Seeking Adrenalin
The following excerpts come from my travel journal to New Zealand in 1995. They are included in my book, Memoirs of a Middle-aged Hummingbird, published in 2006.
New Zealand is an incredible place! Distances are not great, and the Magic Bus is an excellent and relatively inexpensive way of getting around from one extraordinary sight to another. Being let off and picked up right at the Youth Hostels means I don’t have to lug my luggage very far. Many of the travelers are Japanese or Koreans who are studying English here. The Youth Hostel system in New Zealand has been voted the best in the world, and it’s easy to see why. I wish I could take the Youth Hostels and the Magic Bus with me everywhere in the world.
No matter the weather, the Magic Bus drivers are typical New Zealand “blokes” who wear shorts and a t-shirt. Their New Zealand accents can be a bit difficult to understand, like “rise” for “rose,” “sex” for “six.” They aren’t really tour guides, but offer good information for the asking.
New Zealand offers precious gifts every day. One day shows me dolphins leaping for joy as they follow our boat. Another day offers a palette of colors and smells and boiling rivers that only a volcanic area like Rotorua can offer. Yet, another day shows me “adventure travelers” who leap and dangle on bungey cords suspended over gorgeous canyon rivers, raft their way down raging rivers, tear around the rivers in boats at breakneck speed, or parachute out of planes attached to an instructor.
The bungey jumpers are the most entertaining. Age is not a factor since I was told 80 year olds take the plunge. Those who are practiced jumpers jump quickly and do fancy acrobatics as they bob up and down on the cord. The first timers stand out because they sometimes have elaborate rituals they devise to mark their act of courage, often involving yelling out something meaningful to them before going over the edge. Then, there are a few who freeze and never jump. While I enjoy taking pictures of their bravery, it’s clear I have none of what pushes them to test their courage in this way.
I met an Israeli young man at a real castle above the sea while we were climbing up a curving stairway made of the once-abundant kauri wood. That day at the castle, it rained and snowed and hailed and was sunny and warm, all just about simultaneously. I asked him if he had come for the daring adventures New Zealand offers in abundance. He laughed and said he was a paratrooper in the Israeli army and had no need of any more adrenalin rushes.
Tags: Adventure travel in New Zealand; Magic Bus; youth hoste, Travel
