I found a free lift to Taupo in the morning. Sweet as.

Did a pretty cool white water raft today. It was a grade V on the Kaituna River. Grade V is apparently the highest grade river you can raft commercially. Every activity in New Zealand seems to make this claim. Not sure if it’s just hype or a result of New Zealand’s no personally injury insurance system. Whatever the reason, today I rafted over a 9 meter water fall in a raft after 10 minutes instruction!!! Pretty good fun. No pictures because of the wet. Got to get a water proof camera!