Taupo Trip Report by William Stone

Photo by Nicole Maston

Destination Taupo, with a car packed to the roof (quite literally) with dive and ski gear, we Taupo virgins had no real idea what we were in for. Friday evening saw the crew arrive at various times but not too late for some alcoholic antics. Like any good president Ming was on the front line, being the first to suffer at the hands of the drinking games. The best (or worst) was still to come as Donald entertained us with the interesting combination of too much Jagermeister and too much Red Bull. What better way to introduce the club to a handful of new members. A pre-bed sauna sweated away the night’s drinking and all except Donald woke up refreshed to a beautiful Saturday morning, eager to hit the lake.

The group of 15 had a strong international mix with a Canadian, two Americans, a German, a couple of South Africans and an Englishmen. Perhaps this represents the fact that New Zealanders aren’t stupid enough to dive in Lake Taupo in the middle of winter?

The half hour journey to the Southeastern shores of the lake saw us to the club’s beloved spot X. With a buoy just a two minute swim offshore to mark a reef, the dive is ideal for all skill levels as it steps off at various depth levels. The crisp 10 degree water evoked several cries of “what the @#!* are we doing?”, but after putting the cold to the back of the mind, it was an enjoyable dive, especially to those who had never dived in freshwater before. Notable were the freshwater crayfish which attacked you as opposed to their saltwater counterparts, the darkness at relatively shallow depths and the slow moving catfish which Jase managed to catch with his hands. With the theory that anyone in a dry suit was cheating it seemed only fair that new member Karl’s dry suit leaked and he got cold anyway. Underwater antics of previous years where somewhat lacking, bar a swordfight with plungers.

The time between dives saw us roam the Taupo streets still kitted out in our wetsuits, eating in KFC, buying alcohol and even hitting a few golf balls. Many of the locals and tourists alike seemed somewhat bemused.

After a bit of confusion as to the second dive site, we arrived on the banks of the Waikato River and geared up again. This dive was a drift dive down the river and was like a real life game of space invaders, having to dodge boulders and trees whilst being swept along with the fast-moving current. The depth in places was surprising with Matt and Will reaching 12 and a half metres when not even on the bottom. After what seemed like a longtime we popped up to some hot springs where the water was a much more comforting 40 degrees. This was even enough to warm Nicole up who was cold despite diving with two layers of wetsuit. As we all enjoyed a few drinks dusk crept up on us and so everyone was left to carry their gear 300m up a hill to the car park in the dark.

More drinking games ensued with the targets tonight being the American girls drinking some of New Zealand’s finest cider, Scrumpy’s, and of course Donald. This time some of the other lodge-goers joined in and we were beautifully serenaded by the sounds of Shane on his Ukulele.

An early night saw us all in bed by 1 as the skiers all wanted to be gone by 7 in the morning. Again awakening to a beautiful morning, this time with a heavy frost, the mountain never looked more appealing. The 9 members who made the effort up the mountain were blessed with perfect conditions and all thoroughly enjoyed their day. The Northern hemisphere snow bunnies found out what Ruapehu skiing is all about, sheet ice, but quickly adjusted so as to not break any limbs. Jase deserves a special mention for his troll hat that got more comments than talkback radio.

All in all it was a wonderful trip and one which left a lasting impression on everyone who attended (especially Meredith’s arm). Thanks go to Ming for his organisation which saw no major issues crop up, the drivers, and all those who attended who made it such a great trip.

Filed under: Ali Perkins, Diving New Zealand, Trip Reports