Taupo, North Island, New Zealand

The lake at Taupo is as stunning as Pinterest promised, so make sure you give yourself a couple of days to take it all in. 

The best hostel in town? Taupo urban retreat. For $23 a night we got a bed in the 16-bed attic dorm. The place was pretty buzzy with a cheap bar - $4 g&t's at happy hour - bike rental for $20 a half-day, free computers in reception and chilli available every night for just $5. Wifi is extra, $4 for 24hrs access, which isn't ideal but is a common situation in the north island. 

The best places to eat? There's plenty of bars and restaurants right on the water, though you'll pay a premium price for the views. The lake house has a great craft beer menu whilst pub'n'grub serves huge salads for $17.

Pub'n'grub (inticing name..)

Tank is a cheap spot for salads and smoothies, and the pantry is a great rustic style cafe/restaurant.

The McDonalds in Taupo is one of the chains most famous, so make sure you take time to drop by for a cuppa/happy meal/McFlurry. 

Drinking? Taupo Retreat's bar is the cheapest in town, so start there. On a Thursday night the Irish pub, Macgullins, has an open mic night. There's one nightclub in town, which is next door to the base hostel. In fact, if you're looking for a big night, the base hostel isn't a bad place to start. 

Must sees? Make sure you head to Huka falls. The huge waterfall is about 20minutes out of town and is one of the biggest national attractions in the country. 

We rented bikes from Top Gear on the Main Street for $20 for a half-day, and the track to the falls was awesome. It's worth the ride, especially if you're a mountain bike fan. Hard work, but great fun. You can see the falls by boat, too, for $35 if you fancy a different point of view. 

Must dos? Skydiving in Lake Taupo is one of the best things I have ever done. Throwing myself out of a plane has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, and it didn't disappoint. 

Taupo skydive pick you up in limousine, sell you a load of additional merchandise in the shape of personalised GoPro films and pictures, kit you out in a jumpsuit and condom hat and load you into a bright pink plane. 

The climb, to 15,000ft, is beautiful. Lake Taupo stretches out beneath you and on a clear day you can see both of the North Island's coastlines. At 8,000ft everyone is given oxygen, which freaked me out slightly, but I was reassured that it was only there as a precautionary measure and to aid people's recollection of the jump when they land. That aside, I was one of the last to jump to ensure that I recieved as much of the good stuff pre-jump as possible. You're instructed to put your legs out of the plane and put your head back. After that, there's no going back.

Freefallin'

I couldn't describe jumping if I tried, nor the minutes freefall that followed, but it was better than I ever imagined it would be and as soon as it was over I wanted to do it again. 

Taking the reins 

In total, with the video (which I'll share when I'm back in blighty), the photos and a t-shirt, the jump cost $439. Yes, it's expensive (£215) but I'd pay it again in a heartbeat. 

I can guarantee it won't be my final flight.

L x