Happy New Year

Back in the North Island now, we decided to treat ourselves and find a motel for New Years Eve. By pure chance we ended up in Waihape, self-styled 'gumboot capital of the World', where they hold the World Welly-Throwing Championships. Our motel rooms are in a lovely Camber Sands style chalet, complete with early 70's decor, and owned by a Greek Elvis fan who brought complimentary beer, snacks and morning paper. I couldn't have been happier. We saw NYE in gorging on chocolate and another bottle of Ned, while watching back-to-back episodes of 'Flight of the Conchords'. Again weird to think it's 2010 here, while you're all just waking up to your last day of 2009.
The only thing open around here today was the Gravity Centre in a nearby canyon, so we went for some fresh air and to watch the adrenaline junkies, only to suddenly find myself signing up for an 80m bungee jump off the bridge. Terrifyingly brilliant is how I'd describe the experience - the worst bit being just before you jump, when you're teetering on the edge of a tiny platform, feet bound together, fighting the urge to grab hold of something with your empty hands, and you suddenly realise that this was a really silly idea. Once you jump there's nowt but falling - and then the exhillaration of knowing you did it, and survived. It's all very safe, but that knowledge doesn't help when you're stood on the edge looking down. Still, it's one way to clear the New Year cobwebs!